Peter Greenaway
28 St
Peter's Grove
January
24th 1984
Monique
Belanger
Arts Awards
Service
Dear Ms
Belanger,
I met Phil
Hoffman at the 1984 Grierson Seminar. His films were
a breath of fresh air amidst so much conventional material. His films blithely
side-stepped the orthodoxies so taken for granted by those who believe
documentary cinema is an educational rostrum, is about questions of balance, is
essentially a dissertation on something described as 'truth.' Meeting him in
the context of his films backed up my impressions of his aims and abilities.
His work is an encouragement to those who want to use autobiography as subject
matter, personal vision as a trademark, and show how small resources can be a
positive virtue.
It was
Phil's suggestion in London several months later that he would like to be some
sort of witness to the feature production of the film Zed and Two Noughts in Rotterdam in the
Spring of this year—which I am certainly agreeable to—though I will not hide
the fact that I believe, as a filmmaker with a personal vision, he is well past
the apprenticeship stage. What he needs now is opportunities, encouragement and
experience. Since his method is to work with a camera as a constant companion,
I would wish he could be encouraged to make a modest film whilst he is in
Rotterdam and London, certainly to be encouraged to shoot some two or three
thousand feet of 16mm. The desirability of his presenting a script before hand,
as far as I can see, is not necessary, considering his work method. In fact, I
think it ought to be a condition of his association with the Zed and Two Noughts
project that he shoot on his own on any subject
whatsoever.
Most of the
relevant detail of the production of Zed
and Two Noughts Phil has already mentioned. It is
perhaps not so strange a co-production, as seen from a British point of view,
but nonetheless will present a nicely complex mixture of finance, production,
cast and crew that aptly mirrors the complexity of the film's structure and
content—the ambivalent diversity of species and purpose—of beasts and men—both
sides of the cages in a zoo. Phil has volunteered not just to stand by and
observe but to offer practical help which will always be useful on such a
modestly budgeted, ambitious film.
If he (and
you) believe that he (and you) can profit by his
experience with the production, then I am certainly happy to invite him. If
there is anything else you would like to know, I am sure I can help, though I
would be obliged, as I am sure you would understand, to keep bureaucracy to a
minimum. The production of a feature film is very time-consuming and demanding.
Here's
hoping that you can agree to Phil's participation.
Yours
sincerely,
Peter Greenaway