CINEMATIC REVELATIONS: INTERVIEW WITH FILM DIRECTOR FRANC RODDAM

Saturday, February 5, 2022

INTERVIEW WITH FILM DIRECTOR FRANC RODDAM

Today I have the immense pleasure of welcoming a very special guest, director Franc Roddam, to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS for an interview. Franc has directed a broad variety of motion pictures over the years such as QUADROPHENIA, THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE [my review of the movie can be found here] THE BRIDE, ARIA, WAR PARTY, and K2. He has also been a producer and writer on several movies such as THE BOOK OF VISION, ARIA and QUADROPHENIA. In this interview Franc will be discussing his role as director of THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE, his producing and writing work, and as founder and chairman of multimedia Ziji Publishing.

Welcome to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS Franc!

Athan: When did you first realize that you wanted to be a film director?

Franc: I grew up in a small town in the North of England, there were two cinemas at the end of my street; one known locally as ‘The Fleapit’, because it was built on a swamp, and the second called ‘The Modern’ because it was an art deco building. From a very early age, I used to go to the cinema as often as possible. Sometimes, if it was what was termed an ‘A’ film you had to have an accompanying adult. All the kids would ask somebody in the queue, ‘can you take us in, mister?’ then abandon them once we got into the cinema. Occasionally, somebody would pay for your ticket, which was a real treat. I loved Westerns, and saw hundreds of them, but the A films were often films with Bogart and Cagney in them, and as an 8- and 9-year old kid, they had a certain mystery and magic for me. Being from such a provincial town, I did not realise cinema was available to me as a profession. It’s only when I was traveling as a young man and got a job as an extra on a film in Greece that I saw the whole thing laid out in front of me and thought, I want to do this. When I came back to London from my trip, I happened to be sharing a flat with somebody from film school, which I also did not know existed. I applied, got in, and had great success at the London Film School. I was hooked.

Athan: Were you influenced by the oeuvre of movie directors from Classic and New Hollywood, British, or international cinema in your filmmaking?

Franc: I found inspiration and influence from a whole plethora of film-makers. I started with John Ford and John Houston, moved on to Kurasawa, loved the Italian and French cinema of the sixties and early seventies. I had particular favourites: I loved Erice’s The Spirit of the Beehive, and The South. The cinematic poetry of those films left a long impression on me. I embraced it and tried to incorporate it into my work. So, John Ford and John Houston for storytelling, Kurasawa for cinematic energy, French and Italian cinema for intellectual content and Erice for poetic pieces.

Athan: You were featured as an extra in the 1967 science fiction comedy THE DAY THE FISH CAME OUT. Did you study acting, or have aspirations to be an actor before becoming a director?

Franc: As a child, I wanted to be the hero in the film, rather than the actor in the film so I never saw myself taking up the acting profession. It requires a certain confidence and calmness that I seem to lack.

Athan: Your direction of THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE was flawless, making it a prestigious and memorable motion picture, one of my favourites. What is it that drew you to directing the movie?

Franc: After Quadrophenia, I was invited to work in Hollywood with 20th Century Fox. I wanted to make a film called Rainforest, about the destruction of the Amazon; in 1978 no-one knew what I was talking about but the Fox executives went along with it. I spent six months in the Amazon and over 2 years with Spencer Eastman, wrote a fantastic script. It was going to be my Citizen Kane, and it would save the save the world. Robert Redford became attached to it but after long and protracted dealings with him, he eventually pulled out, which coincided with a management change at 20th Century Fox, and my film got dropped. I’d spent 2 years on this enterprise and realized I had to make a film soon. I gave myself 2 goals: to make a film that was both innovative and moral. Rainforest had those qualities. Jeffrey Katzenberg, an executive at Paramount at the time, took me to breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel and said, “You haven’t made a film for more than 2 years, you’d better do this one.” I realized it was not an innovative film, but it would be moral and that’s why I decided to take it. The central theme is about institutions and hypocrisy, which can apply to many a country and, honestly, particularly, the USA right now. I had a fantastic time making this film with all the young actors that I chose and my cameraman and collaborator, Brian Tufano. I looked at the film again recently, after 32 years of not seeing it, and strangely enough it does seem relevant to now.

