Doyle Speaks on Scorese's The Departed, and it Ain't Pretty
Filed under: Drama, Thrillers, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
Depending on who you talk to, Martin Scorsese's The Departed is either a remake of or just based on Infernal Affairs, a massive hit in its native Hong Kong -- and elsewhere in Asia -- and a sneakily well-crafted thriller (I spent the first 85 minutes wondering what all the fuss was about and the next 15 being totally blown away) to boot. Whatever its actual relationship to Infernal Affairs -- the producers did buy the series rights, and used them in some way in crafting The Departed -- Scorsese's film stars Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio and, at long last, has been given a release date: According to Box Office Mojo, the movie will hit American screens on October 6.So, that's the simple, good news. Now we get to the fun part: Christopher Doyle, one of the world's best-known, best respect cinematographers (he shot such visually stunning works as Chungking Express, First Love: Litter on the Breeze, and Happy Together) was the "visual consultant" on Infernal Affairs and, in a recent interview, pulled no punches (for what it's worth, Doyle has never pulled a punch in his life) when asked about The Departed. Among other things, Doyle announced that "it makes [him] very sad to see Marty and so many others genre-fying and gentrifying himself into mediocrity," and then spent some time lamenting the director's apparent need "to suck box office, or studio, or whoever's dick he feels he needs to suck." Did I mention not pulling punches?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-25-2006 @ 7:34PM
Peter said...
Man, I love Doyle. What a great source of conversation and quotes, my favorite being:
"If you say, 'Where is the talent?', you mean 'Where is the stupid bitch?'"
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5-25-2006 @ 7:43PM
Scott said...
...it makes [him] very sad to see Marty and so many others genre-fying and gentrifying himself into mediocrity.
Amen. "The Aviator" was a solid technical achievement, but it could have been made by any number of Hollywood craftsmen.
Also, I wonder what Doyle has to say about his latest creative partner, M. Night Shyamalan.
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5-25-2006 @ 8:23PM
Grumpy O. Selznick said...
Apart from his occasionally brilliant cinematography, Chris Doyle is best-known in film circles for sucking on whiskey bottles, and if he has so little respect for Marty, then why would he take the job as a "visual consultant" on the Departed. The DP doth protest too much, me thinks.
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5-25-2006 @ 9:55PM
eb said...
Who the hell is Chris Doyle?
When he finishes teaching Martin Scorsese how to make movies, perhaps he could teach Lance Armstrong how to ride a bike.
The author also didn't mention Doyle also shot Van Sant's remake of "Psycho." *snicker*
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5-26-2006 @ 6:49AM
Andy said...
Grumpy, Chris Doyle was 'visual consultant' for Infernal Affairs, not The Departed.
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5-26-2006 @ 10:03AM
Karsten said...
In the Berlinale Talent Campus this year, Doyle was on spot telling anecdotes in all directions, and he also talked a little about "The Departed". Seems like he were on set, and had lengthy discussions with [some people] on the set. I actually think he was some sort of consultant there as well. Or so it could be interpreted from what Doyle said. And again; he wasn't very complimenting about the project.
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5-26-2006 @ 10:58AM
Richard von Busack said...
Doyle's candor needs applauding. Someday, Wong Kar-Wai will make a film without Doyle, and then the Kar-Wai fans will get to see who was the true genius in that particular collaboration.
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5-26-2006 @ 3:19PM
eb said...
Perhaps, like a lot of "Infernal Affairs" fanboys, Doyle's just pissed off that Scorsese is doing the remake in the first place.
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5-31-2006 @ 9:44AM
RC of strangeculture said...
Wow...those are some strong words!!
--RC of strangeculture.blogspot.com
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