We rehearsed more than 50 times more than usual. Director Sam Mendes “1917” [Director’s Interview Vol.53]

"Heaven and Inferno" is my masterpiece

Q: In terms of filmmaking in general, please name a director whom you particularly look up to.

Sam: I don't know where to start answering that question. If I were to list them, it would be a list of hundreds of people (laughs). The ones that come to mind are John Ford, Luchino Visconti, Francis F. Coppola, David Lean, Akira Kurosawa, David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, Ang Lee... What they have in common is that they are great directors and exceptional storytellers. Many films prioritize style too much and the story is damaged, but this is not the case with their works. As I progress in my career, I have come to want to absorb that part from them.

Q: So, from those films, could you tell us your thoughts on director Kurosawa's works?

Sam: So this is an interview for Japan (laughs). I have vivid memories of Throne of Blood (1957), which I saw in my teens, and Ran (1985), which is particularly noteworthy, but my favorite is High and Inferno(1963). Among Kurosawa's works, this film may not have the visual impact of Throne of Blood, Ran, or Seven Samurai (1954), and the story may be too clear. However, the wealth gap is expressed in every depiction, such as the house on the hill where the wealthy president lives, and I admire his "sense." I continue to learn from "masters of cinema" such as director Akira Kurosawa how to convey stories and themes in this way.

Q: I believe your work has influenced many of your successors. What do you think about the power that movies have on viewers?

Sam: Of course, I make my films hoping that the people who watch them will change their lives and their way of thinking. However, I never want to force my opinions on others, so after the film is released, I accept the various reactions to the story I told with sincerity. That is the fate of a storyteller. But certainly, as a director, it would be a great honor if someone said that their life was changed by my film.

Q: Finally, now that 1917, what is your next challenge?

Sam: The biggest challenge in my life as a director was the two 007 movies. I want to try making a musical movie soon, and a science fiction movie. Anyway, the style of the movie needs to match the story. I want to continue to shoot with that goal in mind. One thing I can say for sure is that I will never shoot a one-shot film again. I'm sick of it (laughs). In my next work, I want to return to the original work of film, "editing," so that the story moves quickly and the scenery and time move freely.

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Director: Sam Mendes

For American Beauty(1999), he won Academy Awards® for Best Director and Best Picture, as well as a Golden Globe Award and a Directors Guild of America Award for Best Director. Since then, he has directed Academy Award® winners Road to Perdition(2002), Jarhead (2005), Revolutionary Road (2008), and Home (2009), as well as BAFTA and Academy Award® winners Skyfall(2012) and Spectre (2015). He has received numerous awards, including four Oliver Awards, two Tony Awards, five Evening Standard Theatre Awards, multiple Critics' Circle Awards, and the Hamburg Shakespeare Prize. In 2000, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, in 2005 he received the Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2015 he received the Britannia Award for Best Director.

Interview and text: Hiroaki Saito

Became freelance in 1997, contributing movie reviews and interview articles to various media such as movie magazines, theater pamphlets, and movie sites. The column is constantly updated on Yahoo! News.

“1917”

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Official website: 1917-movie.jp.