WDW's evening with David Fincher

David 'why do 10 takes when you can do 67?' Fincher is known for a lot of things and, while to some (apparently) he is the inventor of Torture Porn, never let it be said that he can't make a very long movie. Legend has it that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is 167 minutes long, a full 10 minutes longer than Zodiac, but almost every one of those 167 minutes contains a trick - they make you marvel at the wizardry Fincher and his crew have employed to make you believe that a man's life can be lived in reverse, while pulling your emotions through the mangle as you are made to see that, even though the end is inevitable, relentless, sad, it's the journey towards that end that counts.


So yes, I thoroughly enjoyed Benjamin Button - its laughs surprised me and the storytelling and characterisation were heartwrenching at times and, at other times, enjoyably diverting. I've never been a Brad Pitt fan, with the exception (appropriately) of Se7en, but the role of Benjamin needed a face that everyone could recognise, despite any amount of tweaking. As David said tonight, you needed to recognise the Brad of Thelma and Louise, and I did. By contrast, I am a Cate Blanchett fan and she was the only disappointment for me. I think I would have liked to have seen someone with more colour in her cheeks, and more warmth.


I would advise against the consumption of too much liquid before watching Benjamin Button, unless you have an aisle seat and can remember which row you're sitting in.

But, never mind Benjamin Button, what about David Fincher?... I really must thank the person in front of me at the BFI Southbank who decided to leave early, giving me a clear view, as well as the person behind me who asked a question and meant I had an even better view. It was almsot like Cannes, without the screams, the Santana soundtrack and, oh yes, without Jake...


David said little about Zodiac, although the interview was preceded by clips from three films: Se7en, Fight Club and Zodiac - the wonderful and clever scene where the cab is followed through the streets of San Francisco before its driver is murdered. Nevertheless, the presence of Jake, and other members of the Zodiac cast, was felt when David was asked about his reputation for doing rather a lot of takes... 'That's bullshit!' said David. He went on to explain that he was trying to get away from that first take, for which an actor would declare that he was full of energy and had just had a Moccachino (I am English and, therefore, have no idea what this drink is, nor how to spell it, but I suspect it is caffeine-rich). Apparently, David prefers takes when the actors have forgotten who they are.


But, in response to a question about how he always could be relied upon to get the best performances from his actors, David stressed that this was not surprising. 'You hire great actors and take the credit, forever', or words to that effect.

What came across from the interview was that David Fincher is concerned to give his audience - us - value for their money. The digital filming that he has used on his last two films means that he has removed from his actors the pressure of watching a camera loaded with a new $10,000 reel of film. He can delete what he doesn't like with a touch of a button. Actors may not like it - as Robert Downey Jr said - but it is economical. David cares for the sound in his films - he wants the audience to have a complete movie experience for their money. Sound, he said, was particularly important to a film like Panic Room, in which it could be used to give some interest to the limited space around which the film revolves.


Much of the interview was spent discussing David's career, from the early days of working on the special effects of Return of the Jedi. Apparently, David worked on the tanks that blew up Ewoks - that got applause, while I sadly reflected on the fact that I was the only one in the theatre who quite liked the Ewoks and their tree-houses. I also realised that I was out of step with 'Alien Cubed' - I liked this film but, to Fincher, it is the film that 'noone hates more than me'. When asked if he was responsible for the Director's Cut, he said 'I don't know, never saw it.' I think that's a no, then. Interestingly, David said he didn't watch films that he'd finished. I wondered about that one - I doubt he did the commentary for Zodiac by memory.


There wasn't much discussion of Zodiac, unfortunately, but it was fascinating to hear David discuss Se7en and how, among all the rewrites, he fought to do the original 'Head in the box' version. The power of suggestion was so great that David recalled he got into a near fight at a Beverly Hills cocktail party when a lady had remonstrated with him for showing the audience the head in the box. 'But I didn't,' said David. 'Yes, you did!' insisted the lady.


Fight Club was a film for which a target audience (those who watched TV wrestling) was selected but it was the wrong one. And, when it opened at the Venice Film Festival, it was hated by everyone except Helena Bonham Carter's mother. David et al fled town.

Finally, David was asked what was next, and a whole list of potential candidates was read out, including Ness/Torso (the Chef Keanu Reeves thing got a laugh from the audience - and a please no from me). David said he had no idea and was going to sleep for the next four months. He deserves the rest.


It was great to see David again - he did not disappoint. He looked good, sounded great and he has given us another film well worth every one of its minutes - he left me wanting more.


Pictures from WDW (please don't use without credit - thank you) and IHJ.