Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffries

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BobCooper
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Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffries

Post by BobCooper »

Here is Part 2 of my Bob Engels interview!

http://www.alternativenation.net/?p=52999
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Agent Sam Stanley
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

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That's really cool. Thanks for doing this and sharing with us :)
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LostInTheMovies
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

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Enjoyed reading this, especially the observations about the TV business. Surprised to hear him say no more films were planned - I thought I'd heard him specifically say otherwise in other interviews!

Interesting too that there's still not much talk about what actually made it into the film or anything about Laura Palmer! I'd love to pick his brain on those topics...
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LostInTheMovies
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

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Enjoyed reading this, especially the observations about the TV business. Surprised to hear him say no more films were planned - I thought I'd heard him specifically say otherwise in other interviews!

Interesting too that there's still not much talk about what actually made it into the film or anything about Laura Palmer! I'd love to pick his brain on those topics...

And as for the boos, he said the same thing at USC. But Roger Ebert (who was also at the Cannes screening, or a Cannes screening, on the film) reported that the film was booed in a '92 article, and others have claimed this as well. Honestly, though, I think that's partly a French-audience thing, maybe even just a Cannes thing. L'Avventura was also jeered (driving Antonioni to tears in '60) as were several other classics which fail to come to mind at the moment. Supposedly Wild at Heart was met with both appleause AND boos, even though it won the Palme d'Or! Cannes festivalgoers just like booing I guess...
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Agent Sam Stanley
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

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LostInTheMovies wrote:Surprised to hear him say no more films were planned - I thought I'd heard him specifically say otherwise in other interviews!
Yeah, also surprised that the nurse cliffhanger was made with nothing else in mind to continue that story. Why bother to place a cliffhanger then? It could've had ended with the ring in Annie's finger, indicating she'd be the next BOB/Lodge victim and Cooper now controlled by his doppelganger/BOB would eventually get her. And the real Cooper would be stuck forever in the Lodge, hanging out with LMFAP and Laura (that would make his dream on Episode 2 a premonition of his fate).
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Ross
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

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LostInTheMovies wrote:Enjoyed reading this, especially the observations about the TV business. Surprised to hear him say no more films were planned - I thought I'd heard him specifically say otherwise in other interviews!
Well, Bob's memory certainly seems pretty fuzzy on some of the subjects (which is understandable!!). And you're right, he actually did say in interviews (from when the film came out) that more films could happen. But in more recent years he's been saying the opposite. And Lynch's 3 pic deal with Ciby (which they pulled out of after FWWM bombed), was said to "probably include another TP film if FWWM is successful". Also, Chris Issak mentioned (also at the the time when the movie was coming out), that the next film would probably focus on the Desmond/Jeffries mysteries. So who knows... I think they probably thought it was a real possibility until FWWM didn't do well. Maybe nothing concrete, but still a thought that they might do it.

The most surprising thing in the article(s) to me was that Bob hasn't watched FWWM since the Cannes premiere! Really?
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Agent Sam Stanley
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

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Ross wrote: The most surprising thing in the article(s) to me was that Bob hasn't watched FWWM since the Cannes premiere! Really?
Yeah, pretty odd.
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

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Ross wrote:
LostInTheMovies wrote:Enjoyed reading this, especially the observations about the TV business. Surprised to hear him say no more films were planned - I thought I'd heard him specifically say otherwise in other interviews!
And Lynch's 3 pic deal with Ciby (which they pulled out of after FWWM bombed), was said to "probably include another TP film if FWWM is successful"
Did they pull out of that? I always thought it was fulfilled, as Lost Highway and The Straight Story were Ciby-2000 productions. I know Lynch sued them in 1997 or '98, but maybe they agreed to finance The Straight Story as part of the settlement.
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

