Freedom of presentation The 60s of the last century were marked by difficult times for the established studio system, which is the basis of the entire Hollywood machine. Films staged according to the repeatedly tested formula gradually bored the audience, which could with closed eyes predict a particular plot twist and knew what to expect from the characters, how the villains will behave and what will mark the final scene. Due to systematic predictability, diligent, trivialized academic projects increasingly failed at the box office, which helped to develop the layer of independent cinema, in which Francis Ford Coppola also worked. The brilliant director, after studying at the university, who received a contract with a major studio to shoot a potentially box-office film, was not going to adapt to the inexorable rink of the production apparatus, switching to free projects that became the basis of his newly formed studio American Zootrope. Uniting a team of talented enthusiasts trying to break out of the shackles of the past and assess the future with an unconventional view, Coppola helped to embark on an enlightened path as well as George Lucas, a romantic from documentary, an extraordinary visionary and a growing technical specialist. Thanks to the influence of Coppola, Lucas was able to bring to the big screens “Electronic labyrinth of TNX-1138” and some other projects worthy of attention. In addition to participating in the filming process as a director, producer or screenwriter, Coppola and Lucas helped colleagues at the editing stage and other vital processes for the creation of the film, in fact becoming the center of independent cinema in America during the 60-70s.
Having bought several warehouses, organized modest pavilions, offices and even bedrooms, Coppola did not hesitate to challenge traditional Hollywood, becoming the first director with a name to abandon the exquisite benefits that come with big money. He absolutely did not want to enter into arguments with the producers, constantly prove the truth of his own vision, and even more so Coppola did not want his comrades to break the unique view of life about the opportunity to earn a decent amount of money. “American Zootrope” became the focus of adventurous romanticism, without which we would never have seen true masterpieces shot for pennies. The team of Francis Ford Coppola proved that incorruptible stories can be shot only with a handheld camera and in everyday reality without building expensive scenery, as it was before. The audience demands innovations from cinema, an extraordinary approach to the presentation of thoughts and even radicalism. Old Hollywood was unable to give it, while the American Zootrope, inspired by free European mores, easily broke the canons and covered the distance between the screen and the audience at the speed of the space shuttle Neil Armstrong.
One of the films that built Coppola’s impeccable reputation was Rain People. The idea of the project was born after the director’s reflections that there is nothing more interesting than running into an open train car with a camera and shooting everything that comes in the way, because this is the only way an honest story is born, not burdened with unnecessary reasoning and details. Of course, Coppola was a little cunning, since Rain People was actually not just a road epic, but rather a philosophical treatise served to the audience in language that is accessible. And yet the film was created in conditions of absolute relaxation, thanks to which it was received with due respect by both high-brow critics and viewers who have long been ready for creative experiments. As for the story itself, it introduces us to a young housewife Natalie Ravenna (Shirley Knight), who is married. Finding that she is pregnant, the heroine decides to take a short vacation from family life and go on a long road somewhere beyond the horizon. Well, along the way, Natalie meets many interesting personalities, among which there is a mysterious but terribly charming “Killer” (James Caan), as well as a modest lonely police officer Gordon (Robert Duvall), like no other deserving of family happiness. Communicating with each of the characters, remembering the past and thinking about future plans, Natalie needs to build the right chain of actions, because the fate of several people depends on her decisions, and it is not surprising to push one of them to the edge.
When it comes to “Rainmen”, first of all, viewers remember the name of Francis Ford Coppola, as well as the leading performers who moved to important roles in “The Godfather”. At the same time, few people pay attention to the modest persona of George Lucas, who served Coppola on the set with his right hand, creative consultant, assistant and editing assistant. It is likely that without Lucas, Rainmen would not have been a phenomenon that survived decades and entered the register of the most iconic American films of the last century. Staying on the set from the beginning of work on the film to the final stage of post-production, George Lucas considered it not superfluous to remove a documentary about the creation of the film, titled it without unnecessary embellishment as “Making Rain Men” & # 34;. Walking the camera from one location to another, snatching faces and expressions, changing angles and flirting with the surrounding landscape, Lucas continues to work in his favorite poetic style, building a documentary as a poem that must be felt not with his head, but with his heart. Lucas pays much attention to the founder of the American Zootrope, an older friend and mentor. It is known that between the directors established a strong friendly relationship, and Coppola never penalized Lucas for sharp expressions and obstinate character, because the sphere of independent cinema never recognized authority, as in it all were equal. Such a relationship is felt in every frame of “The Creation of the Rain People”, showing the process of creating an imperishable masterpiece, like a friendly party mixed with a fun creative process.
In the end, I want to say that the creation of “Rain Men” & # 34; takes us to the extremely important period for the new wave of Hollywood cinema, in which the stars of Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg, Scorsese and De Palma were born. Through the efforts of one genius, a film for all time was born, a story of search, doubt and choosing the right path. The second genius expanded the scope of the known, penetrating into those corners that were previously considered closed territory. While filming a documentary about the making of Rain Men, George Lucas showed us the filming realities from an extraordinary perspective. For him it is extremely important to feel a subtle spiritual attitude, while other documentarians focus on hard facts. Thus, “The Creation of Rain People” is a poem that must be seen personally in order to realize its romantic charm.
10 out of 10