01/07/2003

The 65-year-old Teutonic director of acclaimed masterpieces like Germany in Autumn (1978) and the Oscar-winning Tin Drum (1979) is very unhappy with the domestic film industry. He feels that its ties to co-production and TV are too strong and this hinders the outsourcing of independent investors. “One of the reasons for the success of American cinema is the distinct division between film and television,” said Schlöndorff. “In Germany they are connected and this leads to overly provincial films being produced. Films that lack innovation and originality.”

Schlöndorff’s latest epic, Die Päpstin has been put on hold. “I was supposed to begin making this film round about now, but we didn’t get any funding. It’s very much a vicious circle: in order to get funding, you need to cast a Hollywood superstar whose presence automatically doubles the cost of the film.”
His last film was The legend of Rita in 2000 although he directed an episode of the ensemble feature Ten Minutes Older: The Cello [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. His passion may be feature films, but Schlöndorff expressed his delight with “a great opportunity to experiment in total freedom”.

(Translated from Italian)