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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

John Sayles

05:03 / 06.08.02

I've been meaning to start a thread on John Sayles for awhile now and I guess this is as good of an excuse as any: Sayles to partly write a HBO adaptation of Zinn's "A People's History of the United States". Excerpt:

But Live Planet has done OK on the film production front without trying much. It has been involved in projects including "Matchstick Men," the Ridley Scott-directed drama starring Nicolas Cage; a three-part adaptation of the Howard Zinn book "A People's History of the United States" for HBO (with John Sayles writing the first two-hour installment); and a New Line pic called "Solace," which is casting.

Just so you don't think I'm misleading you, the article's really about Ben Affleck & Matt Damon starting a production company with Disney. But back to Sayles: I really like his films, although I've only seen a few of them. Out of the one's I've seen, I think I like "Matewan" the most, although I'm sure others will say that "Lone Star" is his best film. He also has a new one out called "Sunshine State". Sadly, it looks like it won't be playing to packed houses around the US. What kind of recognition does Sayles have in the UK? Is he just known as the guy who scripted "Alligator" there (if he's even known for that)?

20:05 / 06.08.02

Sure, I got into him based on his work for Roger Corman. But his biggest name recognition film would probably be "Brother From Another Planet." I loved Lonestar, haven't seen Matewan, and the preview for Sunshine State left me kind of cold.

14:56 / 09.08.02

I take it nobody knows who I'm talking about? Or you couldn't give a flying fuck either way? Here's an interview @ the excellent www.PopMatters.com for anyone that needs a primer on who Sayles is.

(watches words echo into nothing)

15:26 / 09.08.02

Sayles is an interesting case to me, less for his politics than for his methods. He writes, directs, and edits, and can maintain absolute control because he puts up the money for the films himself, from the money he makes on big-budget script doctor gigs (here's his official resumé, though his uncredited rewrites include The Mummy). He's directed a bunch of music videos for Bruce Springsteen, too. He appreciates the craft of cinema—the rewrites, the odd formulaic demands of blockbuster action movies, what some would call the hackwork—as much as the "art".

Sayles is renowned for the purity and emotional truth of his films, and for being a great director of actors: but I'd say his greatest strength as an artist is his range—from the magical children's fantasy of The Secret of Roan Inish to the pathos of Passion Fish to the tangled emotional sprawl of Lone Star—which connects with his sense of place. He's able to go into these different locations and environments, and to capture their unique atmospheres in the script and the visuals.

17:38 / 09.08.02

Oh yeah, I also read an interesting collection of short stories he wrote called "Anarchist's Convention." Pretty good, as I remember, though it's been ages....

18:52 / 09.08.02

I thought Limbo was rather awful. Cliched characters, boring plot, and disappointing ending. But then I saw Matewan. Politics aside, it was an extraordinary film. But to be honest, I can't recall what I liked about it. I've heard City of Hope is one of his best films, though one of the hardest to get ahold of and one with some of hte poorest reviews.

00:19 / 10.08.02

His stuff tends to be more political than I like, but I do really admire the afore-mentioned system of producing films himself. I think he's one of a very few number of people who work both inside the system and out, and really make the inside stuff work for them, rather than being controlled by it. And his script for the Joe Dante-directed Pirahna was great.

Like others here, i haven't actually seen a lot of his films. Many of them are getting decent DVD releases in the states now, so I'll be seeing more in the coming months. Like others here, I think Lone Star is the best of what I've seen, a sweeping epic that manages to be very local and personal at the same time. It's rare that films manage to cross generational bounds and keep their ideas intact, and Lone Star succeeded. Eight Men Out I also like, though it's not nearly as strong a film. But while most baseball films seem to be put into production by people who love the game, they get lost somewhere. Sayles' film didn't do that, managaing a good line across a thorny subject that still resonates for a lot of people in the states. It's made with care and compassion for the ignorant players who sold themselves out to make a buck. I've been slowly watching Ken Burns Baseball documentary and Sayles has a lot of good input in the Third Inning episode, provind historical commentary without trying to promote himself.

I find myself with little desire to see Limbo or Sunshine State. I'm sure I'll catch them sometime, but I can't put my finger on my lack of enthusiasm.