Director of photography Peter Suschitzky discusses the methods and motivations behind his latest feature, Crash.
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Director of photography Peter Suschitzky discusses the methods and motivations behind his latest feature, Crash.
Interview by Allen Daviau, ASC and Fred Elmes, ASC
Edited by David E. Williams English cinematographer Peter Suschitzky recently arrived in Los Angeles to oversee the color timing of Mars Attacks!, the alien invasion spoof directed by Tim Burton [see AC Dec. 1996]. Taking a break from this task, he joined fellow cameramen Allen Daviau, ASC and Fred Elmes, ASC at the New Line Cinema screening room in Beverly Hills to watch Crash, Suschitzky's latest collaboration with Canadian director David Cronenberg. With AC editors Stephen Pizzello and David E. Williams in tow, a leisurely dinner followed, during which Daviau and Elmes posed questions regarding the picture's unique visual approach and the means by which Suschitzky tackled its controversial subject. Based on the 1973 novel of the same name by English author J.G. Ballard, Crash concerns television commercial producer James Ballard (James Spader) and his wife, Catherine (Debra Kara Unger), both of whom are engaging in kinky extramarital affairs. Later, the pair share details of their indiscretions, illustrating their emotional detachment. After being severely injured in a violent, head-on automobile collision, Ballard is thrust into a subculture of hedonistic extremism and becomes immersed in a nocturnal cult fixated upon the anticipation, and outcome, of car crashes. Accompanied by Dr. Helen Remington (Holly Hunter), the scarred survivor of the crash he caused, Ballard soon meets Vaughan (Elias Koteas), the leader of the bizarre cabal. The producer is captivated by Vaughan's dogma about technology's ability to reshape the human form, and soon introduces his wife to this new interest, exposing them both to its dangers. Vaughan's obsessions - amplified sexuality wrapped in twisted chrome and steel - later become their own, leading to a series of graphic and often violent couplings. This link between injury and passion has been a primary focus of Crash's detractors. As a result of their ire, the film has been banned in various countries, and its U.S. release was postponed from late 1996 to March of this year. (See accompanying interview with director Cronenberg for further details.) However, the film also has its champions, and earned a Special Jury Prize for "audacity and innovation" at last year's Cannes Film Festival. In recognition of the film's artistic daring, AC hereby presents excerpts from the unique interview which followed a screening arranged by ever-accommodating Fine Line Pictures publicist Juli Goodwin. Details about the key participants are as follows: Peter Suschitzky's other credits include Where the Heart Is, Valentino, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Empire Strikes Back and Immortal Beloved. His previous projects with Cronenberg are Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch and M. Butterfly. Allen Daviau's filmography includes E.T: The Extraterrestrial, The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun (also adapted from a novel by J.G. Ballard), Avalon and Bugsy. Fred Elmes' credits include The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Blue Velvet, River's Edge, Wild At Heart, Night On Earth, and director Ang Lee's upcoming feature Ice Storm.
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