Should Foreign Director's stick to their own country?

[bob]

It occured to me that a lot of great foreign directors have had somewhat rude awakenings when making an American film. Take John Woo: He goes from one of the most beloved action films ever, The Killer, in Hong Kong, to crappy actioners with big name stars in America (MI2, Windtalkers). Ang Lee has made many films in America, but his best (arguably) was made in China: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. His last American film was the Hulk (nuff said). This has plagued many other foreign directors as well.

Maybe it's not being in America, it's the big studio budget. It seems like no foreign director can be given loads of money and not screw up. Should foreign director's stay away from studio money?

[Damned Martian]

Some directors can't manage big budgets or big studios conditions, but i think that depends on who the director is. Take Ang Lee: he has made in US Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm and The Hulk. The 3 of them are far from what use to be the average american movie. In fact, his movies can be considered independent even if they have big budget (yes, even The Hulk: if studios have had more control over this author, there would have been much less story, character developing and script lines and much more action, deriving in a bluff like Daredevil; so, like it or not, it is his movie as he would have make it in a foreign country). They all talk about the same issues than his former films (family, love, different faces behind the surface, Shakespearean conflicts, etc). So i think the question is if you're ready to bitch yourself or you want to still be a creator.

I also think that a poor director is definitely revealed when he's working with big budgets. This allow him to make everything he wants, so he can pretty much fuck the movie.
Check this link about Lucas and the new SW trilogy: http://www.worldonline.co.za/ente/ente_center_Review.491839.html
There it's explained what i'm saying by someone like Spielberg, who knows a bit about lots of money.

What happened with Woo was that he had style but not substance, so when he had a lot of money he forgot to look for good stories to catch the attention and made it all by F/X and explosions, which drives his movies to the sucking category.

So I think that's pretty much what happens: it depends on which category you are, the creator or the stylish director.

My two cents.

[James Logan]

I think directors of all countries should go any place it's easier for them to get their visions and dreams real. If it means going to Hollywood, great -- but don't sell out. I personally think folks like Paul Verhoeven, Ang Lee, John Woo or Luc Besson have proven they can do US-produced flicks and still keep their touch.

[Fisting Ackbar]

If a foreign director can keep his own style and can manage to maintain his vision with Hollywood produced films, then he shouldn't have to stick with his own country IMO.

Of course that isn't always the case...unfortunatly.

[Sparrow]

I haven't seen The Hulk yet as it's not out in the UK until this weekend, but Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility and The Ice Storm are both wonderful films.

[blankpage]

It depends, if the director knows he's going to end up like Woo and Lee, then yes, stay to whatever country he's from. But if the director knows he can still make films just as powerful as he did back in his own country, then by all means, go.

Thing is, Hollywood is running out of ideas, and the Studios won't produce something that the director wants, so their stuck directing crap.

[Beeblebrox]

Maybe it's not being in America, it's the big studio budget. It seems like no foreign director can be given loads of money and not screw up. Should foreign director's stay away from studio money?

It's not the money so much as it is the studio control. It's an interesting challenge for the foreign directors because the studio offers can be hard to resists. More money than most of them have ever seen and a wider audience than most of them could otherwise find (the American cinema audience is roughly equal to every other country combined).

But with that money and fame comes studio interference. It's their money, they get to call the shots. Many of them, like Almodóvar resist the temptations and opt for more control. Others, like Woo and Cuaron, take their chances on the studio pics. It's really up to them.