CMBA Guilty Pleasures Movie Blogathon: "Paris when it sizzles"

These are selected opinions of reviewers who apparently didn't enjoy this movie and make of Paris When It Sizzles (1964; Richard Quine) a guilty pleasure:

• "Paris when it stinks"
• "Beyond stupid. A waste of time. Avoid."
• "Incredible mess"
• "Give this one a pass."
• "Nothing sizzles" 
• "No style or substance"
• "3/10 is being generous."
• "A big disappointment in all departments"
• "Oh dear!"
• "Paris When it Fizzles- This Sizzler A Dud"
• "One of the worst films ever"
• "Why did I buy it ? It was part of a set."
• "I gave this one ten minutes"
• "Paris when it ... SNORES!"

All quotes from Imdb reviewers who didn't like this story --adapted by George Axelrod from a French story/movie-- about a writer (William Holden) that has only a few days to finish a script helped by his new assistant, typist Audrey Hepburn. A film-within-the film: any idea William has becomes the movie you're watching, even if it's crazy or developed by a drunk character.

Here are a few more quotes:

• "Makes fun of classic movies, when the film itself is not very good"
• "The script is bad"
• "At the end there are two stupid scripts: the fictional and the real one"
• "Lacks fluidity"
• "Some scenes are unimportant but really long"

Those are from an unpublished review written by...me.

Yes, I hated the film the first time I saw it. I also knew this one was Audrey's least favorite movie of her filmography and that some years later she almost didn't film Two for the road: she was done with movies that experimented with the storytelling. I had also read that William Holden was drinking heavily during the filming of this movie and had to enter an alcoholic clinic.

Everything about it was bad.

Until it wasn't.

The third time I saw this film I started watching it from a new point of view: here we had a powerful studio, Paramount, plus several stars making fun of themselves. They were all laughing at the way movies are made; showing how obvious the business in which they worked can be when it's made for commercial purposes, how superficial famous people can be...

Everything started to make sense. Audrey didn't mind the lines that made fun of her movies, like Breakfast at Tiffany's and My fair lady; William and Tony Curtis didn't mind playing parts in which, for example, they made clear how important looks are for leading actors, and how narcissist they can be. And that's awesome, it's like saying: "hey, don't take us too serious, this is all about pretending and having fun".

The dialog is filled with movie techniques cliches, exaggerated to made them obvious. And because William Holden is writing a screenplay, there are cliches from the main title to the end. I love, for example, how William describes the opening credits of his new movie, The girl who stole the Eiffel Tower:

Superimpose: ''An Alexander Meyerheim production''. Cut to the Eiffel Tower. The main title.The trumpets segue into the inevitable title song. Maybe we can get Sinatra to sing it. There follows an interminable list of other credits acknowledging the efforts of all the quote little people unquote, whom I shall graciously thank in my acceptance speech at the Academy Awards.

Or how he explains to Audrey how a fade out works:

Over the years, the audience has been conditioned to understand that when a scene fades away, like an old soldier, before their very eyes, and another scene gradually appears to take its place, a certain amount of time has elapsed.

Or what a kiss really is in the commercial movie business:

The final, earth-moving, studio-rent-paying, theatre-filling, popcorn-selling...kiss.

The list goes on and on and you actually learn something about screenwriting process.

With director Richard Quine.

Besides the fun provided by desconstructing a movie script, Audrey and William are a delight to watch together. Knowing about their impossible love during the filming of Sabrina, it was nice to see them working in a fictional hotel in sunny Paris. Even when Audrey didn't like the film, she called it "a joy to make". And even when William said of the first day he arrived to Paris: "I realized that I had to face Audrey and I had to deal with my drinking. And I didn’t think I could handle either situation", they seem at ease and relaxed.

Despite what some reviewers have said, I think Audrey --dressed and "perfumed" by Givenchy here too-- had a great timing for comedy, I love the way she delivers her lines, and how she responded to the scenes which required physical comedy. Because everything was a parody, she  exaggerated her movements, especially in the sequence where, drunk, her character starts to invent a parallel story. Vampires, horse races, aviators, everything was included in her crazy sequence, maybe the most criticized of the film. I found it hilarious.

William as a vampire...

..seconds later the action takes place in the sky...

All the genres conventions are parodied in Paris When It Sizzles: detective stories, horror movies, slapstick, romance, etc etc. For example, if the next frame, a man and woman in bed, fades out...

...it obviously means...that they were playing Parcheesi!

I also loved the bits about the French New Wave, movies where, according to the screenwriter, nothing happens.

