Almodóvar: This one in particular is also based on the notable work by Andrew Wyeth.Grau: Pedro, from the moment we spoke about this scene, had this
Almodóvar: This one in particular is also based on the notable work by Andrew Wyeth.
Grau: Pedro, from the moment we spoke about this scene, had this reference of Andrew Wyeth’s painting in his mind. He liked the scope and the feeling of the image to be one of the crucial points of the scene. Obviously, it’s not a direct copy, but we wanted to connect with the American painters. Edward Hopper, for example, is also part of the film. This is the first American movie of Pedro’s, and the American references were crucial for us. This was shot in Spain; it was crucial as well to create that immense landscape, play with the clouds, play with the grass, play with the color of the clothes that Pedro’s filmography is so full of. In the same way Edward Hopper is a very large influence on the look of the film and a good translation of Pedro’s understanding of color in America.
Almodóvar: Edward Hopper with Velázquez, the Spanish painter, are two of the painters that have the most influence on directors. I remember David Lynch talking about the influence of Hopper in Blue Velvet; I remember getting the references of Edward Hopper in my earlier movies. The loneliness and all that.
In this case, I thought it was kind of amusing just to imitate this painting. [Laughs] Because once we were there and we had a burning house, I said, we have to do Wyeth. I actually have it as a fridge magnet in my home. [Laughs] Whenever I can connect with something that’s popular, it’s crucial to me. In the case of this particular scene, there was the painting.
Ultimately, the movie is European, so even though there is some American iconography in the film—for example, a diner only exists in the United States, you don’t have diners anywhere else in the world—but really the story is a very intimate story happening between two women. The situation they’re enmeshed in is really a universal situation. And so the way the film was shot, I really couldn’t get away from their faces. It’s a film made up of a lot of close-ups, a lot of talking. It’s a story that is really told in words, told verbally. And so I didn’t really try to be citing American iconography, even though New York alludes to any number of American films or to US culture. It was a joy to have the buildings in the background of my shot. That’s something I had always wished I could do. And now I’ve done that.
The Lawn Chairs, Before
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