PRESS CONFERENCE
BOB RAFELSON
This year the 43rd International Thessaloniki Film Festival presents 7 feature fiction films and two short films by the "rebellious" American director Bob Rafelson.

In his press conference given today, the director of the Festival, Michel Demopoulos said that it was an honour to have Bob Rafelson in Thessaloniki: "It's an honour to have him here in Thessaloniki as a director, with several of his films in the special tribute that we've prepared for him, as well as a member of the International Competition Jury. Bob Rafelson started his career as a director in the New American Cinema of the seventies. He was restless, and rebellious. He has an enormous amount of experience. At the Festival we will be investigating his experience as an outsider -at least during his early years- in American cinema".

Bob Rafelson and David Mamet
In reference to his collaboration with David Mamet, who wrote the screenplay for The postman always rings twice, Bob Rafelson noted that it was his first screenplay: "Sooner or later he would become more explosive and more of an egomaniac. In our first job together, though, we collaborated very well. I respected him very much. Our meeting goes something like this: I was on a flight from New York to Los Angeles. The plane stopped in Chicago for about an hour. I bought a newspaper that had a review of Mamet's theatrical play with fragments of the dialogue included. I found his number when I arrived in Los Angeles".

"However, when I arrived in California it was already late in Chicago. I called him and woke him up to speak to him about the review I had read. Many years later I had him in mind -and only him- for the screenplay for The postman always rings twice. By luck or chance we got along with each other famously. Nowadays he works more than I do, probably because he's better or younger".

Influences
Bob Rafelson enjoys Italian cinema and admits its influence on some of his work when compared to American or Swedish cinema.
"In the outdoor scenes of Five easy pieces, the camera is stationary. I first began to think about stationary camera in 1955. My initial encounter with cinema was when I translated Japanese films into English. I'd have to say that foreign cinema influenced me more than American did. I started watching 'weird' films when I was thirteen. The reason for this was also 'weird'. There was a movie theatre near my house in New York that showed European cinema much more than it did American. And this was in the 40s' and 50s' when there were movie theatres in the States that showed exclusively European films. I don't think I saw any Greek films in the States, though".

About Jack Nicholson
Bob Rafelson has made five films with Jack Nicholson. They met in a cinema club in Los Angeles where writers also hung out. "We went to the same screenings but I didn't know him at the time. I noticed, though, that in certain movies, whenever he became excited, he would stand up from his seat, raise his arms in the air and start screaming enthusiastically. I did something similar. After the third film I was curious to find out who this person that reacted like me was. We had coffee. I was preparing my first film, while, at the time Jack had retired from acting considering that he had no future in it. I asked him to work with me on my first film, writing and producing it. During rehearsals I was really surprised with Jack's ability to play any role. Not only in saying the actor's lines but also with his use of sounds, effects and so on. I said to him: 'My next film will be written for you'. He said, 'No, I'm done as an actor, I just want to produce'".

"Jack Nicholson has always had to make dangerous choices throughout his career. He's extremely passionate about his work, though, and he's a good person. We're good friends and we see each other often. And he owes me a lot of money...".

Future plans
The American director noted that he usually makes a film every 3-4 years. "I've never been able to shoot a film sooner than that. I just finished two films, one of which is a short film. Both are being shown at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. Therefore, I won't work for the next 2-3 years. I have a three year-old son and I want to spend more time with him".

Film Noir
"I don't mean to shock people, but I don't really enjoy film noir. Although I'm known for directing this type of films, I consider mine different. I identify with characters that are into illegal activities. My stories, though, are not about crime, but about passion and the relationships between characters", he said.

About American cinema
Bob Rafelson has the feeling that for the past 5-6 years he has paid more attention to films from the 70s'. "I think it's an exaggeration at some point. Of course I get satisfaction from it and perhaps that's the reason I accepted the invitation from the Thessaloniki Film Festival. There's more quality in American films from the 70's than the ones coming out today. I remember that when I began making films, I started a production company to give directors the chance to express their personal vision in cinema".

"Today, the audience has changed drastically worldwide. It doesn't easily accept directors' personal statements but questions whether or not they constitute virtues. I'm bothered by this, although, it doesn't seem to bother the audience. Values have greatly changed. Personal marks in art are less important than they were in my days. Getting information and distributing it is not a mark of quality. Young people believe that quality lies in numbers, in quantity. Therefore, young filmmakers are influenced by these trends and aim for high numbers. When someone makes a first or second film in America its usually not because they have something to say, but because they have the chance for an audition in Hollywood. This is also the trend in independent cinema. Things were totally different when I made my first film. I feel like Hollywood made shoes and I made ties...".

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