Audrey aka Gaby: The picture's terribly interesting. Very avant-garde. About people who go to this party and decide not to play Scrabble. lt was called The Scrabble Game Will Not Take Place. His next one's about a girl who won't have a birthday party - Blow Out No Candles. Roger believes what's important on screen is what doesn't happen.

There are great cameos: Marlene Dietrich and Mel Ferrer; supporting players include Tony Curtis and Noel Coward; Frank Sinatra sings the title (literally) The girl who stole the Eiffel Tower; there's a song by Fred Astaire that introduces a tong-in-cheek dance sequence that's abruptly interrupted because this one is not a musical...

Tony Curtis as an egocentric Method actor (video)...

Marlene as...Marlene Dietrich.

George Axelrod, who also wrote the screenplay for Breakfast at Tiffany's, included a crazy party scene here too. Although it's not as memorable as the one in B@t, it has some great moments and costumes:

Mel Ferrer as Dr. Jekyll...

...and then as Mr. Hyde...

Another great thing of this film is the music, although it doesn't have a great presence throughout the movie. It was composed by Nelson Riddle and I think it captures the light spirit of the film. One of the themes that stand out is Gabrielle (hear)

TCM said of this movie "Over the years, however, the film has earned a reputation as a guilty pleasure for those who enjoy in-joke movie spoofs and an absurdist storyline played out against the glorious backdrop of the City of Light".

I don't even feel guilty anymore :) In my opinion, Paris When It Sizzles was ahead of its time and therefore, underrated and a commercial failure. I think of it as an antecedent of films like Airplane! and Monty Python's movies, only classier.

So, yes, maybe this movie is a mess. But a delightful and sunny mess, if you decide to relax, give it an opportunity and go "absolutely ape" watching how these unforgettable people enjoy living.

--------------------------------------------------

Written for the CMBA Guilty Pleasures Movie Blogathon.Check the rest of the entries here.

PS: It's funny that writer George Axelrod provided another guilty pleasure  to this blogathon :)

Three comedies from the 1960s: LOL

It seems that when you get in the mood for a comedy from the 60s, well, you just can't stop watching them. The other day I read over MC's blog about Come September (1961), a movie starring Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida. I must confess something: when people talked about Miss Lollobrigida, I imagined she was a brainless actress, only famous because of her physical attractiveness.

I had never seen her on anything, so it was a great surprise to discover a fine performer with excellent comedy timing. I won't review Come September, you can read MC's post, but I will talk a bit about my second Gina Lollobrigida film. And then I'll review a classic I hadn't seen AND another Mitchumovie.

Buona sera. Mrs Campbell (Melvin Frank, 1968)

I wanted to check another movie from Gina, so I googled and someone mentioned Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell as one of his favorites. I watched it. Now, we're gonna make this post a little more interactive, OK? Guess the movie: a woman in a small European town had a daughter but doesn't know who is the father. There are three possibilities, all American guys, and they show up all at once.

Any idea? You're right, Mamma Mia is based on a musical based on this film. What do you know! Of course that the story has differences, as Mrs. Campbell said to the local people that the father was an American colonel who died; and also made the three guys believe the daughter was theirs, so they supported her; and they travel to Europe with their families; and...whatever. The guys --Telly Savalas, Peter Lawford, Phil Silvers-- are not really attractive like the men in Mamma Mia (well, maybe Peter is), but they're really funny, most of the times.

Besides it has more room for a more realistic and human point of view of this difficult situation, without losing the comedy aspect, for example, the fear of being criticized by the local society is one of Gina's character motives for hiding the truth; the daughter suffers and confronts her mother when she founds out; one of the dads thinks of her Italian daughter as his proof of not being infertile, so the end is really emotive in this character's case. Gina is fun to watch and the script was perfect for her, because it allows her to show her Italian power in the comedy parts, combining it with sensibility in the most dramatic scenes. A fun little movie.

The great race (Blake Edwards, 1965)

I won't talk much about this Blake Edwards film, I guess most of you have seen it. This movie is constructed based on stereotypes. First, the characters: the hero (Tony Curtis), the feminist independent woman (Natalie Wood), the bad guy (Jack Lemmon), the bad guy's assistant, etc. Then, the different stages of the car race around the world are a parody of the movie genres: adventure, comedy (including slapstick), musical (loved the "karaoke" scene and the song), swashbuckler, romance, epic, etc. The result is a very entertaining, well-acted film, with music by Henry Mancini, in which you just have to enjoy the ride without asking questions.

