Darren Aronofsky director of The Fountain
It has been a long journey for Darren Aronofsky and his film, The Fountain. This venture has been over six years long but film fans can rejoice because The Fountain is finally being released. It is one of the most emotional and moving films (not just science fiction) I have ever seen. The Fountain is confusing at first but soon you are deeply involved in Tom [played by Hugh Jackman], the scientist/conquistador/space traveler's journey to find his what he considers his soul.
Check out the official website for The Fountain
Daniel Robert Epstein: The Fountain is a movie about love and destiny which is interesting because if the original incarnation of The Fountain hadn’t fallen apart you might never have met Rachel [Weisz] and had a baby.
Darren Aronofsky: It’s very strange how art mirrors personal life. But to be honest my conception of the film existed before Rachel. Though it is very strange how things happen.
DRE:
I know that Pi was somewhat autobiographical and now The Fountain. Do you have other things like that with Requiem?
DA:
Well, after I did Requiem I got my arm cut off [laughs].
Life and art often connect in a weird way and you’ve just got to be open to it and just go with it. Just keep moving.
Life and art often connect in a weird way and you’ve just got to be open to it and just go with it. Just keep moving.
DRE:
It’s just interesting because life and art connect in this movie because Rachel’s character is writing a book which connects to the other stories.
DA:
Yeah, that as well.
DRE:
The Fountain feels almost like emotional autobiography to me. How do you feel about a statement like that?
DA:
It’s a little too early for me. I wrote it so I imagine it’s somewhat connected to me but I’d have to digest that.
DRE:
It seems like hope was a big deal for this film too. What brought you to this idea of hope?
DA:
I think there’s always been hope in my films. Pi was a little bleak but I think Requiem, even in all of its darkness, had hope because by showing you how dark things can get it was actually signaling toward the light. I’m not sure but I think that’s what I was told to write, internally.
DRE:
Since the special effects that were created for the outer space scenes were somewhat new, how did you know how you were going to be able to meld them into the movie?
DA:
I didn’t know. There’s always a risk but I was always open to going very abstract with that stuff because I just wanted to do something completely different in sci-fi. I just felt we had seen the same old, same old so many times so I really wanted to give the audience a whole different feel. I was hoping for it to be really abstract. I was pretty happy with how photo real it became but I would have been happy if it was more abstract.
DRE:
When there are visions of heaven and hell in movies. People always seem to have interesting ideas for hell but then heaven is always kind of lame.
DA:
Yeah.
DRE:
This is your version of heaven I think.
DA:
It’s definitely connected to that.
DRE:
How did you know that this had to be different?
DA:
With all my films we’ve always tried to do different things because I think that’s what audiences want. We see so much stuff on the internet, TV and at the movies that it’s always exciting when there’s something new put in front of you. It has definitely always been my goal is to keep pushing the boundaries.
DRE:
Obviously people like [Fountain producer] Eric [Watson] and your crew aren’t resistant of that but is it difficult to convince those who are?
DA:
Yeah, I think anytime you do something out of the box with a studio that knows how to do it traditionally you have to work hard to convince them that it’s going to look good. But they saw a lot of the early tests we did and they got pretty excited. So early on we were in decent shape with taking chances. But it’s always difficult on every front when you try something new because you’ve got to find people who are adventurous enough to go for it.
DRE:
This is a busy day for me. In about two hours I’m talking to Alfonso Cuaron about Children of Men.
DA:
Oh dude, tell him I say hello. He’s my friend.
DRE:
Have you seen Children of Men yet?
DA:
I did, I saw it in Venice. It’s great.
DRE:
It’s unbelievable.
DA:
A very good film.
DRE:
That brings me to my point. Years ago the great cinematographer László Kovács spoke at my college. Afterwards he told me and a few of my friends how he feels bad for us as students because since Star Wars came out we’re in a science fiction phase which doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon.
DA:
Well, I think science fiction is the great genre in literature and in film. In film it’s been hijacked by techno-lust and by hardware button sci-fi but I think that what we try to do is something that will return sci-fi to an explanation of inner space as well as outer space. I think bringing in psychedelic and metaphysics have always been more interesting.
DRE:
It seems to me that filmmakers like yourself, Alfonso and Guillermo Del Toro are doing things with science fiction that used to only be done in literature. Do you see science fiction as a genre that can still be taken lightly?
DA:
Of course. I actually thought that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy film was pretty good and very entertaining. I think sci-fi is a huge genre because you can do things that are comedic but you can also do things that can also be incredibly political. Sci-fi is the most radical genre out there because through the illusion of the future you can really comment on the present.
DRE:
Last year I read the graphic novel of The Fountain before I saw the film because I interviewed Kent Williams. They’re almost like bookends about the movie. Do you feel like the taking in the two of them together gives you a better understanding of what you were trying to say?
