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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| lane batot |
Posted - October 28 2011 : 4:33:22 PM
Okay, let me move on, although I'm sure we will revisit the topic uv "Zee Mann" throughout my ramblings--he was kinda around a lot....But as I'm sure the fans and other participants would likely be interested, I will take each of the VIPs, and relate my interactions/impressions(if any), and what better way to begin than with THE Star, Daniel Day Lewis. In actuality, I had very little interaction with him at all(sorry you big DDL fans....)--I mean, I saw him around every day, and certainly formed impressions, but our paths just didn't cross except(maybe) for a coupla brief moments.....But let me relate my impressions, at least. I have read some of the other thoughts by other participants, and I can concur similar impressions--he was TOTALLY focused, and WAS Hawkeye, by gosh, while we were filming. He seemed completely absorbed all the time--it must have been rather overwhelming, I should think--no matter what anyone else did or not, the success of the film DID rely on his performance the most, no doubt(although others might disagree). It is interesting that people regarded as peasant status on the set, or slightly above(yeomen, perhaps?) virtually all liked him very much and thought he was very respectful and considerate. Yet other Higher Stars found him aloof and too much into the "Method Acting"! All I ever saw of him was him being considerate and kind to people--just terribly focused--but little wonder! He had a lot on his shoulders. Perhaps we peasants realized that better and knew better than to interupt or interfere(or else!), whereas the 'higher-ups" wanted to converse and interact(other than scripted stuff), but he just didn't have time or energy for that--that's just an anthropological guess on my part. Strangely, I felt he WAS actually kinda shy in a way...To Be Continued..... |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| James N. |
Posted - October 30 2011 : 11:30:53 AM
I was privvy ( pun most DEFINITELY intended! ) to another and somewhat related instance of the class inequalities while working on Glory. We were filming the segment of the first skirmish between the 54th Mass. and the Rebels on Rose Dhu Island outside Savannah, Ga. on a very pleasant couple of days in late February with temperatures in the 70's. ( The scene we were filming was supposed to be in June outside Charleston! ) Wednesday night a cold front came through, dumping a few inches of SNOW, the first in Savannah in three years! It turned beastly COLD and I wondered exactly how they would finish the scenes of the battle and its aftermath under those conditions. When we arrived on the set, we found absolutely NO SNOW anywhere - the set crew had either covered the ground somehow, or cleared it off!
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That didn't keep the cold away however, and I'm glad it was that jerk Andre Braugher who had to lay on the cold ground all day "wounded". When "nature called" I felt in a pickle: we were supposed to use the usual porta-johns, but it was just TOO cold; besides, I was loaded down with the usual greatcoat and heavy uniform, sword, etc. I furtively went into one of the trailer toilets for the cast and crew which was nice and roomy and HEATED! After I got warmed up good I felt MUCH better; fortunately nobody said anything, and I think I worried too much because it was still early in the filming. |
| lane batot |
Posted - October 30 2011 : 09:50:46 AM
......one day during the filming of the Seige-Of-The-Fort, I was wandering around observing and poking about as a coureur de bois will, and I decided to check out the fort itself--a spy mission, but of course. Keep in mind there was virtually NO ONE "over" the coureur de bois, as there was the Indians, the military, and the settler Xtras at all times. Other Xtras who were on the set may be finding my freedom to wander about somewhat implausible, as virtually everyone else was strictly controlled. Just another reason I feel being a coureur de bois Xtra was THE BEST role on that film! For having fun, at least. But here I was, skulking about the fort(it was VERY impressive! Well, it WAS a fort! Not just a hollow prop!) and once at the fort, one was far, far from the forest edge, and the sanctuary the forest provided from the various production staff(by gosh, it was good to JUST GIT OUTTA sight sometimes!). And if one got any sudden natural urges(rare, thanks to whatever additive they were putting in the Xtras' food, as I discussed earlier....), one was forced to use whatever facilities they had set up for such--in this case, porta-johns, located just behind the fort away from anywhere where filming was going on, of course. Porta-johns NOT being appropriate for the background of the era(but then, neither are buses!). I disdained the use of the claustrophobic and, I'm told(I have zero sense of