Summary. DVD commentary. Catch-22 1970. David Nichols, Steven Soderbergh.

recorded in 2001

people got nervous, thought sound was off

David Watkin, 'terrific DP', 'great DP', 'very funny man'

2PM to 3PM, only time shooting

the entire landing strip, built for the film

the first scene, push-in, on a ramp

'If he doesn't say yes, we kill him.', strong support of Louis B. Mayor

many people never know, one who stabs, who she is

the first flash-back, intended the film to be a fever-dream, deliberate confusion about which occurs when

at the table, part faithful to the book

Jack Gilford, what is known as synergy, privatisation of things which became?

removal of extra, became to have quality of dream

long-take, stopped, since Silkwood

'amazing shot', the end of runaway, the longest lense available, violating every rule in aircraft

how to shoot, cockpit(?), 'Where's the pilot?'

only 2:15PM, no other possibility

split di-opter shot, Buck Henry's theory, comedy should not be back-lit.

Soderbergh, 'one of the best photographed movie I've ever seen'

airplane burning, already burning, blew the plane

Jon Voight, confusion, before or after Midnight Cowboy?

Martin Balsam

front projection, long-take, made difficult

Grodin, 'so funny' screen test for the Graduate, no job, too much of an average guy

camera on rubber band, bouncing, 'last phase' of production, after Rome

sacrificed clarity in order to obtain style, quality of dream, unintentional

very noisy, actors who are screaming

McCabe who is shaking camera

"people" say, 'help who? help him? i'm all right.', memorable

Alan Arkin, feeling of 'little guy caught in the middle', inexpressiveness

impact of novel, 1951, WWII, supposedly 'good war', 'clear war', 'just war', Soderbergh's opinion, 'remarkable'

full frontal nudity, the first?, Blow-Up, Ecstasy, before Hays Code, the only thing "everybody" knows about the film

dream sequence, written by Buck Henry

Anthony Perkins, synonyms of vagina

the set was built as a real house, 'We were crazy.'

screaming, transition, deliberate transitions (later)

Norman Fell, Rooselvelt arrow Churchill arrow Stalin, Hartman, suffered by boredom, Soderbergh, Invasion from Mars (?)

Paula Prentiss, pile of food, nap of 10 mins., 'eccentric', 'utterly beloved'

Buck Henry, was given a part because, 'felt like it'

Bob Balaaban, bell-boy at Plaza Hotel, one review, resembles Art Garfunkel

Martin Balsam on toilet, Louis B. Mayer and Elizabeth Taylor, when she was twelve, deliberate

Col. burns his clothes after defecating, removed

transition, 'kick him in the ball', cups for protection

Buck, felt like being in service, 'do nothing' and talk woman

Mike Nichols, very happy during shooting

complaint because long wait, ate nothing but Conk(?)

just like army, 'bitching' became an art form

Welles, 'are you sure you want to do a line like that?', Austin, 'Yes.'

Welles, wore uniform when not working

Susanne Benton , 'a lot of' padding, very hard to look sexy in her uniform

Richard Benjamin, behave as Mike Nichols behaves around Orson Welles

Art Garfunkel, 'feels like a baby'

Welles, no patience, 'read that again', Nichols intimidated, his status

Art Garfunkel, NIchols fet that he was suitable

Rome, tanks plastic, one man can carry one tank, hysteria, Germans returned

Peter Bonertz, waited two months, one scene

///?, none of crew, who runs Paramount?, not Evans, want to build Rome, practical joke

Thus Spoke Zarathustra, the only score, was 'begged' not to do it, tasteless and vulgar, could not resist

Buck, policeman, traffic

transition, vehicles

tires painted white

Orson Welles and Peter Bogdanovich, 'perpetually' interviewing, 'mike in his face' (annoying), girlfriend, sculptress, certain type of material, later Mrs. Welles

front projection, except for Kubrick

Welles had Nichols build plat-form, 'just cut back.', 'people won't worry about that.'

Leni Riefenstehel shot

2PM, 'all the time', can't 'get away' with it now, 'We were crazy.'

long pause

'you're very weird person.', imitation done by Nichols, Buck

first experience of shooting in trans.

Mike Nichol's work is usually 'character based', Nichols, never considered, 'not my kind of movie', no 'personal thing', no 'underneath'

statue and tomato, long take, 'infinitely complex'

death of Hungry Joe, Alan McCabe, holding a piece of screen, plane crashed, flew past mountain, dust exploded

tree in the background

Italian actress, 'big deal' in art movies, memorised in phonetic

just after released, MASH 1970 released, screenplay bad, Altman transformed it (in his usual way), compared with it many times

Marcel Dalio, the only time, crew applauded, Garfunkel, impressed and ready to do whatever he was told, filmed in Rome

to make it more emotional, could have, score, more 'accessible' actor, half of the budget spent

confusion about who was running Paramount

'holding' on one person, Carnal Knowledge

start, loneliness, separation from each other, Day for Night

dream scene, Buck Henry, 'audience lost their bearings', the story about Robert Frost, one can't explain it, either 'buy' it or not

William Dunn, Elizabeth Wilson, Arkin paralysed, only moving eyes, Soderbergh, 'disturbing'

sequence, building exploded in effect, while dialogue, Watkins, 'I'm doing something rather daring', light it only with explosion, Buck Henry, 'there goes the bomb dump.', 'We were crazy.', 'like all innovators', got a lot of 'shit' for it

Nichols, 'movie don't like good taste'

fight, Arkin and Nichols, screaming and soft-talking

long dolly-shot, Porky, dolly-grip, Buck Henry's line, 'They don't need the money./Then they will understand.'

John Huston, The Kremlin Letter 1970, also Rome, placing gambling bet in trailer, 'truly relaxed', Nichols met Fellini

Gordin, 'creepy', running on stairs, Truffaut, circle and corner, Cinécittà

Buck Henry's acting, different

'Don't fuck with me. I've got fifth largest Air Force in the world.'

more clarity, who stabbed Yosarian

abdominal organs, gasps in theater, didn't horrify during filming

visit by John Wayne, landing strip, Nicols and Buck, didn't greet, regret

Welles, make it himself, Nichols, read 20-'odd' years later