MAKING IT

Schlock but slick

Sotiron spoke to Mihalka about his halka, lay in the advertising campaign. It byMinko Sotiron filmmaking ejcperience. emphasized the bloody nature of the film, yet the producers were forced by On Dec 4, RSL producer Robert Lantos Film director George Mihalka doesn't the Motion Picture Association of Ame­ called George Mihalka, offering him a apologize for making what can be frank­ rica (MPAA) to cut out the most sensa­ chance to direct an as-yet-unwritten ly termed exploitation films. His first tional gory parts in order to maintain an film - a sejc comedy, to be made in feature film, a teen surfn'sun farce "R" rating. This resulted in the anoma­ French and based on "Pomobec," called Pinball Summer, he describes as lous situation of many potential film- Quebec's awn little political scandal "Wall Disney with tils and ass," Clearly goers being turned off by the threat of Some video technicians had been ac­ aimed at the drive-in market, he admits excessive blood, while the violence afi­ cused of using the equipment at the the movie was silly; in fact, in "endearing cionados were left disappointed be­ National Assembly to make porno bad taste/' But he says the movie doesn't cause the expected gory mayhem wasn't films, and although the scandal soon need defending: "Ks meant to do noth­ delivered. petered out, it made goad reading ing more than please your eyes like a 90- It didn't help, Mihalka notes, that the while it lasted. ("Quebec is the only minute Coca-Cola commercial/' cuts also weakened the story line. place in the whole world where you can His second feature film, the horror Moreover, strict deadlines exercised have this kind of scandal and have the flick My Bloody Valentine was clearly by the producers, who in turn were population laugh it off as a great joke more ambitious. Released by Paramount pressured by the distributors, also stifled instead of bringing the government one year ago My Bloody Valentine is the film's creative potential. He gave an down," comments Mihalka.) about a mad killer miner who terrorizes exanjple of how tight this control was : Having nothing better to do, he went a mining town by murdering its people "In one scene - basically consisting of dawn to talk about the movie, got a in a number of novel ways. Although a an action shot which look place in the synopsis from Marc Carrihre in three fairly typical example of the blood 'n' miners' shower room - the showers are days, and a script from Robert Geof- gore genre - a Newsweek critic called it aU on, and the killer has already mui^ frion in four. The film was on. "scfilock shock" - Paramount Pictures dered the girlfriend of a miner who has Scandale was shot in 16 days this gave it a big push, temporarily left to gel some beer. When January, and RSL hopes to have it ready "Paramount must have thought we the miner returns and he sees the girl,, far release on April 23. In many ways, had done something right, because they we cut away from the corpse to shoot the film is a throwback to the early made 1180 prints which is close to the him dropping the beer. We stay on the qu6b6cais films of Denis HSrauf, Pierre most copies of a Canadian film they've sixpack as it hits his feet. He doesn't Davitf and ClnSpijc - films which fear ever printed/' Mihalka notes, adding react. We keep the camera at his feel tured acknowledged quibicois talent, that Paramoimt backed it with a massive long enough to show the water that's mixed sejc with humour, and were advertising campaign. This included swirling at his feet slowly turn red with made for a song full-page ads in The New York Times blood, "They've realized that you can always and extensive television coverage. In­ "That shot wasn't On the shooting replace money with cleverness, that deed it was so pervasive that when schedule. Once the producers saw the you can add production value to your Mihalka was down in Los Angeles, he was rushes, I was questioned about spending film without having to spend great startled to hear the film's commercial time shooting a six-pack. Yet when we deals of money," says Mihalka, refer­ on a taxi radio. were forced to do the cuts it was the ring to his producers whose mare "There it was on Mecca's airwaves, only shot left. recent films were big-budget ventures and for a brief moment, I thought, My "Although we made the film the dis­ "We learned those things in school, but God we've really made it!" And Mihalka tributors asked us to, they, however, most people in the Canadian film and his collaborator, cinematographer completely misread the MPAA, which business never went to film school.." Rodney Gibbons, could be forgiven for was stricter than they had expected. To Mihalka, having made three features thinking they had indeed made it. Unfoi^ satisfy its standards and avoid an'X' in as many years, and still working on Innately for them however, although rating, we were forced to make over 30 Funny Movi^ is having a goad time. Valentine opened strongly in the U.S. picture cuts in a week. Anyone who has Whether he is making the films his and Canada, it didn't appear to develop ever made a film knows what that professors would like to see him make, "legs" at the box office. means. The result was a completely and whether his B-movie apprenticeship Part of the reason for its lack of box different picture/' will eventually lead elsewhere, remain office staying power, according to Mi- to be seen. Yet, Mihalka doesn't want to appear full of sour grapes. No regrets, he says, Before the recent Scandale project Minko Sotiron is a free-lance writer and informa­ "We aill knew what we were getting into. was even a glint in anyone's eye, Minko tion officer at Concordia University in Montreal We agreed to make a formula film in