What a way to go! (J. Lee Thompson, 1964)

I'll develop a point here. I know there are early parody films, like comedies starring Abbot and Costello, Bob Hope, etc, but seems like in the 60s the movie industry started parodying the movie industry using super stars. The great race is a (very elaborated) example. Paris when it sizzles (1964; Richard Quine), one of the...how should I say it?...less appreciated movies from Audrey Hepburn and William Holden, is another. If you don't take them for what they are you're gonna probably hate them. But, if you watch them considering this point, you might enjoy watching legends laughing at themselves, laughing at the way the industry works, laughing at how the movies are constructed and how they try to appeal to the public, etc. Watch Paris when it sizzles again, it's a great parody film IMO (yeah, I'm like the only person in the world who likes this movie).

What a way to go! is an even more obvious parody film. Shirley Maclaine is so lucky! She worked with Dick Van Dyke, Dean Martin, Gene Kelly,  Robert Mitchum AND Paul Newman speaking French...I mean, c'mon! (watch the behind scenes with super interesting material). Shirley starts remembering the life with her different husbands and it seems that every time she married a guy he got rich and then died.That's the plot. Really.

The cool thing about this movie is that each memory correspond to a type of film: silent, musical (with splendid music and choreography by Gene), French cinema (my gosh, a very tongue-in-cheek hot sequence with...Paul Newman), glamorous Hollywood movies (you have to see this sequence, you get tired of watching Shirley with a different amazing Edith Head dress in every take).

Maybe the plot is pretty weak, maybe some of the parodies are not very elaborated, but it was a fun film with an all-star cast to watch once.

Note: I wanted to post this entry last Friday, but a Coca-Cola truck cut the telephone wire and just today I got it repaired. "Open Happiness" my @·#.

Proust Questionnaire Answered by Classic Actors

I had no idea Vanity Fair included the Proust Questionnaire in its pages (which is not very strange since I don't read it). It was a great surprise and an interesting reading to found these famous questions answered by Classic Actors in the the past two years. Things that were mentioned by more than one interviewee: love for their gardens and nature, chastity as the most overrated virtue, George Sand as the historical figure they relate with. Also, why does Julie Andrews hate her nose so much?? That was weird.
I added the link to the original article in VF below the names (they include recent pictures or caricatures of each star):

OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND
Original article in VF

What is your greatest fear?
The loss of physical, financial, and psychological independence.

Which living person do you most admire?
Nelson Mandela.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Champagne.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Change “is” to “are” and the answer is my two children.

When and where were you happiest?
In their company, each of us doing his/her own thing in perfect harmony.

Which talent would you most like to have?
The gift of coolheadedness or the ability to tap-dance.

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
To have my son alive again, happy, healthy, and engaged in the work he loved most.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
Person: as me, myself, and I.

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
Thing: as a California redwood tree—tall, strong, deep-rooted, long-living, aromatic, benevolent, reaching toward the sun, the moon, and the stars.

What are your favorite names?
Alexandra and Alexis.

What is your most treasured possession?
The christening cup of Geoffrey Raoul de Havilland, given me by his mother after his death on September 27, 1946, while attempting to break the sound barrier in the DH-108, the de Havilland experimental plane.

What is your favorite occupation?
Doing cryptic crosswords or, equally, reading tales of mystery and imagination.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
Make that plural and the answer is clear-sightedness, humor, fairness, fidelity to purpose.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Thoughtfulness.

What is it that you most dislike?
The deception and exploitation of the naïve and defenseless.

How would you like to die?
I would prefer to live forever in perfect health, but if I must at some time leave this life I would like to do so ensconced on a chaise longue, perfumed, wearing a velvet robe and pearl earrings, with a flute of champagne beside me and having just discovered the answer to the last problem in a British cryptic crossword.

What is your motto?
“Dominus Fortissima Turris.” (Variously translated as “God is the strongest tower” or “God is my tower of strength.”)

JOAN FONTAINE
Original article in VF

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Working in my garden while my five A.S.P.C.A. dogs smell the roses … or water them.


What is your greatest fear?
As I lost my Brentwood, California, house and its contents in a firestorm in 1964, I fear the same might happen to Villa Fontana.


Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Eleanor of Aquitaine, as she was my all-time favorite role, in The Lion in Winter, and which gave me the best reviews of my career.


What is your greatest extravagance?
Buying a car just for my canines.


What is your favorite journey?
Portofino to Capri.


What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Virginity.


On what occasion do you lie?
When being tactful … or evasive.


Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Ah!”


What or who is the greatest love of your life?
The English language.


What is your current state of mind?
Contentment.


If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Recklessness.


What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Impulsiveness.


What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Gossiping, denigration, chitchat, disloyalty.


What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Peace and tranquillity.


What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Losing a child.


What is your most treasured possession?
My house and its three acres of gardens, in the woods.