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fearltd wrote:
Ross wrote:
LostInTheMovies wrote:Enjoyed reading this, especially the observations about the TV business. Surprised to hear him say no more films were planned - I thought I'd heard him specifically say otherwise in other interviews!
And Lynch's 3 pic deal with Ciby (which they pulled out of after FWWM bombed), was said to "probably include another TP film if FWWM is successful"
Did they pull out of that? I always thought it was fulfilled, as Lost Highway and The Straight Story were Ciby-2000 productions. I know Lynch sued them in 1997 or '98, but maybe they agreed to finance The Straight Story as part of the settlement.
Hmmm... That's interesting. I hadn't realized that The Straight Story was Ciby. I know Lynch sued the company for breach of contract and won. Maybe it was a 4 picture deal and they only made 3? Or as you say, maybe financing The Straight Story was part of the settlement? Anyone know?
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

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By Dana Harris
The Hollywood Reporter,
Tuesday, August 18, 1998

In one of the largest judgments ever given to a director for breach of a "pay or play" agreement, a U.S. District Court has awarded David Lynch more than $6.5 million over French film company CIBY 2000's failure to finance three films.

Lynch and CIBY division Three Picture Prods. made a three-picture deal in 1993, but only one of those films, "Lost Highway," was produced. The remaining two pictures were to have been financed at $30 million total, with Lynch receiving $3 million in compensation for the first picture and $3.5 million for the second.

On Nov. 5, CIBY claimed that their contract with Lynch was nullified by his failure to meet a deadline, but the plaintiffs said that late CIBY founder Francis Bouygues had previously waived that requirement in writing. On Nov. 10, Lynch filed his lawsuit claiming that CIBY was liable for "at least $6.5 million in compensation along with consequential damages caused by its years of deception and breach."

"This is a great victory not just for David but for all directors," Lynch attorney George Hedges said. "What the court has said is that companies have to honor their production commitments."

A Los Angeles Superior Court came to a similar conclusion last month when a jury trial resulted in filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and his producing partner, Fred Fuchs, winning $60 million in punitive and $20 million in compensatory damages in their suit against Warner Bros. The studio was found liable for interfering with Coppola's efforts to make a live-action feature of "Pinocchio" for Columbia Pictures. Warner Bros. said it plans to appeal.

Lynch's lawsuit, which was filed in November, also claimed fraud and intentional interference and requested punitive damages against other defendants, including construction giant Bouygues, CIBY 2000's parent company. Trial on those claims is expected by the end of the year.

"This is Round 1 and we still have Round 2 to go," Lynch attorney John Meigs Jr. said. "In the Coppola trial, $60 million was a percentage of net value for (Warner Bros.). Bouygues is worth billions, so the potential is high."

While CIBY 2000 has curtailed its production activities, Bouygues remains one of Europe's largest construction firms.
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

Post by FormicaTable »

Thanks for posting this interview. One big takeaway: we as fans cling more to details than the some of the actual creators do. At the time, they're in their element and being creative, but are they thinking that fans will still be pouring over details about the film and script over 20 years later? No. And as a result, sometimes they just don't remember, things get fuzzy, etc. I can't tell you how many times I've watched a movie with a commentary, and the participants start debating amongst themselves certain details, what happened, didn't happen, etc. I suspect Lynch remembers more because it's his baby, but he'll never tell you the meaning or reasons behind anything.

Also very surprised that Engels hasn't watched the movie since Cannes. Kind of shocking, really.
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

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LostInTheMovies wrote:And as for the boos, he said the same thing at USC. But Roger Ebert (who was also at the Cannes screening, or a Cannes screening, on the film) reported that the film was booed in a '92 article, and others have claimed this as well.
I'd love to read where Roger Ebert reported the booing. My issue is always been that I read it was booed, but no one ever has a source of the comment.
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

Post by jlyon1515 »

Ahh, here is a snippet of the beginning of his review:
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4111817.html
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

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jlyon1515 wrote:Ahh, here is a snippet of the beginning of his review:
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4111817.html
"Shockingly bad"! Sometimes Ebert got it really wrong (as he did with Blue Velvet). I'll never understand how his opinion of Lynch flipped so suddenly when Mulholland Dr. came out.
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Agent Sam Stanley
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Re: Bob Engels Interview Pt. 2: Story Behind Phillip Jeffrie

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"Siskel and Ebert hated, one more reason to go see Lost Highway"

Gotta love Lynch :lol:
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