Mr. Bueld, when we take a look at MANTA MANTA and then your recent movies…they seem to be, lets say “worlds apart”…
Well, that’s surely correct in terms of budgets and storylines…but then, the common thread between the movies is, let’s say, the lack of typical “good” taste… call them simple” entertainment, if you like…I remember some labels being put on my work, but I never heard anybody call my movies “sensitive” or “overly full of empathy and cosiness”…
We should also mention, that these movies gave some up-coming stars an opportunity to show their talents, e.g. I discovered Nena, way before she had her first hit record.
Til Schweiger had his first actor’s role in MANTA MANTA.
Benno Fuerman gained a great deal of popularity after he starred in UND TSCHUESS…well, right now, Fiona Horsey gets a lot of praise from the English press…
Personally I have more experiences in dealing with “femme fatales”, rather than with “drunken idiots in tuned-up cars”…that explains, why the plots of my new movies differ from the old ones…more than that, I’m in full charge of production, so there’s absolutely no need to compromise.
Let’s talk about “Sex and Punishment”…that seems to be the common theme of PENETRATION ANGST, LOVESICK-SICK LOVE and TWISTED SISTERS…how did that come about?
That’s probably rooted in my Catholic upbringing.
Nowadays “sex” is not a taboo any more….we have TV series like SEX IN THE CITY and literally dozens of talk shows in which every little, secret detail is revealed.
Today we watch commercial breaks around midnight and there’s more naked skin than there’s ever been, if we look at the past 50 years of Hollywood cinema…the porn industry is on the up-swing and speaking of “swing”, you hardly dare say you’re not a member of any “swingers club”…
Sex has become an integral part of everyday life. That’s why the presentation of sex has in a way lost its edge and tension…the risk is definitely gone.
I’m interested in the “fear of sex”…
In PENETRATION ANGST, the main actress consumes her sex partners with her vagina, while in LOVESICK – SICK LOVE, the main protagonist is so much afraid of “it” that he uses anaesthetics on his reluctant sex partner.
And finally TWISTED SISTERS presents us with the story of a psychopath, a female serial killer, whose victims are kinda lucky, if they only get castrated…
Hmmm, my movies should be big hits with the Vatican…they show what happens when people disobey the “commandments of chastity”….imagine, the “Pope’s favourite director”…every movie, a “must” for Catholic families…
…they may be a “little too sexy” , right.?
Very true, I’m putting the thrill back into sex…sex can be deadly and dangerous, but has its pleasant aspects also…you may have experienced just that…and these aspects are part of my movies as well…
It’s the danger and “the forbidden territory”, which brings us thrills, at least on the screen…nothing could be more boring than a lucky couple having sex…
For more than a thousand years, sex - in its various forms - has been an integral part of art, only to be neglected in everyday movies until today, giving way to the vast field of dull hardcore productions.
How come there aren’t any “real” sex scenes in your movies?
You wouldn’t use sharp ammunition in a gunfight sequence to create “real” death scenes, would you?!
I work with actors who know their trades…they know how to act whatever mood or emotion is required, be it ecstatic orgasms, the pains caused by knife attacks or the sheer excitement / enthusiasm of winning a lottery jack-pot…they just wouldn’t agree to go “too far”…and I wouldn’t want to see the desperate attempts of an actor, trying to get an erection.
In my view, sexual intimations are a lot more sensual than the actual display of a sex-act. I like the tension created by the interplay between actors and their roles and we shouldn’t forget, that real sex scenes aren’t new and provocative any more and more than that, no guarantee for commercial success…just look at the “success” of movies like 9 SONGS or THE BROWN BUNNY…
The whole genre of Hardcore porn is pretty boring in my view, to me even worse than the so-called “”Neue Deutsche Film”.
There are very limited possibilities to create a great storyline, beside the rather dull and un-aesthetic gymnastics and close-ups.
It’s almost impossible to combine Hardcore with a decent plot due to the requirements it has to fulfil…one hand on the remote-control, the other on….
Why have you just recently started producing your own movies?
I’ve been playing around with the ideas since the 70ies, yet unable to put up the money required to realize such any of those ideas.
But looking back on it now I’m rather glad it turned out that way….imagine the dilemma to start a career with a “masterpiece”, which overshadows the entire artistic life…
I’ve gained more experience from movie to movie and by doing so I had a chance to get better with every new production…I’ve learned to use the rather limited financial resources to the maximum effect and even a pretty “trashy” product like DER TRIP had a positive effect. It revealed that there’s no other way than to become my own producer.
I have total control over the entire production due to the possibilities of DV-techniques, which helps to keep the costs rather low. I started my career as an independent film-maker with PENETRATION ANGST at the age of 50, which also meant the beginning of a new life for me…
Please, give us a few details on how you do your movies!
I usually work with a team of actors and crew from England and Germany, my right-hand man being camera expert Uwe Bohrer. Since I don’t do “Underground” or “Experimental” movies the cast of characters and set-up is pretty similar to a commercial film production, the one and only difference being the amount of actors and staff that are involved.
I get the job done with 10 professionals and that’s it!
Everybody’s highly motivated and creative, that’s why we’re lucky to produce a full movie with a budget that would hardly amount to pay for the catering of an everyday TV-production.
We work according to the script, though the actors are given some freedom to improvise and change little bits here and there.
Let’s speak about Fiona Horsey, who acts the main role in every film…
Well, take a look at Josef von Sternberg’s output, who is a great idol of mine. Though you probably wouldn’t assume just that from looking at my movies…
Anyway, his best seven sound motion pictures featured his favourite actress Marlene Dietrich, so there you go…
I call Fiona the lucky chance of my career, my Marlene. She’s very attractive, highly talented and comes from a Catholic upbringing, just like me…
A saint down the road of sin, a nun with the talent to act as a whore …
Any comments on distribution and marketing strategies?
All in all there’s, even on national level, only a limited range of cinemas that show my movies.
That’s more or less due to the fact that commercial venues are programmed to show the “blockbusters of the day”, which usually start with 1000 copies or more, nationwide, while
the standard independent venues won’t show my films, because they don’t fit into their programs and wouldn’t do too well with their usual clientele, housewives past 40, students and so on…
But the main market is, no doubt about it, the DVD market.
Way back in 1968, Edgar Reitz said that people would buy movies like records or books.
That exactly is the situation today. The DVD is the ultimate medium for independent products. You can be your own “program director” for the price of two movie tickets plus popcorn.
My movies are in English and we’ll be able to offer worldwide distribution soon, the next step being paid downloads straight to your home media centre…
All that doesn’t make me a millionaire, but it pays the dues and guarantees the next production.
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