Polish director rues Hollywood influence

Zanussi, who was here earlier this week to attend a film workshop organised by Jeevan Telecasting Corporation, was addressing mediapersons at Kerala Kalapeedom.

Zanussi, who started making films in the 60s, has got 30 films to his credit.Concerning the overwhelming influence of Hollywood movies on movies made elsewhere in the world, he said: “It is sad that movies in other countries, especially Brazil, are imitations of Hollywood movies. Unification of taste is happening around the world because of the overwhelming supremacy of Hollywood. But I’m confident that the pendulum would swing back once it reached the extreme end. Human beings areextremely unpredictable animals. We can spring a surprise for Hollywood one day.”

He said making films in the free East European nations had been made difficult with State funding, in vogue during the Communist days, having been considerably reduced. Thus, many like him were forced to make films for television.

“Earlier there was censorship by the bureaucracy; now money has taken over.” The priority area of nations like Poland is to establish diplomatic channels with other nations. “I am playing the role of cultural ambassador,” Zanussi said.

Zanussi, whose wife is a painter, said the “mafia of art critics” had taken over the portals of painting. They decide the worth of a painting.

Getting philosophical, Zanussi said pain was a great balancing factor. Today’s children seldom have to suffer or feel pain because there are painkillers for every disease. They are aggressive than their counterparts who live amidst pain and live the hard way.