A film director who refused to compromise with his craft
Times of India | 18 February 2025
123 Kolkata: One of the lessons that iconic German director Wim Wenders imparted to those who viewed his Palme d'Or-winning film, ‘Paris, Texas', at Sunday's Nandan screening was that even renowned filmmakers may be asked to alter their film's ending for distribution purposes. The greater lesson, however, lay in witnessing the master himself, who stood before the crowd without regret for refusing to compromise. Changing the ending would have meant betraying the truth of the film's protagonist.
Wenders, on the Kolkata leg of his ‘King of the Road' India tour, during the question-answer session spoke about the film's protagonist being played by American actor Harry Dean Stanton."When the film came out in America, it was bought by 20th Century Fox. They called me to talk about the release and said they were not quite sure how to market this film," he said, adding how they suggested that the film would have a life in America if one more shot was added at the end. But he refused. "They didn't do anything for the movie. They released it without a single ad. When I told Harry about it, he called me an idiot and said that was my chance… But if I did that, I would have to trade the truth of Harry's character. Harry was mad with me for years. In the end, he came to terms with it," Wenders said. He also spoke about how "America and Hollywood don't like creative people".
"His comment encourages artists to overcome their insecurities and avoid compromising their vision," said director Sohini Dasgupta."I am deeply moved by the cinephiles of Kolkata and the warmth with which they welcomed him. I am glad that Shivendra Singh Dungarpur's Film Heritage Foundation and Goethe Institute brought this event to Kolkata," said director Supriyo Sen
"The whole idea of the foundation is to bring back cinema culture the way we experienced. I am thrilled with the Kolkata response," said Dungarpur.
Kolkata: One of the lessons that iconic German director Wim Wenders imparted to those who viewed his Palme d'Or-winning film, ‘Paris, Texas', at Sunday's Nandan screening was that even renowned filmmakers may be asked to alter their film's ending for distribution purposes. The greater lesson, however, lay in witnessing the master himself, who stood before the crowd without regret for refusing to compromise. Changing the ending would have meant betraying the truth of the film's protagonist.
Wenders, on the Kolkata leg of his ‘King of the Road' India tour, during the question-answer session spoke about the film's protagonist being played by American actor Harry Dean Stanton."When the film came out in America, it was bought by 20th Century Fox. They called me to talk about the release and said they were not quite sure how to market this film," he said, adding how they suggested that the film would have a life in America if one more shot was added at the end. But he refused. "They didn't do anything for the movie. They released it without a single ad. When I told Harry about it, he called me an idiot and said that was my chance… But if I did that, I would have to trade the truth of Harry's character. Harry was mad with me for years. In the end, he came to terms with it," Wenders said. He also spoke about how "America and Hollywood don't like creative people".
"His comment encourages artists to overcome their insecurities and avoid compromising their vision," said director Sohini Dasgupta."I am deeply moved by the cinephiles of Kolkata and the warmth with which they welcomed him. I am glad that Shivendra Singh Dungarpur's Film Heritage Foundation and Goethe Institute brought this event to Kolkata," said director Supriyo Sen
"The whole idea of the foundation is to bring back cinema culture the way we experienced. I am thrilled with the Kolkata response," said Dungarpur.