I always liked him.
I'm sure he is a pompus ass, but I don't have to live/work with him. I think he enriched my movie-life by really caring about Ford, Welles & Hawks. I have all his books, they're fine. DIRECTED BY JOHN FORD was one of the earliest docs about a film maker. He did retrospectives and studied those cats because he liked them and their work. That work dates back to the silent era so I think Leone was just too hip for him. I heard here Bogdanovich was in a way a 'Tarantino of that time'. I'd rather say Leone was a Tarantino of that time (bigger of course
): His films were popular but too strong, like some of Peckinpah's too, to be regarded at what they were: masterpieces. Visual feasts, new ground in terms of telling the 'old story' their own new way. And what a way! For Tarantino it was slightly easier, he went away with an Oscar and the Palm immediately. But I still have discussions with people who can't see that KILL BILL 1 for example is not to be judged by the (non existing) story, but by the way he directed / presented the scenes. Awesome. A reason why actors/directors like him so much, he celebrated the medium and he is the right man for it. Just like his hero Leone.
Bogdanovich comes from a complete different background. He worships the big American masters. Rightly so. I don't held it against him, that he never got all of what the film history has to offer. I work a bit like him too: I write for magazines & books, make features and documentaries. So I have to concentrate on certain people, of course the ones I like best, like Peckinpah, Leone, McQueen, Polanski and many more
.
I'm sure I'm missing a lot that way. I like Fulci & Damiani for instance, but loath Franco & Castellari, so far. And I'm sure those made a couple of films too I could like... But to find those I won't screen their 50 films.
So the coupling of Bogdanovich and Leone was a big mistake from the start. Leone probably saw TARGETS when he was with Paramount the same year and probably DIRECTED BY JOHN FORD. He was guided by his heart I assume. An American, no matter the heritage, could never make an Italian western. Not even Tarantino. You can copy the food, but not the films. So they both just tried I guess. And Leone could never 'produce another director'. That's for sure. Another naive idea of Leone. To think another film maker would make a Leone-film while he was producing. Valerii tried nevertheless though, but then again he is Italian and could shout back in the same language.
One can dislike him because of the way he spoke about Leone, but he was never diplomatic about his speech. I kind of liked that, I like his interviews. And he does great imitations of Ford & Hawks. Awesome.
TARGETS is a favorite of many independents. Great story of how it was made. Come off very well too.
SHOW & PAPER MOON are great of course. As many of the New Hollywood pack he became arrogant and his projects mirrored that with failures. His private life surely helped messin' up his career: he fell in love with Sheppard during SHOW and left his long-time associate Polly Pratt. He then made movies for Cybill, thinking she was his Grace Kelly or Maureen O'Hara. His next girlfriend was murdered by her ex-lover. So I'm sure he was a little mixed-up. THose 70's were different, baby. Scorsese was so down he almost stayed down. But he came back. Others, like Bogdanovich and Friedkin, never really came back. Others even died, like Peckinpah.
He may be a prick. But I rather listen to him than to so-called movie-experts who never held a camera in their hands.
Just to dislike him because of the GIU LA TESTA incident would be too easy. Hawks didn't like THE WILD BUNCH, my favorite film. Then again RIO BRAVO is my No.3. One has to accept the fact that there are so many ways of doing your thing. Many dishes are not to be meant to be served at the same time.
His scarf is probably like Peckinpah's sun glasses, Stroheim's stick or Romero's scarf: something to hide behind, a lucky charm or the try to create an image. Fashion anyway. I don't judge the Italians because the 'important ones' tend to carry a pull-over, mostly little girls colors like purple, around their shoulders. But they never wear it, just carry it...