smell, as I mentioned on another thread--yet another case where that quirk comes in handy...) very smelly--NASTY, in other words. Keep in mind--HUNDREDS of Xtras and others utilizing these plastic, upright coffins to void in. The woods were HIGHLY preferable(in my humble, backwoods opinion), IF you could get to them in time. Which in this case, I could not. So, I gritted my teeth and was attending to business, which under the circumstances, for the same reasons alluded to on an earlier thread, took some time. Finally, at last, relief was realized, and I stumbled out of the receptacle as quickly as possible, in such a hurry to get to fresh air again, I was still in the process of adjusting my breech-clout(which is WAY handier than trousers for this, I must admit) when, to my shock and horror, I stepped right out in front of a ZOOMING car! Dang, what an EMBARRASSING way to cash-it-in! And on top of that, GUESS WHO was in the car? Yup, the STAR himself, Hawkeye Lewis!!! But he was being driven, of course, so in reality, it was not actually Daniel Day Lewis that almost ran over me coming out of the porta-john, but his driver. Which of course would have also made little difference to me under the circumstances. Only zee LAHTNINK reeflexes uv zee coureur de bois sah-ved moi lahf! I fell back into the porta-john BARELY a split second in time to keep from getting completely plowed under! As I looked to see who almost killed me, I saw Mister Lewis and his crazed driver(ALL the drivers were crazed--I think it was a job requirement...) LAUGHING THEIR ARSES off! Yeah, guys, very funny! Ha ha. As I finished adjusting my loin cloth. And well, it WAS very funny, of course, at least since I survived! Az zee eelooseev coureur de bois, wee moost bee rahdee too expekt zee dahnjer AHNEEWAIR, an ah doo meenz AHNEEWAIR! Eenglesh peeg! Yoo allmohst got mee thaht tahm! Butt zee nahxt tahm, ah weel look kharfoolie beefohr opeenink zee portah-shohn door! Theez anglais, they weel stoop to ahneetheeng to ween zee wahr! |
| IWLFNDU |
Posted - October 28 2011 : 5:52:49 PM
Lol...you're a hoot, Lane. Nothin' like a good old-fashioned stare down! Even if he WAS looking at a cloud, it's the principle that matters! You never can tell sometimes, so it' best to play it on the stare-down side. Bravo! 
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| lane batot |
Posted - October 28 2011 : 4:58:13 PM
...but I did(sorta) have a coupla interactions during the duration of the filming. One occurred at Massacre Valley--I think.....It was kinda strange, and I might be totally misinterpreting what actually occurred, but here it is(for what it's worth), and ONLY Daniel Day Lewis could verify this, IF it even occurred(other than in my mind), and if he would even remember such an insignificant thing. One day, after numerous massacre shots, while we were all standing around waiting for the next round, I was down on the main trail in front of the rest of the Indian Horde(and I say that with the greatest of affection!), watching the goings-on of the VIPs consulting with Zee Mann, etc. I was standing there in a perhaps belligerant-looking manner, legs spread, arms folded, kinda glaring at them--I was play-pretending in my mind what my (totally unimportant and insignificant and inevitably invisible!) character might be thinking in such a conflict, such as "EEngleesh peegz! You cahm to mah veelahj an keeled moi Abnaki woomahn an child, shot mah best tobaggahn chiens, an burned moi wigwam. Mon Dieu! Now yoo weel feel zee blade uv moi tomahawke!"--or some such prattle--you know, just trying to understand WHY anyone involved would wish to participate in such a brutal massacre. Though absorbed in my own thoughts, and not really directing them to anyone in particular, Daniel Day Lewis did an about-face, and SEEMED to be staring me down--he stood legs spread, arms folded, exactly as I was, and it looked like he was staring right at me. Or he might have been studying a neat cloud formation over my head--I'm really not sure....but JUST IN CASE, I felt I owed it to my character to, by gosh, NOT look away or appear to back down! And I knew, if it indeed was a staring contest, I had ALL the advantage--being totally unimportant and my attentions in no demand to anyone, whereas Mister Lewis couldn't possibly keep up the stare long without someone interrupting! But it went on awhile--a good five minutes or so(or that was a REALLY interesting cloud formation over my head!) But at last, yes, he was called away, and had to go, and zee coureur de bois was left een puzesh-ee-ahn uv zee feeld! Or not--I'm really not sure--we were a good 100 feet apart--kinda hard to see just what anyone's eyes are focusing on at that distance! So this could well be all in my imagination. Our confrontation at the fort, however, was all too real, and almost ended in one less Coureur De Bois for the film(not that it would ever have been noticed)....tbc..... |
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