What is your most marked characteristic?
Independence, sense of humor.


What is the quality you most like in a man?
Knowledge and respect, affection without demands.


What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Intellect, honesty, openness, loyalty.


Who are your favorite writers?
Du Maurier, Shakespeare, Dickens, the Brontës, Gwendolyn Brooks.


Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
D’Artagnan, from The Three Musketeers, who taught me some things were going on in Milady’s boudoir. My mother, when I questioned her at 10 years old, said, “You’ll have to ask someone else.”


Who are your heroes in real life?
Winston Churchill. Alas, no “greats” today, except Mother Teresa.


If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
Me again. “Get it right this time!”


What is it that you most dislike?
Noise.


How would you like to die?
In bed—alone.


What is your motto?
“Free at last!”

JULIE ANDREWS
Original article in VF

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Can I get back to you on that?

What is your greatest fear?
Fear!

What is your most marked characteristic?
I bet you thought I was going to say my nose.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I interrupt too much.

Which living person do you most despise?
’enry ’iggins!

What is your greatest extravagance?
Flowers.

What is your current state of mind?
Hopeful.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Chastity.

On what occasion do you lie?
Occasionally. If I feel it’s kinder than the truth.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
My nose.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
Intelligence and a sense of humor.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
A sense of humor and intelligence.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Do you know what I mean?” or “Are you all right?”

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My family.

When and where were you happiest?
In London. When Blake [Edwards, her husband since 1969] made me laugh so much I wept. Blake says I slept with a smile.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My nose.

Which talent would you most like to have?
Next time around, I plan to be a classical composer.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
The miracle of giving birth.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
A meadowlark.

Where would you like to live?
Where there are meadowlarks.

What is your most treasured possession?
Family photographs.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Being without hope.

What is your favorite occupation?
Pottering in my garden.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Charlie Brown.

What are your favorite names?
Those of my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

What is it that you most dislike?
Poverty, hunger, unhappiness.

How would you like to die?
Peacefully—holding my mate.

What is your motto?
“When in doubt, stand still."

JANE FONDA
Original article in VF

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being totally present and at peace in the moment—and knowing that my children and grandchildren are all right.

What is your greatest fear?
That we won’t act fast enough to save the planet.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
The tendency to withdraw into myself.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Cynicism.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Buying large trees to place around my ranch house. (I am too old for saplings.)

What is your current state of mind?
Acceptance.

On what occasion do you lie?
When the truth will serve no purpose and only hurt.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
My naked self in an overhead light.

Which living person do you most despise?
Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Kissinger—just about equally—for their cynicism and disdain for life.

What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My children and grandchildren.

When and where were you happiest?
Hiking to the top of a 14,000-foot mountain.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My inability to have a long-term intimate relationship.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Never settling for what is, but striving for “What if … ?”

Where would you like to live?
Right where I am.

What is your most treasured possession?
My ranch and its ever changing wildness.

What is your favorite occupation?
Mountain climbing.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Being down to earth.

Who are your favorite writers?
Proust, Shakespeare.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Abraham Lincoln.

What is it that you most dislike?
A lack of compassion.

What is your greatest regret?
Regrets are a waste of time except as things to learn from.

Which talent would you most like to have?
To be able to sing.

How would you like to die?
In my home, in bed, surrounded by my family. I can see it all quite clearly, and I am not afraid of it.

What is your motto?
“It’s better to be interested than interesting.”

TONY CURTIS
Original article in VF

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Top billing.


What is your greatest fear?
People might not remember me.


What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Forgetting people’s gifts.


What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Bad breath.


Which living person do you most admire?
Arnold Schwarzenegger.


What is your current state of mind?
There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun.


What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Saying hello.


On what occasion do you lie?
When it looks like I’m in trouble.


What do you dislike most about your appearance?
Not much.


What is the quality you most like in a man?
Good nature.


What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Voluptuousness.


Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Thanks a lot,” whether I mean it or not.


What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My wife, Jillie.


Which talent would you most like to have?
That of a brain surgeon.


If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d be three inches taller.


What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Being unique.


If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
The son of Ali Baba.


What is your most treasured possession?
An excellent mind, good health, and a pair of legs to run.


What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
To lose one’s brother.


What is your favorite occupation?
Acting in the movies.


What is your most marked characteristic?
My charm and intelligence.


Who are your favorite writers?
Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Charles Schulz.


Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Tarzan.


Which historical figure do you most identify with?
The Medici prince.


Who are your heroes in real life?
Drug enforcers.


What is it that you most dislike?
Bullshit.


What is your greatest regret?
That I never had a regular education.