24/Cinema Canada- March 1982 W A K I K impossible conditions and under an artists^ You have a choice : either you impossible schedule/' make films for the National Film Board 'Impossible' meant having only six which no one sees, or you make films for months to complete the film, from story someone else. And in Canada, Link and idea through scriptwriling, shooting, Dunning are the only ones wiUing to editing to finished product. "And this give people a chance to make films." Nothing succeeds incliided having to direct 60 people in a Mihalka also points out that if Francis mine 800 feet underground/' Moreover, Ford Coppola and George Lucas could he wasn't helped much by the fact that make exploitation films (for Roger Gor­ like excess the abandoned Cape Breton mine they man's American International Pictures), had chosen as their location had been then so could he. "We don't have rich prettied up by the townspeople in a Hollywood loves nothing more chance to duplicate the mllUons it backers like Jean-Luc Godard did. Make than success. If Star Wars makes it had earned. The distributor was also misguided attempt to help to film­ no mistake about it, he's a prostitute like makers. big, then chum out imitations in the mindful of the success of Halloween the rest of us. hope of lapping into the box-office - another horror film which used a "They had cleaned the mine and "As long as you're going to get used, gusher. This was the impetus behind significant day as a theme - and painted it with bright red and white you might as well know who's doing it, the making of My Bloody Valentine. thought a film on St. Valentine's Day colours. We had to go back and make the and' get paid for it." If this sounds like Stephen Miller, an ex-owner of a was extremely exploitable. mine grungy so it looked like a real prostitution, Mihalka doesn't deny it. repertory cinema in Montreal and Says Mihalka, Paramount wanted mine/; he recalls. "I'm going to learn the craft by making the producer of Hog Wild, conceived the film to be so gory that "it would My Bloody Valentine turned out to be films for other people. After a while, the idea of a horror film about a small make Friday the 13th look like a Sun­ a polished, professional-looking movie, Rodney and I will be able to make films mining town on St. Valentine's Day. day School picnic," and they were in­ which even Montreal Gazette critic we can really be proud of - commercial­ He approached Cinepix producers sistent that the bloodshed consist of Bruce Bailey admitted when he wrote ; ly viable films that are entertaining yet John Dunning and Andre Link who "creative kills." The deal was con­ "... at last Mihalka has shown us that he fiave a serious message." in turn approached Paramount Pic­ summated in July, 1980, and Para­ can make a movie." Making visually-exciting, slick films is tures with the idea. mount stipulated that the film be Mihalka doesn't want to make another the goal Mihalka is aiming at. "We Since Paramount had a smash ready for release on St. Valentine's horror movie, even though he would probably make the most American-look­ financial hit with its film Friday the Day, Febraary 14, 1981. have no trouble finding another such ing films in Canada," he says, explaining 13th, it thought it had a second project. "I don't want to be cast as a that it's important that Canadian films horror movie director," he says, adding look good since they're going to be that something in the future he wolildn'l measured by American technical stan­ mind making another horror movie, but dards. "Take the film Metamorphosis which a new film project, very different from only on his terms. "Canadians are bombarded by Ameri­ won a prize at Cannes. It was a student My Bloody Valentine. He's developing a In spile of some of his negative expe­ can films which are the world's slickest. film and had it been American, Barry script for a Canadian comedy tentatively riences working on the two feature Thai's the look they're used to seeing. Greenwald would have been given a titled Funny Movie Eh ? It's being writ­ films, he admits he is grateful for being Until a few years ago, most Canadian break. Yet here why hasn't anyone seen ten by Tony Hendra, Sean Kelly and Ted able to work on them so shortly after films were visually incompetent. And it, and why-hasn't it been on TV ?" Mann ofAJati'onalLampoon fame. Backed leaving film school. In 1979, he was only whenlever a Canadian filmmaker did Mihalka recalls what he learned at by Jack Murphy of Criterion Film and a couple of years out of Concordia Uni­ become professionally competent, more the 1981 Wim Wonders film workshop he Andrew Alexander of Second City, the versity's film production program when likely than not, he'd be on a plane to attended in Montreal. "I was sick with film is to have a budget of $2 million. Jack Murphy of Criterion Films offered Hollywood. Rodney and I are the only envy at how the German government According to Mihalka, Funny Movie, Mihalka the chance to direct the $750,000 ones to have achieved a degree of visual supports their filmmakers, I wish I Eh ? is going to be a spoof on genre films Pinball Summer. Apparently, Murphy