Roger Corman

by: Will Sloan

August 26, 2009 12:00 PM

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The phrase “living legend” gets tossed around a lot, but Roger Corman genuinely qualifies as one. The man has directed over 50 low-budget cult hits (including House of Usher, The Little Shop of Horrors and The Wild Angels), has produced literally hundreds more and wrote an autobiography aptly titled How I Made A Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime. Corman will be making a rare convention appearance this weekend (Aug. 28-30) at Fan Expo Canada. EYE WEEKLY recently spoke to Corman from his office at New Horizons Studios.

I’ve read that you are not a particularly nostalgic person, but events like the Fan Expo tend to take on a rather reflective, "lifetime achievement" tone. Do you find events like these frustrating?
It’s true that I am not a nostalgic person. I’m not someone who really spends a lot of time thinking about the past. However, when appearances like these come about I actually enjoy them. I do very little preparation for these appearances, and I find that during the Q&A sessions, people will begin with a familiar topic and take it in an interesting direction. They usually, almost always, start with the Poe films [including House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum]. Then Little Shop of Horrors, and then probably The Wild Angels and The Trip. And after that, it could be about anything, including, for example, people who began their careers at our studio.

Speaking of people who started their careers with you… it was interesting seeing you in the wedding scene in Jonathan Demme’s Rachel Getting Married.
[Laughs] Yes, yes. Originally there was a longer scene that was shot, but that was cut.

What do you think it is about the films you mentioned that has made them so lasting?
The Poe films, because they are period pieces, do not date. Watching films from the 1960s, you can see the types of cars or clothing and it becomes very dated, but because the Poe films are set in the 16th century, they do not have this effect. And I have profit participation in almost all my films, and I find that the Poe films are the ones that are most shown.

Something like The Wild Angels, though, is quite valuable as a time capsule.
Yes, that’s true. In fact, I had a long discussion with Jack Nicholson, who wrote The Trip, about what kind of language to use. He wanted to use a very neutral sort of language so that the film would not date. I said the language should include much of the vernacular of the time, because people watching it later would want to see how people spoke at the time the film was set.

Your company, New Horizons, is still very much active. How do you find operating an independent studio such as yours works in the current economic climate?
Theatrical distribution has pretty much faded. We still do some theatrical overseas, but almost none in North America. The DVD market has also slowed, and much of our distribution is through Video On Demand, which I am a true believer in. I think this will be very important for the future of independent filmmaking. We also continue to make a number of films for pay-TV. One of our next films for the Sci-Fi Channel is Dinocroc vs. Supergator.

This is a sequel to Dinocroc (2004)?
Yes, in fact, Dinocroc was the Sci-Fi Channel’s top-rated film of that year. And originally we were going to make Dinocroc 2, and — this shows that you can still learn at my age — the head of the Sci-Fi Channel said that when they show a film with “2” on the title, it doesn’t do well. So I said, “Oh, did I say Dinocroc 2? I meant Supergator!”

Let’s say I’m making a Roger Corman box set. What should I put in volume one?
I think I would start with several of the Poe films. Then I would include a science-fiction film like X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes — that was quite successful. Then probably The Intruder. And then… The Trip, even though the distributors made a lot of cuts to that film. A lot of the psychedelic imagery was cut, and so was a little bit of nudity and that still bothers me. But I would still include it.

You’re someone who has won a lot of lifetime achievement awards in recent years, from quite distinguished organizations like the Producers Guild. Do you still get called “The King of the Bs”?
[Laughs] Sometimes… I admit I’ve never really liked that term, but if people want to call me that, that’s their privilege!

Roger Corman will be appearing for an autograph session at Fan Expo Canada, Saturday (Aug. 29) 11am & 2pm; Sunday (Aug. 30), 2pm. Metro Convention Centre, 222 Bremner Blvd. $10-$25 from Ticketmaster or 416-870-8000. For more information, go to www.hobbystar.com/fanexpo.

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Roger Corman

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