CANNES, France (AP) 鈥 After a string of hospitalizations for long COVID, Paul Schrader had a realization.
鈥淚f I鈥檓 going to make a film about death,鈥 Schrader told himself, 鈥淚鈥檇 better hurry up.鈥
The health of the 77-year-old filmmaker, whose films and scripts have covered half a century of American movies, from 鈥淭axi Driver鈥 to has since improved. But that sense of urgency only increased when , a friend of Schrader鈥檚 since he adapted Banks鈥 鈥淎ffliction鈥 into the 1997 film, began ailing. Banks died in 2023.
Schrader resolved to turn Banks鈥 2021 novel 鈥淔oregone鈥 into a film. At the time, he imagined it would be his last. But Schrader, who's been as prolific as ever in the past decade, has said that before.
In 2017, he surmised that was his final cinematic statement. Then he made 2021鈥檚 And, after that came 2022鈥檚
鈥淭he irony is every time you think, 鈥榃ell, that鈥檚 about it,鈥 you have a new idea,鈥 Schrader told The Associated Press in an interview at 鈥淎nd you have to write the new idea and make the new film. 鈥極K, God, put that thing on hold. I鈥檒l be back to you when I鈥檝e finished my film.鈥欌
Schrader, chuckling, adds: 鈥淚鈥檓 going to start a new company called Post-Mortem Cinema.鈥
On Friday, Schrader was to premiere his Banks鈥 adaptation, now titled 鈥淥h, Canada,鈥 at Cannes. It鈥檚 his first time back in competition in 36 years. And, particularly given that he鈥檚 joined this year by and 鈥 all of them central figures of the fabled New Hollywood 鈥 Schrader鈥檚 Cannes return comes with echoes of the heyday of 鈥70s American moviemaking. 鈥淭axi Driver,鈥 which Schrader wrote, .
Schrader, though, allows for only so much nostalgia.
鈥淚t鈥檚 gotten aggrandized in the collective memory. There were a lot of bad films. There were a lot of bad players,鈥 Schrader says of the 鈥70s. 鈥淗owever, it was the birth of the self-starting movement in cinema. So people like George and Francis and I, all film-school graduates like Marty, we all started our careers in this environment. That was a kind of a golden moment, but that doesn鈥檛 mean all the films were golden.鈥
鈥淥h, Canada," which is seeking a distributor, is a kind of bookend to one of the films from that era: the 1980 neo-noir 鈥淎merican Gigolo.鈥 Schrader reteams with decades after 鈥淎merican Gigolo鈥 made Gere a star. Until now, Schrader says, the two hadn鈥檛 much discussed reuniting.
鈥淩ichard had been developing some mannerisms that I wasn鈥檛 entirely comfortable with as a director, and roles I wasn鈥檛 comfortable with,鈥 Schrader says. 鈥淚 was thinking more in terms of Ethan (Hawke) and Oscar (Isaac).鈥
But the idea of 鈥淥h, Canada鈥 as a kind of spiritual sequel to 鈥淎merican Gigolo鈥 appealed to him. In the film, Gere stars as a revered Canadian filmmaker named Leonard Fife who, nearly on his deathbed, grouchily sits for an interview with documentary filmmakers. His wife watches on as Leonard tells his life story, seen in flashbacks with playing the younger Fife, in the 1960s. We have the impression that Fife, who fled to Canada during the Vietnam War, is speaking more honestly than ever before.
鈥淚 thought the dying Gigolo 鈥 that put some spin on it. People are going to be interested in that, even though it鈥檚 not the same character at all,鈥 Schrader says. 鈥淚 could see that he had come out of retirement. He needs this, therefore he鈥檒l do it for nothing.鈥
Schrader approached Gere with a few stipulations.
鈥淚 said, 鈥業鈥檒l send it to you on three conditions: One, that you read it right away. Two, that I get an answer in two weeks. And, three, that you understand my financial parameters,鈥欌 Schrader says. 鈥淗e agreed. I said the same thing to (Robert) De Niro. Bob said, 鈥榃ell, I agree to the first two but not the third one.鈥欌
鈥淪o I didn鈥檛 send the script to Bob,鈥 Schrader says, laughing.
Since the 2013 film 鈥淭he Canyons,鈥 which he directed from a Bret Easton Ellis script, Schrader has found a way to make the economics of independent filmmaking work for him.
鈥淧eople thought that was all a kind of desperate career failure, but it was a glimpse into a new world. It was a trial run of how you do a film yourself," says Schrader. 鈥淎fter that, I knew that you could make a film and get final cut. You could say to an investor: 鈥業鈥檓 not going to make you rich 鈥 get that dog out of your head. But I think I鈥檓 going to make you whole. And I鈥檓 going to give you a credit and I鈥檓 going to put you on a red carpet somewhere. You could put your money into toasters or tires, or you could put it into this film.鈥欌
The significant caveat to that, Schrader says, is that he came up in the old system of Hollywood. He's not sure the same strategy could work for someone less established in today's digital landscape.
鈥淚 got my head above the crowd when there was only 400 people in the room,鈥 he says. 鈥淣ow there鈥檚 40,000 people in the room.鈥
But few filmmakers remain as engaged with current cinema as Schrader. He goes at least once a week to the movies and often posts brief reviews on his Facebook page. of 鈥淚 Saw the TV Glow,鈥 he recently wrote, is 鈥渉ands down the most original voice in film in the last decade.鈥 He liked ("Zendaya is a star") but wrote: 鈥淭he studios would have never let this slight a story run so long 鈥 on the other hand, the studios aren鈥檛 making this movie anymore.鈥
鈥淵ou usually go to the movies because it鈥檚 something you want to see in a crowd," Schrader says. 鈥淟ike, I went to see 鈥楥ocaine Bear鈥 because I knew it would be great to see with an audience.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a particularly good time for film," Schrader concludes as the interview winds down. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a bad time. It鈥檚 very easy to get a film made. It鈥檚 very hard to make a living.鈥