excellence without leaving the country. could go to a TV network with an idea based on his earlier Pizza to Go. decided to pick Mihalka and Gibbons on Our aim is to make our films as slick as and then be guaranteed 50% of a budget Mihalka came to his interest in film the strength of their prize-winning short American ones. There's nothing wrong and guaranteed screening on TV in gradually. His family emigrated to film Pizza to Go, a spoof of genre films. with making films that are easy on the three years as they do in Germany. No Canada from Hungary in 1956 and he The plot of Pinball - two high school eyes and professional-looking." wonder their film industry developed followed them in 1961, After high school buddies pursue two sisters in competi­ Paradoxically, though, Mihalka is quite so quickly. in Montreal, he enrolled at Sir George tion with a motorcycle gang - was light­ the Canadian nationalist, pointing to the "I could easily find hours and hours of Williams University (now Concordia weight, generally a vehicle to gel as fact that his movies have had lOO%Cana- good film work in the last five years University), earning a degree in English many sight gags as possible. (The film literature in 1973. While teaching at his was re-released last summer under high school during the day, he was the title Pick-up Summer.) The essential studying for a Master's degree in educa­ thing for Mihalka was that he gained tional technology at night at Sir George. valuable experience in learning how to Increasingly, he became interested in work on a tight schedule and within a film work and eventually enrolled in the strict budget. university's film production program, ""There's no way you can learn in a graduating in 1977. While at university university all the things you'll need to, Mihalka and partner Gibbons made know for a large-budget film. Also, you - many short films, several of which won have to experience an attitude change. I awards at various international festivals. don't think there's anyone who can Their ATovember 3, a 30-minute dramatic walk out of university and carry on film, won the "Mention de Qualite" at where he lefi off. For instance, if you're the Tours International Film Festival making a film, as a student there's no and their documentary Thin Film Tech- way you can rent a crane for a certain nolagywon awards in science film festi­ camera angle. They cost at least $500 a vals in Hong Kong and Toulouse. In day. You might figure out a way to tie a Canada, their short experimental film camera to a rope and hoist it up but you Claustro won the Kodak film award. can't do that on a feature film. You have Upon graduation, Mihalka and Gib­ to do things quickly and get them right bons formed the Sloth Film Corpora­ because every mistake is very, very cost­ tion. They continued to produce films, ly/' while working as free-lancers in the Laying it on thicl<. Sylvie Boucher and Gilbert Comtois in Scandale For Mihalka, the jvimp to the $2 million Montreal film industry in positions Val&ntine was even greater than the one dian content fit)m cast to crew - although that's f£ir superior to most of the crap ranging from production assistant to from school to PinbaU. The.scale and bofli films had to pretend to have Ameri­ they show on T.V. Both Canadian net­ cameraman. During this period, they the stakes were much higher he ex­ can locales. They were also completely works should be forced by law to sup­ made several commercials, industrial plains : "Before, Rodney and I were like shot in Canada. And he didn't use port, develop and show a quota of Cana­ films and documentaries, most notably dian films, The Agony of Jimmy Quinlan for the Triple A league baseball players. Now "used" ex-Canadian actors. "Our biggest National Film Board. we had been called up and were in the name was Don Francks in Valentine; "There's no a way we're going to develop a Canadian film industry until big leagues. And we knew we had to for the rest of the casts, I used unknown Now making it as a director, does actors/' he says. Canadian filmmakers can make their Mihalka have any advice for young film­ produce because this would probably own films through direct grants and not be the only chance we'd get/' He wishes that the narrow, provincial makers? Canadian attitude towards film would have to account to the dentists and "The best way to gel started in this Luckily for him the experienced hands doctors who are now encouraged by the change. "U's alright to make documen­ business is to learn to make good coffee. of Cinepix producers John Dunning and Canadian Film Development Corpora- Andre Link steadied him, for as he taries in Canada," he says, "but other­ I started in features serving coffee on a lion to back films. Right now all we're certain producer's film and year-and- admitted, "I literally had to learn on the wise, entertainment is a dirty word doing is wasting lax dollars to produce job. We were forced to make those films here, Canadians just don't respect it, nor a-half later I was his director. second-rate films made by ex-Canadian "After that, learn to sweep floors. Use because they represented the only do our institutions. Why aren't the CBC hacks and actors." chance I had to make a film, Rodney and and CTV showing more Canadian your own initiative - you have to make At the moment, Mihalka is engaged in 1 weren't interested in being starving films ? your own breaks." % Cinema Canada- Match 1982/25