How would you like to die?
Alone.


What is your motto?
“Fuck ‘em and feed ‘em fish.”

CATHERINE DENEUVE
Read the original article in VF

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
George Sand.


Which living person do you most admire?
Aung San Suu Kyi.


What is your greatest fear?
The war.


What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Having too many things on my mind at the same time.


What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Inconsistency.


What is your greatest extravagance?
Spending all my money when I was 17 years old to buy an Hermès Kelly bag.


What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Beauty.


What do you dislike most about your appearance?
My left ear.


Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Je ne finis pas mes phrases. [I do not finish my sentences.]


What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Nature.


Which talent would you most like to have?
The gift of a scientific mind.


What is your current state of mind?
Restless.


If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My future.


If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
Nothing.


What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A wild garden.


If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
A lime tree.


What is your most treasured possession?
Lucidity.


What is your favorite occupation?
Playing in the garden.


What is your most marked characteristic?
Impassivity.


What is the quality you most like in a man?
Fantasy and talent.


What do you most value in your friends?
Uniqueness.


Who are your favorite writers?
Rainer Maria Rilke.


Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Mandrake the Magician.


What is it that you most dislike?
Insects.


How would you like to die?
In my sleep or standing.


What is your motto?
“À coeur vaillant, rien d’impossible.” [With a valiant heart, nothing is impossible.]

SHIRLEY MACLAINE
Original article in VF

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Searching for it.

What is your greatest fear?
The violence of enlightenment.

Which living person do you most admire?
The people who work with and for me.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
My impatience, which can cause me to be really caustic and rude.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Same. We detest in others what we detest in ourselves.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Monogamy.

On what occasion do you lie?
When I eat sugar and say it doesn't matter.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
My bloated stomach after eating sugar.

What is your greatest regret?
Not spending more time with my daughter when I was working.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My dog Terry. All of nature.

Which talent would you most like to have?
Being patient with people who have no work ethic. Maybe they have something to teach me.

What is your current state of mind?
Content, but discontent with the leadership worldwide.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Being able to do nothing.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
The way I think.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
A zillionaire who gives away all his money. Yes, I would like to come back as a rich man who would live without corruption, respect nature, women, and small, insignificant things.

What is your most treasured possession?
Two necklaces from my Santiago de Compostela Camino. All of my animals.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Prison.

Where would you like to live?
Wherever I am with Terry, but not in a confined space. New Mexico is fine for me.

What is your most marked characteristic?
My humorous cynicism.

Who are your favorite writers?
Those who tell the truth about themselves.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
I don't read fiction. My life is fiction.

Who are your heroes in real life?
Those who are optimistic through pain. I am a physical pussy unless I'm dancing or working out.

What is it that you most dislike?
People who don't care about themselves.

What is your motto?
"I am part of God in Light."
 

LUISE RAINER
Original article in VF

What is your current state of mind?
I have never had a current state of mind. My mind changes a great deal. I am very affected by any sorrow or sad thing, and I am very affected by joy and beauty.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
First of all, to be in love. The second way of being very happy is to be able to get the best out of yourself, whatever it is.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
One can be more than once in love—that’s the most important thing. The great loves of my life are my husband of 45 years, my daughter, and my first husband. These were my three great loves, but I’ve had other ones in between. They might not have been as great, but how can you weigh love? You cannot put it on a scale.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
To strive to get the best out of himself.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
An inner and outer elegance.

Which living person do you most admire?
Mandela. Also, artists and painters. I admire people who are creative.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Mountain climbing.

When and where were you happiest?
In the mountains, climbing into beautiful places—anything that has to do with nature. I feel best in nature or near nature. And I was most happy, of course, when I was with my husband and we were in beautiful landscapes.

On what occasion do you lie?
I lie sometimes to cover up whatever it is that needs to be covered up. I do not want to sound grandiose, but I sometimes feel I want to agree to make the questioner happy. But not often.

What is your greatest fear?
To be abandoned.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
My inferiority complex.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
To be dishonest. Sometimes people have to be dishonest in order not to hurt, but if someone is basically dishonest, that is a different matter.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
To know yourself is very difficult, and I cannot answer questions like this. I am not on an analyst’s sofa!

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
One of the many I admire is [19th-century female French novelist] George Sand.

What is your greatest regret?
My greatest regret is that I have not given out much, much more, because inside me there is much, much more that I would have liked to give. It sounds arrogant, but it is the truth: I do not feel I have given out even part of what I can give out.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I could say such and such a film or something, but I can also say that it has been to overcome situations that would make me unhappy. Or to have the important things in life. To have the value of not losing perspective, and keeping a sense of humor.