On this edition of the Plastic Podcast, Robert Davis first talks with Danny Boyle about his new film, Slumdog Millionaire. Among other things, they chat about what drew him to the project, his impression of India, working with his co-director Loveleen Tandan, his strategy for editing multiple timelines, and the film's surprising depiction of torture — over a game show.
Then Rob talks with Lance Hammer whose debut film, Ballast, is moving gradually around the country. They talk about the music he almost added, the eye of an art director, the impact of Godard and the Dardenne brothers on the film, the way he gleaned dialogue from his extensive, "architectural" process of rehearsal and improvisation, and the tone of the Mississippi delta.
0:00 Intro
3:09 Interview: Danny Boyle on Slumdog Millionaire
17:24 Interview: Lance Hammer on Ballast
33:43 Outro
Further Reading and Listening
- We talked about Slumdog Millionare on our Toronto podcast, and J. Robert Parks reviewed it in his Toronto diary.
- We talked about Ballast on our Sundance podcast, and Rob reviewed it here.
- In the interview, Danny Boyle refers to the book Maximum City.
- And Rob referred to the audio books When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris and The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell.
- Someone said something about A Silver Mt. Zion.
Update: 15 December 2008
Excerpts from the interview with Lance Hammer appear at pastemagazine.com.
Both of these filmmakers are working in worlds they didn't grow up in. They're both outsiders. But look how different their approaches are. I wonder what the reaction would be if Danny Boyle had taken this same kinetic-dramatic approach to rural life in the Mississippi delta; what if Lance Hammer had turned his camera on Mumbai?
Robert DAVIS — November 12th, 2008 at 5:42 pmVery enjoyable listen, Rob. Hope to see Slumdog Millionaire soon, even though I haven't liked a Danny Boyle film since Trainspotting (admittedly I've skipped a few, for good reasons I assure you.) I really liked listening to your conversation with Lance Hammer, too. Here's to getting well (I seem to be coming down with something myself right now, and I can't blame a major climate shift either).
Brian — November 14th, 2008 at 2:27 amThanks, Brian. Let me link to your own interview with Lance Hammer at GreenCine. I especially like the last question: "How do you prevent a film like Ballast to avoid presenting a touristic view on poverty or hardship?"
Robert DAVIS — November 14th, 2008 at 6:11 pmIt would be a better question if it were grammatically correct. Reading it back I realize I worded it quite poorly. Luckily the answer was more coherent...
Brian — November 14th, 2008 at 8:14 pmOh, funny, I must have read right past that. I knew what you meant, and he obviously did, too.
Robert DAVIS — November 14th, 2008 at 9:13 pm