What do you think of the portrayal of the French in this movie?
The French? Upper class. Now, this is not all of France, it's just the French upper class, and it's very true. That's the way that they are, yes.
Is this what Americans would think of as a stereotype?
No, it's not. It's just the upper class that's like that, very protective of the family fortunes, the title, the name, the correct behavior, the appearance and so on. You'll find the same class in England and in America. The
American upper class is like that, too.
How do you feel that this movie does in capturing the romantic relationships?
It's very difficult to marry into another civilization like this. I know a lot of Americans in Paris who have married Frenchmen. I know a whole bunch of journalists and a lot of them have married French people. I see that they keep bringing up books on their experience, the clash of civilizations, the clash of personalities.
How well does this movie capture the various female points of view?
[Writer/director]James Ivory is very, very subtle in his study of human behavior. I think that he's very aware of the subtleties of women behavior whether it be “The Remains of the Day,” one of the great masterpieces, or “Howard’s End,” a magnificent portrayal of females. He's extremely sensitive to behavior.
Did Mr. Ivory work one-on-one with the actors?
Strangely enough, he's quite elusive. He comes close to the actors for
the first rehearsal. He more or less lets you direct yourself and
then will only correct you if he finds it incorrect. Then, he goes onto the
other side of the set behind the black curtain and watches the replay on
video and I found that off-putting. It's the first film that I made where the
director was not present under the camera and it threw me. I would have to run
back to the black curtain and say, “Was it alright, Jim?” He'd say, “Well of
course, if I didn't say, ‘Do it again,’ it's because it was fine.”
Does this film capture the difference in attitude toward romance between French and American women?
I think that it's pretty accurate. In that French milieu, marriage
doesn't necessarily have anything to do with romance (laughs) and you marry to
create and continue the family and to create descendants. If you do fall in
love on the wayside, well, you do it discreetly. That's the French attitude,
and the American is wholeheartedly for love and romance at any cost.
However, Naomi’s [Watts] character in the film doesn't believe in divorce and doesn't
want a divorce. She's very serious in her marriage, but her sister, played by
Kate [Hudson], is, I believe, quite a modern, American women.
How were you able to make your character sympathetic?
I wasn't trying for that. I was trying to be very at ease in this arrogant person, and very worldly and all of that, but it's unwittingly that something human came into the part. I hate to say that. To me,
I
wanted to be totally, as I said, worldly. I noticed that when I went to see
the rushes or the first showing that there was something quite human in this
desperation and I hadn't planned it [laughs]. That happens to be me. I wasn't
planning that. I was rather surprised and upset that this humanity had crept
in.
Is that the American in you?
No, it's just the human being. No matter what you do, your person
comes through and you can't completely change yourself on the screen. I had in
mind someone colder and more in control, but I couldn't do it. This human note
just crept in and maybe it's better.
