INTERVIEW John Frankenhimer Director of Reindeer Games
By RICHARD HO
CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
"I like flowers," says John Frankenheimer, pointing to a vase of flowers resting on the coffee table by the side of his armchair.
The setting? A hotel room high within the warm confines of the Ritz Carlton. Outside, the snow-covered streets and gloomy sky create a somewhat fitting backdrop for an interview with the director of Reindeer Games, whose newest film is the latest product of a long and distinguished career. The creative mind behind films such as Manchurian Candidate, Birdman of Alcatraz,and Ronin is using the flowers as an example of props on a movie set making a statement. He has a few statements of his own to make, as Crimson Arts catches up with the legendary director.
The Harvard Crimson: Why did you choose Reindeer Games?
John Frankenheimer: There are three ways in which you can get involved in a movie as a director. One of them is to find or create a project yourself and hire a writer to do it. The other is to find a novel and have a studio or producer buy it, and then hire a writer. The third way is to have somebody, a studio or producer, send you a script. And that's what happened here. Bob Weinstein sent me the script of Reindeer Games...I read it, I loved it. In fact, I decided to do this picture faster than I've ever decided to do a movie.
THC: Did you cast Ben Affleck?
JF: I did. He was my first choice. I wanted Everyman for this, I wanted the Everyman character. I wanted a young James Stewart. I wanted somebody that men could relate to, that women could relate to. I wanted somebody that didn't look like a hardened criminal, because he was in there for car theft, not for murder. I wanted somebody who was intelligent, that you believe could think on his feet like this. I wanted an actor who could do the comedy, the funny lines. And I wanted someone whom I like around me. I don't like working with people that I don't feel comfortable being around. And all of those things I feel with Ben.
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