Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Steven Soderbergh

As promised, an introduction to Steven Soderbergh's many talents:

• Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese and Peter Jackson may be more celebrated filmmakers, but my argument here, is that Steven Soderbergh is much more important than them now and for many reasons. He is also a chameleon, blending into several landscapes.

• Director Steven Gaghan (Traffic) refers to Soderbergh as ‘the Michael Jordan of filmmaking.’Here’s why: he’s one of the first to shoot his movies on tape, later he shot with digital technology; he’s released one movie directly on the Internet. For his upcoming movie, Catherine Zeta-Jones will start in a 3-D live action rock musical based on Cleopatra.

• Che, for reasons I’ve outlined in my blog (http://peterspovblog.blogspot.com/), is one of those epics that only comes along every generation or so: two different movies: both stylistically and from a narrative point of view. (A reminder: another great movie featuring Che is on DVD: Motorcycle Diaries. If u get a chance, screen it before watching Che.)

• Soderbergh, as a director, is responsible for several significant movies, notably The Good German (2006), Traffic (2000) and Erin Brockovich (2000) For both 2000 movies, he was nominated as Best Director for two different films, the only time in the history of the Oscars.

• Images and music scoring dominate in his movies. You’ll see in Che, where the subtitles are for the most part unnecessary. He loves style, and at time at the cost of story. But be patient. This is great filmmaking craft at work.

• Soderbergh, as producer/executive producer, has got several other directors’ gutsy movies made: Todd Haynes’ experimental Bob Dylan portrait: I’m Not There; Tony Gilroy’s Michael Clayton; Steven Gaghan’s Syriana; George Clooney’s two interesting outings as a director: Good Night and Good Luck (2005) and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), Gary Ross’s Pleasantville.

• Soderbergh, as a cinematographer has shot many of his own and others’ movies: Che, The Good German, Ocean Thirteen, Traffic. The list is endless and for me, difficult to imagine. As well as handling the set, he has a monumental physical job of handling all that camera + lighting gear as well. When shooting, he’s credited as Peter Andrews (his father’s given names.)

• Soderbergh, as an editor, has cut a lot of his own stuff too: The Good German etc. As an editor, he works under the pseudonym of Mary Ann Bernard (his mother’s maiden name.) This techie wizardry both impresses me, and tells much of why Soderbergh succeeds. He understands digitalized filmmaking, has mastered the below-the-line skill sets able to make movies more cheaply and quicker.

• If u want to hear him thinking out loud, he did a terrific audio commentary for The Third Man that I recently listened to, in connection with Orson Welles. Or go on Youtube:
• http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=soderbergh&aq=f

• There are 509 hits on YouTube. Listen to an intelligent moviemaker defending his movie in a roiling, hostile Q & A on Che: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_dhBaPD7wQ where he’s accused of making a movie about a mass murderer. Clearly Che will have a hard time iat the box office in America. In Latin America, I suspect it will make a fortune.

• The Soderbergh posse includes movie people I have a lot of time for: George Clooney (his partner and star in 6 Soderbergh movies); Benicio del Toro (who also starred in Traffic); Catherine Zeta Jones (also in Traffic); Julia Roberts (5 movies); Don Cheadle.

• Soderbergh tackles hardedge subjects: with Erin Brockovich, Julia Roberts, takes on big business; Traffic deal with the complexities of the drug trade; two other completed movies await release: The Informant stars Matt Damon, as Mark Whiteacre, the price-fixing snitch who ratted out Archer Daniels Midland.(Damon has a miniscule walk-on in Che). The Girlfriend Experience is about an Elliott Spitzer callgirl, starring porn star, Sasha Grey.
  

• Like Spielberg, Soderbergh’s one of the few, able to manoeuvre in Hollywood on his own terms: for the studios, he turns out big-budget profitable schlock: he’s directed all the Ocean Eleven franchises. And in return gets the studios to finance the movies, he insists on making.

• Soderbergh‘s always been on the cutting edge of new technology. I first noticed him when in 1989 he made Sex, Lies and Videotape (which won in Cannes in 1989). Full Frontal, an improvisational shoot, was also shot on digital. Che was shot with the red camera.

• He seems to love Montreal: has shot here several times.

Hope this helps you all enjoy Soderbergh’s Che.

peter