Director Daniel Minahan, known for his work on acclaimed series like Game of Thrones, joins fellow director Mary Harron to discuss his latest film, On Swift Horses. They explore how gambling serves as a metaphor for queerness and its impact on the characters' relationships. The duo also dives into the meticulous choreography behind intimacy scenes, sheds light on societal changes of 1950s America, and reflects on audience reactions. Their insights reveal the intricate blending of personal struggle and broader cultural themes within the film.
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insights INSIGHT
1950s Repressive Society Insight
The film highlights 1956-57 America, a transition period before the 60s societal changes.
It showcases a repressive environment where homosexuality was illegal and women lacked financial independence.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Choreographing Intimacy Scenes
Intimacy scenes were carefully rehearsed with consent and actor input guiding choreography.
The filming environment encouraged spontaneity and laughter, making scenes both safe and fun.
insights INSIGHT
Love Beyond Labels
The film explores love beyond sexual labels, emphasizing deep, undefinable connections.
Julius and Muriel's bond transcends conventional understanding and terminology.
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Published in 1956, 'Peyton Place' by Grace Metalious is a vivid portrait of life in a small, conservative New England town. The story revolves around three central characters: Constance MacKenzie, her daughter Allison, and their friend Selena Cross. Each woman harbors significant secrets, and their lives intertwine in unexpected ways, revealing themes of hypocrisy, social inequities, class privilege, and the darker aspects of human nature. The novel explores issues such as incest, abortion, adultery, and murder, challenging the social norms of the era and providing a stark look at the lives of the town's residents.
On the Road
Jack Kerouac
Written in a style of spontaneous prose, 'On the Road' is a semi-autobiographical novel that follows the travels of Sal Paradise and his friend Dean Moriarty across America. The book captures the spirit of the post-war Beat Generation, embracing a lifestyle of freedom, jazz, and rebellion against societal norms. It has become a defining work of American counterculture.
Director Daniel Minahan discusses his new film, On Swift Horses, with fellow Director Mary Harron in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses establishing the 1950s time period while avoiding tropes from other films set in the 50s, utilizing gambling as a metaphor for queerness within the film’s language, and the choreography and rehearsal that went into creating the intimacy scenes.
The film tells the story of Muriel and Lee, who leave their Kansas home to start a family and a new life in San Diego. But their plans are upended by the arrival of Lee’s brother Julius, a wayward gambler with a secret past who draws Muriel down a new and dangerous path.