Athan: What did you find most exciting about the experience of making THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE?

Franc: With Lords of Discipline, I assembled a group of young actors, and like with Quadrophenia, the actors who did not get the main parts, were given small parts, or even extra parts. I had a company of actors working with me that I knew, and would do anything to make the film work. My great and lasting experience is working with them.

Athan: For you, what was the most demanding, but emotionally satisfying segment of filming THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE?

Franc: I wanted to make sure that I was presenting an institution to the audience, so there are a fair number of set pieces in the film with large crowd scenes. For instance, the arrival of the new cadets in the college, which is about 3 minutes into the film, there’s a very complicated shot in the corridor, which introduces the scale and behavior at the college. I foolishly shot it on my first day; it runs for 3 or 4 minutes, which is above the daily average that any director is expected to achieve. Setting up took me until 4.30 in the afternoon, so when the people in Paramount got the report of the day, it said, “Time of turning over: 4.35; number of shots achieved today: 1.” In Hollywood they prefer turning over at 8.30 in the morning and getting 12 set-ups by end of day. They also like to be able to cut into a set-up, with this one they couldn’t. They were about to fire me on the first day of filming and sent their crusty old production manager from LA to get me. I convinced him to let me carry on and that long sequence is in the film in its entirety. There are other sequences like in the chapel or the cadets singing Dixie, that are also quite big set-ups. I’ve noticed in my films like Quadrophenia, War Party and Lords, that I often will create a big scene. To me, it’s part of the grandeur of cinema and I enjoy them. The court case was particularly difficult in the film because you have to hit all the beats so there’s a large number of shots, which is different from my normal style. A court scene must be precise.

Athan: Have you kept in contact with any cast members and crew from THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE?

Franc: My best buddy from Lords of Discipline was the actor, Bill Paxton, who sadly passed away a couple of years ago. We were big mates to the end. Also, Malcolm Danare, who played Poteete and Michael Biehn and was in K2. Brian Tufano has been a lifelong friend, we worked together many times on film, television and commercials. Brian held my hand in the early days of my career.

Athan: Television production has been a great area for you in terms of output, being format creator of Auf Weidersehen, Pet, Making Out, Harry, The Canterbury Tales, and Masterchef just some of the many projects you have headed. What are some of the main differences you find in comparing film, and television?

Franc: I started a production company, hopefully to raise revenue to pay for film development and Masterchef was originally an idea set up that would pay for the secretaries and the telephones! It’s now the biggest cooking show in the world and is seen by 300 million a year. With regard to the other programs you mentioned, I did not direct any of them but they were an outlet for my creativity whilst I was waiting for a ‘yes’ on some movie or other. All of these programs were very successful, I am proud to say. I did direct the mini-series Moby Dick and Cleopatra; they had healthy budgets and healthy schedules, which made them attractive to me. I shot Moby Dick at Point Cook in Melbourne and it was the best film experience of my life. I loved the Australian film crews, they were men and women after my own heart.

Athan: You founded multimedia company Ziji Publishing in 2004, where book publishing is teamed with film production. What have been your proudest moments thus far with Ziji?

Franc: Ziji has provided me with many proud moments. Masterchef, of course, is its biggest achievement, and employs something like 10,000 people around the world. The third book we published, The Last Templar, sold approximately 6 million copies. I’ve also been able to help a number of young film-makers get their projects started in script form.

Athan: Do you have any upcoming projects of which you would like to tell readers?

Franc: I’m developing one screenplay for myself to direct, and several TV series, which I will produce, should they be picked up. I still find cinema as exciting as I did when I used to go to The Fleapit three times a week.

Thank you so much today for your time Franc, and for the insight you have provided into THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE, directing, production, and publishing. It has been wonderful having you on CINEMATIC REVELATIONS. You are welcome to return whenever you wish.

Franc Roddam links