Gareth and I have already gone into some depth analysing the myriad failures of the recent film ‘Watchmen’:
The Film Talk – Part 52 – Watchmen
But am prompted to add a last thought after reading this weekend a plea from ‘Watchmen’ screenwriter David Hayter to go see the film again so as to boost its box-office takings:
David Hayter has a letter for you about WATCHMEN!
I’ve never read anything like it. A desperate begging letter from a film’s co-creator to go see the film. One one would think that a movie could stand up on its own feet, its own merits – and not need this kind of thing. But the unusual act of a screenwriter directly addressing fans is not what really strikes me about this thing. Read the excerpt from the letter below:
But if you haven’t seen it yet? Well, I’ll just say this…
It may upset you. And it probably will upset you.
And all along, we really meant it to.
Because face it. All this time…You there, with the Smiley-face pin. Admit it.
All this time, you’ve been waiting for a director who was going to hit you in the face with this story. To just crack you in the jaw, and then bend you over the pool table with this story. With its utterly raw view of the darkest sides of human nature, expressed through its masks of action and beauty and twisted good intentions. Like a fry-basket full of hot grease in the face.
What is wrong with this person?
Addressing someone, saying that, whatever they might say to the contrary, what they really want is to be hit in the face, and then bent over a pool table?
This guy is talking about rape. What, in God’s name, is wrong with him? How cocooned away from real human experience do you have to be to talk like this?
This puts into context director of ‘Watchmen’ Zack Snyder’s comment re: translating the comic into a movie: “We had to rape the book”. These guys have absolutely no conception of real world violence.
Who knows what bubble they live in that engenders this attitude, but it explains one of the total failures of the ‘Watchmen’ film:
The complete absence of dread.
The book is wrought throughout with dread; a sense of the inescapable, impending end. Trying to replicate this the film adaptation just has a couple of shots of guys in lab coats moving clock hands to twelve.
Zack and David should watched Peter Weir’s film ‘The Last Wave’, (frame-grabs throughout this post). Within 5 minutes this movie, (about an Australian lawyer who’s beset by horrific visions and becomes entangled with Aboriginal peoples), creates a sense of dread that lasts throughout to the final devastating frames.
How?
By use of mirrors, having people not clearly seen-obscured by windows and water, by focusing on nature and showing, (per my example of Yojimbo in the ‘Watchmen’ podcast), street scenes in which the main character is not involved.
This is not rocket science. It’s film grammar at it’s most basic and it’s something that so many contemporary movie-makers, (especially the ones coming from a background in the short form = commercials and music videos), seem to have no understanding of.
Do better guys.
And get out more. The real world is more dangerous, yet far more interesting, then wherever it is you currently seem to be living.
- – -
Additional ‘Watchmen’ posts on TFT:
The Film Talk » It’s Official – ‘Watchmen’ to be Remade for 2012
The Film Talk » The Film Talk – Part 52 – Watchmen
The Film Talk » ‘Watchmen’ Re-visited
The Film Talk » Just Back from ‘Watchmen’ – The Theatre was Empty
The Film Talk » A Modest Proposal: Watchmen Should Never Be …
The Film Talk » An Experiment in (not) Reading a Film
The Film Talk » The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
posted in forum Miscellaneous by zad1138
posted in forum Miscellaneous by seanpdudley
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posted in forum General Movie Stuff by Jett Loe
posted in forum General Movie Stuff by prawnman
[...] What Watchmen Creators Zack Snyder and David Hayter Could Have Learned From Peter Weir [...]
Wow. I'm not sure how to articulate what I feel about that letter. “Let us rape you?” Is that what he's saying?
Forgetting the metaphors in his letter, I guess it's a sign of failure and that the studios are in desperation mode to try and make more money – assuming that thus far the film is not profitable (how much did it cost?)
Yes, it's a deeply disturbing plea.
+ I don't know how much the film cost, I've seen figures that range, (before marketing which would run in the additional tens of millions), from $115million to $150million.
From this website: http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/03/16/watchmen-s…
“Despite impassioned pleas from its screenwriters and an expletive-laden counterpoint from geek comedian Patton Oswald directed at the film’s detractors, “Watchmen” couldn’t manage to draw the crowds back again during its second weekend of wide-release, slipping to #2 at the box office and pulling in a mere $18M overall — a 67% drop from its first weekend’s gross.
However, despite the rollercoaster plunge in ticket sales, “Watchmen” continues to turn a profit, pulling in an overall domestic take of $86M over the course of its 10 days of release thus far. However, as industry analysts have pointed out, the film faces an uphill struggle to turn a profit — let alone break even — but Warner Bros. execs remains optimistic.
In a story recapping this weekend’s box office news, The New York Times — while pointing out that a 67% drop was much bigger than most analysts expected — quote Warner Bros. President for Domestic Distribution, Dan Fellman, as saying, “There’s been a history of movies that take a big hit in the second weekend and then settle in and do just fine. Overall I like what I see.””
