FilmBuff is proud to bring you once again an exclusive film collection put together by a guest filmmaker, Steven Williford, director of The Green. Take it away Steven!
I come to The Green, my first narrative feature, from the legit theater by way of a tour of duty in the trenches of multi-camera television production. In preparing to direct the film, I took another look at a group of character driven dramas that were directed by five of my heroes: Elia Kazan, Sidney Lumet, Mike Nichols, Mike Leigh and Sam Mendes. Along with having directed some of my favorite films, these gentlemen share two other formidable characteristics that serve as inspiration for my work. Each of their career paths moved seamlessly between theater, film and television; and they were each known as “actors’ directors.” These guys knew the significance of meeting their actors on the playing field with an arsenal of game plans that were rooted in action and designed to reinforce the matrix of character. They knew how to inspire creativity in their actors, and then get out of the way. As proof, I offer the following films:
Directed by Elia Kazan, written by Budd Schulberg, and starring Andy Griffith. Griffith turns in a remarkable performance as an ego-maniacal media demagogue. Kazan and Brando introduced the world to “the method” in 1951 with A Streetcar Named Desire, but for my money, Griffith is nose-to-nose with Brando at the finish line.
Login and Get Social With Us