Harold Ramis Is Offended
I stole this interview excerpt from Dave Kehr, who stole it from The Believer:
BLVR: Rumor has it that you turned down the chance to direct Disney’s remake of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner because you felt they weren’t interested in really exploring racism.Yes, Harold Ramis is the guy who directed Analyze This. And Analyze That. And the Bedazzled remake. (And yes, Mr. Baker, The Ice Harvest.) But still, he makes a good point.
HR: The way they wanted to do it didn’t have a lot to do with the colossal amount of pain and violence that swirls around racial injustice. It would’ve been like an episode of The Jeffersons. What’s the point? But who knows, maybe that’s as much as most people want. I can’t tell you how many people have told me, “When I go to the movies, I don’t want to think.”
BLVR: Does that offend you as a filmmaker?
HR: It offends me as a human being. Why wouldn’t you want to think? What does that mean? Why not just shoot yourself in the fucking head?
posted by Ian @ 2:42 PM
2 Comments:
It is a good point.
But it's also funny 'cause when I was experiencing the endless torment of Ice Harvest, I did think, "Why not just shoot myself in the fucking head?"
Maybe it's a strategy so that he can make films that do make you think.
In his defense, Mr. Baker, Ramis also directed Groundhog Day, which is excellent. And he played Dr. Egon Spengler in Ghost Busters.
And Caren, I'm not sure what you mean. Spencer Tracy and Sidney Poitier are okay actors. But certainly having Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher take over their roles was a massive improvement.
*is kidding!*
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