Man, these Watchmen guys are quite the sales men! I can't believe the audacity to try to get people to come and pay the price of entry again to see the piece of crap “art” they produced. Makes me ill!
Delusional
I too have just gone back and read the letter, my god, I think I am getting angrier every time I read it! I was stupid enough to pay the extra to see this thing at IMAX don't get me started on how annoying that is. I'm a fan of the graphic novel and read it again prior to seeing the film.
To read that he is potenitally comparing it to Kubrick or Starship Troopers! Seriously what is in this guys crack pipe! I would like to “Bend Him Over a Pool Table” seriously who is this man! The wonder of the Watchmen has been that it wasn't just for fanboys that many people could relate to the story. This rediculous and deplorable man is now ruling women out of his films demographic.
Prior to this letter I had though of course I'll get the directors cut, now, I'll be doing all I can to make sure as few people as possible see this film. You're right Jett, this guy needs to get back into his nice comfy straight jacket and start rocking back and forth, David Hayter you are Delusional!
It is very odd to hear someone praise their own work in such a way….I mean, if this had come from one of the producers – delusional as it still may be – you could understand one of them saying “hey, this thing Snyder & Hayter did is a masterpiece, it's like Kubrick…” – but to hear it from one of the two people who are directly responsible for the end product is not only delusional but totally arrogant.
Normally you expect someone to say “I think it's a good film, and I hope the fans feel the same way and like it just as much as we did.” – not “this film is on the level of masterpieces such as ___,____, and ____, and we want to rape you with it. Enjoy!”
I know – there's something very strange going on here. I've got a friend who's a psychoanalsyt – want to show her the letter to get her take on it.
“Cocooned from human experience”? Grow up.
I don't know how else to explain it – these are grown men and yet they seem to have no way to express the dangerous, volatile nature of the world – yet the subject matter is violence, violation of the person and the end of the world.
I'd be interested to hear that response – I've seen other “artistic” endeavors that were supposed to be high art because of their offensiveness and they were really just sloppy and obnoxious. These guys had a lot money and, presumably, artist talent. (I haven't gone to see the film and doubt that I will given the response, but I have heard from others less than exuberant praise. It didn't seem to sit well with anyone on one level or another)
Great piece, Jett! I just linked to it on the tail end of a similar rant on my blog (http://www.kevinmillerxi.com), but you do a far better job of taking Hayter and Snyder to task than I do.
Cheers Kevin :)
+ I see per your post that Hayter has apologised for his 'rape analogy'. For me the thing is not that it was offensive, but that it gives us a unique insight into the state of mind of some of the people behind the making of the film, (as discussed in the podcast re: the complete botch of 'shame at the realisation of perversity' in the alleyway scene).
I haven't listened to the podcast yet, but I'm interested to hear what your psychoanalyst friend has to say about Hayter's letter. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since I read it. Very strange. I think you're right that the film and Hayter's plea demonstrate a very insular mind-set when it comes to real world violence. Something for all of us screenwriters to keep in mind as we craft our work.
“This guy is talking about rape.”
OMG no. Not rape. You should never, ever, ever talk about rape because it involves sex, and that's bad. We're Americans. Violence? Always. Sex? Never.
Could you post her name in public so that we know never to go to her. Anyone who thinks they can gain any sort of psychological insight from a single blog post shilling a movie is a hack.
“I would like to “Bend Him Over a Pool Table” seriously who is this man!”
You know it's more than a bit hypocritical to attack him for using the metaphor (in a way merely to say the movie is meant to be an extreme, sometimes unpleasant, experience) and you saying you want to rape him because he thinks his movie is as good as Starship Troopers. He referenced numerous scenes of violence from the movie to make his point, why'd you pick that one to attack him?
There's nothing wrong with talking about rape – or for films dealing with adult themes.
The point is that in the letter and in the filmed Watchmen there is conceit that there are adult themes being dealt with, when in fact the outlook as, at best, juvenile in the extreme, at at worst amoral.
I just have to note that David Hayter is best known (to me at least) for his voice acting work in the Metal Gear Solid series as Solid Snake.
I had no idea he did anything other than voice acting. He has a terrific raspy voice.
On the creative screenwriting podcast you have to hear his answer to the question “What was teh hardest scene to write” http://media.libsyn.com/media/creativescreenwri…
About 1:12:00 in
Wow.
I think my problem with it is not the term itself but the context in which it's used.
To me the letter has such a condescending and arrogant tone to it, but then added to it some layered plea (or threat?) by using such a violent act as a metaphor as a way to entice us? It's such a bizarre choice of words, in my opinion.
On the creative screenwriting podcast you have to hear his answer to the question “What was teh hardest scene to write” http://media.libsyn.com/media/creativescreenwri…
About 1:12:00 in
Wow.
I think my problem with it is not the term itself but the context in which it's used.
To me the letter has such a condescending and arrogant tone to it, but then added to it some layered plea (or threat?) by using such a violent act as a metaphor as a way to entice us? It's such a bizarre choice of words, in my opinion.