A smoking film

Hi everyone !

While in France, the debate about smoking or not smoking is a political “hot potato” at the moment between the UMP deputies and others, the film “Thank you for smoking” arrived on screens in September 13^th.

I have not seen it yet but will let you know my impressions about it as soon as possible. I would like also to see “Le diable s’habille en Prada” as I read the book and really enjoyed it. Coming soon, in October 4th also “The perfume” from Patrick Suskind’s book. A real masterpiece! Hope the film will be as great as the book!

Well, for today, I found in Vocable review N° 508 dated September 7^th-20^th, 2006, an interesting interview from Jason Reitman, the director of the film “Thank you for smoking”. The language level is not so difficult so normally it will be a pleasure for you to read it. Enjoy it!

A SMOKING FILM

By Judy Martinez

V: Why did you choose this particular book, Christopher Buckley’s Thank you for Smoking, to turn into it?

J.R: It said everything I wanted to say as a director. It was smart and took this interesting libertarian, common sense attitude to the issue of cigarettes, which I think could be applied to really anything.

Director= realisateur / smart=intelligent / issue=probleme, question

V: Are you saying we should just let people do what they want and smoke if they want to?

J.R: That is basically (reellement) my attitude.

V: Do you smoke?

J.R: No, I do not. This is not some vehement smoking movie coming from a smoker who is trying to stick up for smoke. This is really just a movie from a director who, let is say, has a problem with authority.

Vehement=vehement(e) / to stick up for=prendre la defense de

V: Could you say Thank you for Smoking stands between Michael Moore’s movies and Wag the Dog?

J.R: I think so, although for me Michael Moore’s films are propaganda. I think they force the idea down people’s throats and while I really enjoy them – I think they are really funny – Michael Moore’s films are certainly about telling people what to think. He comes in with an agenda and is not happy until you agree with him. Whereas my film says:”Look, maybe you are a smoker, maybe you are not a smoker, I really do not mind either way – just do not tell me what to do.”

Wag the Dog= Des Hommes d’affluence / to force something down s.o throat’s=forcer quelqu’un a accepter qqch / agenda=programme / do not mind= ca m’est egal

V: So you do not really have a message in the film? You are not trying to berate the tobacco industry as such?

J.R: I do have a message in the film, but it not berating the tobacco industry. I think there are plenty of films out there which try to berate big corporations. My film is not about trying to tell people waht to think. I think I am trying to empower people to just think for themselves.

To berate=reprimander / to empower=investir d’un pouvoir, responsabiliser

V: How would you describe the humour in your film?

J.R: Well, it is a political satire. It is humour that plays with the idea of political correctness and the fact that we are not honest any more. So we have a character who, in his relationships, is more frank than any other character you will see on screen. I think there is something kind of exciting and very funny about that.

On screen= a l’ecran / kind of= assez, plutot 

V: Tell us more about Thank you for Smoking’s main character, Nick...

J.R: I love him. I see him as a hero. I think what he is doing is oddly noble, in the same way that being a public defender for a mass murderer is noble. I think what he stands for is he does not try to push people to smoke, he is pushing the freedom of smoking. And that is something I agree with.

Oddly=curieusement / to stand for= representer, defendre

V: How did you go about choosing the actors?

J.R: I really did not start thinking about it realistically until we had the financing and we were green-lit. At that point it was pretty immediate that Aaron Eckhart was born to play this role.

To green-light (lit, lit)=donner le feu vert / pretty=assez

V: What souvenirs do you have of when you were young with your father? Were you always on the set with him?

J.R: Oh yeah, I was on every set – on some sets from start to finish.

Set=plateau

V: So you really felt very involved in the films he made?

J.R: Well I was just there. I felt I had this wonderful opportunity to be a fly on the wall for some of the greatest comedies of all times.

Fly on the wall= petite souris

V: Do you have a favourite comedy? J.R: I love Stripes (Les Bleus – 1981 with Bill Murray)

V: Do you think you have inherited the ability to make us laugh from him?

J.R: I am asked that all the time whether there is something genetic about it. You know I would imagine that is nurture rather than nature. I believe it is my proximity – being around it my whole childhood rubbed it off on me – rather than something literally inside my DNA.

This is nurture...nature: cela releve plus de l’acquis que de l’inne/ to rub off on= deteindre sur / DNA= ADN

V : Is your dad your biggest critic ?

J.R: No, although he certainly tells me what works and what does not. I think it is that kind of honesty that has led me to being kind of ruthless with my own work which I think is really important as a film-maker.

Ruthless= impitoyable

V: Apart from your father, has anybody else influenced you in the film business?

J.R: Certainly. I think the three films that changed my life were Richard Linklater’s Slacker, Kevin Smith’s Clerks and Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket. They represented very important moments inthe kind of mid-90s American Indie scene that came out of Sundance. And having grown up watching big studio movies, when suddenly saw those films and I realised that an independant movie could actually be very entertaining and just as acceptable as it is unique, that was very exciting to me. That is when I started looking for my own voice as a director.

Clerks= les employes modeles/ Indie (cinema) independant (des circuits habituels de distribution) / Sundance= festival du cinema independant fonde par Robert Redford / actually= reellement, effectivement (much better that “in fact”)

V: Why did you decide to actually go all around with your film? Is that what you normally do when you bring out a film?

J.R: I think as a first-time film-maker it helps. People are trying to get to know you for the first time –see what kind of director you are. It was a pleasure. I have been sent around the world for free to go talk about the movie. I was having a ball.

For free= gratuitement / to have a ball= bien s’amuser

V: How do you feel about it coming to France? Do you think it will have a success over there? Are you coming to launch it too?

J.R: I am anot coming to launch in France because I am starting a new movie and I am acyually really upset about that. I was supposed to go to the Deauville film festival with the film and while the film is still going I won’t be able to be there because I am actually starting a new movie.

To launch = lancer / to upset= contrarier, irriter

V: What is your next project? Can you tell us about that?

J.R: I am about to do a movie called Juno. It is about a 16-year old girl who gets pregnant and decides not to have an abortion but rather give up her baby for adoption. It is also her relationship with the two people who are going to adopt her baby.

About to= sur le point de / pregnant= enceinte / abortion= avortement / to give up= abandonner

V: Is this based on a book again or is it from your own imagination?

J.R: It is not my imagination at all. It is actually written by a first-time screenwriter – a woman from Minnesota – and it is just the most beautiful dialogue I have ever read. It is just hilarious.

Screenwriter= scenariste

V: When it is funny, it also underlines the seriousness in a film...

J.R: People make the mistake that to deal with a tough subject you have to use drama when in actuality we are able to talk about things with comedy that we are never able to get close to in drama. If I had made a drama about the head lobbyist from Big Tobacco suggesting he should be our hero, it would have never worked. People would have crucified me for making that kind of film. But I can do that in a stire and bring up these ideas about personal responsability and political correctness. I have the feeling like that the satire is very appropriate for the French. They seem to like intelligent humour. They seem to like satire and I can imagine how it will play in France.

To underline= souligner, mettre en evidence / to deal with= traiter / tough= difficile / lobbyist= membre d’un groupe de pression

V: Do you think people should read the book first or they should just go and see the movie and read the book later on?

J.R: My suggestion is to see the movie three or four times in the theater and then buy the book.

Theatre= salle de cinema

V: Great suggestion Jason, thank you so much for talking to us. J.R: My absolute pleasure.

That is it for today. We will discuss on “no smoking without fire”, a serie of questions about the fact of smoking, later.

Enjoy this day!

With best wishes,

Ceraulen

Some interesting websites about the film, the realisator:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427944/

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5283837