DA:
I think they’re different experiences and I think they have different results. I think the movie moves more towards a poem over time and I think that was more of what I wanted to do. The script that Kent worked off of was very different for me. Even though they’re very related the movie is the final product because that’s the thing I’ve offered. I think it works on its own and needs to work on its own. But I think the graphic novel can shed light on how we developed the project.
DRE:
Loneliness is a big part of this. This man is lonely in all three time periods. It seems like film can convey the idea of loneliness almost better than any other medium.
DA:
Separation versus connection I think, is a big theme in the film. Life and reality and love is all about separation and all the characters want is connection.
DRE:
Was that something that was in your mind when you were creating The Fountain?
DA:
It’s never conscious like that.
DRE:
I believe it was [Fountain cinematographer] Matthew Libatique that told me that these films are truly a family affair. Obviously film is much different from drawing or painting or writing a book because it has to be a collaboration. What does making these films into such a tight collaboration do for you?
DA:
It’s the only way I know how to do it. The reality is that with film there’s no way you can make a film on your own. Well you could, but it would take you more than six years so you just need other people who are better than you at certain things. I’ve always described a director’s job as like a conductor of an orchestra. We’re just trying to get everyone to play the same theme together.
DRE:
When you’re asking somebody like Matthew or Clint Mansell about something that’s not their job on the film, do you feel that’s more of a friend’s opinion or an artist opinion?
DA:
I think it’s both. The fact that we’re all friends and also collaborators allows us to talk to each other very directly and to cut all the shit out and get to the core.
DRE:
I remember when David Cronenberg worked with a different production designer on Spider than the one he’d been working with for 20 years. I was very surprised when he said it was very difficult for him.
DA:
Oh I understand.
DRE:
There’s going to come a time when that will happen to you.
DA:
Yeah as we all get older and life gets more complicated, people take other jobs. Schedules don’t work out. It’s always a little rough but then you just try to make the best of it. I’m always open.
DRE:
When I visited the set of The Fountain you talked about you were going to try to get David Bowie to do some music for the film.
DA:
Yeah, I think Bowie’s health issues just didn’t help in the matter. But he’s coming to see the film before it opens and I’m so excited. We’re having a special screening. He’s coming, Lou Reed’s coming.
DRE:
Wow.
You explored Judaism with Pi, are there more levels you want to go to with that?
You explored Judaism with Pi, are there more levels you want to go to with that?
DA:
No idea right now but I imagine there’ll be certain things that will reemerge.
DRE:
What often seems to happen to people as they get older and have children, they turn back to their religion.
DA:
I don’t think that’s where it’s coming from. I don’t know what the future will bring. Right now I’m just looking to do something that’s mean and street. To go back to the Pi level of filmmaking.
DRE:
Not that level of a $30,000 budget!
DA:
Well, maybe not that level, but close. I want to get my street back. I miss just running and gunning. It would be fun to go back to that.
DRE:
I read that you’re not talking about what you’re doing next at all.
DA:
No, not yet.
DRE:
But is it another book adaptation?
DA:
I actually don’t know. I’m working on a couple of things and I haven’t really committed to one thing.
DRE:
Do you have book galleys sent to you and all that?
DA:
Oh yeah, we’ve got a whole team here that’s reading shit non-stop and looking for the next best thing.
DRE:
What are you reading personally right now?
DA:
Yeah I am reading something. I’m reading Bill Kalush’s new biography on Houdini [The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero].
DRE:
That’s supposed to be really good.
DA:
Yeah, it’s very good. I just started that.
DRE:
What about comic wise?
DA:
No I’m not reading anything. I was going to start Can’t Get No [by Rick Veitch].
DRE:
That’s really good too.
DA:
I’ve got it on my desk right here.
DRE:
For the new softcover of The Fountain graphic novel, did you pick the artists that did their interpretations at the back of the book?
DA:
Yeah, me and Kent [Williams] picked them all.
DRE:
There’s this one guy in there that I really want to get into, Seth Fisher. I know he’s passed away but I thought what he did was brilliant.
DA:
Seth Fisher being gone is one of the biggest tragedies. I can’t even tell you, he was such an out there guy. He was living in Japan, out of his mind, but an incredible artist. Have you seen his website?
DRE:
I have. I literally just got Green Lantern: Willworld this past week.
DA:
Yeah, that’s fucking great. I had wanted to collaborate with him for a long time. It’s a real tragedy that he passed way ahead of his time, it’s a real shame.
DRE:
Yeah I mean I read a Wizard article about him and I’m like, “Who’s this guy?” because I don’t read many mainstream comics.
DA:
He was brilliant and he just never got there. He was on the way. I picked him because I had been collecting his art for a while.
DRE:
Do you want to try and keep your hand in doing graphic novels?
DA:
Yeah, absolutely, I have no idea what’s up next but something will come up.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
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