Melinda Camber Porter in Conversation with Wim Wenders
On Film Set of Paris Texas 1983
by Melinda Camber Porter and Wim Wenders
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Pub Date 9 Nov 2016 | Archive Date 5 Sep 2017
Description
Melinda Camber Porter In Conversation With Wim Wenders
On Film Set of Paris Texas 1983
AudioBook - Just released on Amazon!
Volume 1, Number 3:
Hardcover: (ISBN: 978-1-942231-45-5), 8½x11, 68p, illus., index, May 2016.
AudioBook: (ISBN: 978-1-942231-18-9), August 2017.
Dive Into the filmmaking process of Wim Wenders, with this in-depth interview conducted on location during the filming of Paris, Texas: Melinda Camber Porter in Conversation with Wim WendersThe conversation between Wim Wenders and Melinda Camber Porter (1953-2008) took place on location in December 1983, while Mr. Wenders was shooting his first American Film, Paris Texas. America was a place of European immigrants, German immigrants, and a vast land stretching to California. Men and women were becoming disillusioned and seeking ‘that something’ just out of reach.
Melinda Camber Porter interviews Wim Wenders on location in west Texas during the filming of his first US feature film, Paris, Texas, and provides an in-depth, close-up look at this great German filmmaker. The screenplay for the film was written by Sam Shepard and embodies themes that are central to Wenders’ career, such as the American myth of the Promised Land, the road journey as a path to self-discovery, and the twin themes of alienation and suffering. The interview highlights his preoccupations with questions such as, “What is it about the place (America) that attracts you? – He replies “Maybe it’s the very fact that it seemed to be the ideal of a homeland for so many people. It’s like a strange conglomeration of so many dreams for two hundred or three hundred years, and it actually isn’t even a land of its own. Somehow, it’s just a sum of all these wishes from all these countries and all these people.”
And in response to a question about his filming process, “When I think of a movie, I don’t initially think much of actors. I think I work much more from a certain flow of images or a certain connection of ideas and images. And then the actors come in and they’re always a big disturbance in this beautiful unity of ideas that existed before. And usually it turns out that they just disturb this order enough to make it interesting. So, usually in the course of a movie I get very interested in the actors. Usually they help me to forget the ideas that I had before. And if they don’t, something is wrong.
The interview is divided into three parts, with each covering a variety of topics such as the movie making process as fluidity and discovery, the nuances of implementing Wenders’ personal vision, and the differences between theater and film, as well as the contrast between Europe and America as perceived by Wenders. Photographs of the empty landscape, scenes from the film, and photos of Melinda Camber Porter and Wim Wenders are included. Following this is the published interview, which first appeared in The London Times in1984, and biographies of both, Wim Wenders and Melinda Camber Porter. Though it focuses on just one film, this title provides insights into the foundational aspects of his creativity, and the reader will come away with increased understanding of all of his works.
Melinda Camber Porter asked Wim Wenders: “When you say men have certain expectations of women, what exactly do you mean? Wim Wenders explains, “We still have to find out what we mean by that, because ‘the character’ hasn’t really understood that yet [in shooting the film, Paris Texas]. The character is getting ready to confront the issue. I do not work so a film is laid out and people can spell it out. I work much more on intuition … Sometimes film making is very much based on very subconscious choices or intuitions.”
Paris, Texas directed by Wim Wenders and written by Sam Shepard with adaptation by L.M. Kit Carson, and starring Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, and Hunter Carson among others. Melinda Camber Porter passed away from ovarian cancer in 2008 and she left behind a significant body of work in art, journalism, and literature. With her background as a journalist for The Times of London, her interviews had a unique way of getting to the heart of the creative process used by the many widely acclaimed cultural figures, filmmakers, and writers whom she spoke with.
Currently, Wenders has started production in Berlin on the romantic thriller Submergence, starring James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander. Filming will take place in France, Germany, Spain and Africa, before finishing in July.
Melinda Camber Porter passed away of ovarian cancer in 2008 and left a significant body of work in art, journalism, and literature. With her background as a journalist for the Times of London, her questions explored the creative process used by many widely acclaimed cultural figures, filmmakers, and writers. The Melinda Camber Porter Archive wishes to share these conversations with the public to ensure the continuation and expansion of the ideas expressed in her creative works.
Advance Praise
“This is an exceptional book on Wim Wenders. Frankly, I was not prepared for this extraordinary volume. The depth of Melinda Camber Porter’s interview with Wim Wenders is breathtakingly apparent. Speaking from experience, I am in the position to truly appreciate work of this nature and Melinda Camber Porter’s remarkable achievement.” Michael Edelson, Professor Emeritus Film and Photography, Stony Brook University, numerous awards and books on film and photography.
Marketing Plan
Events: February 24-25, 2017 International Wim Wenders Conference
Newly published book, “Melinda Camber Porter In Conversation With Wim Wenders on the set of Paris Texas [Blake Press]” selected for presentation at the INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WIM WENDERS, February 24th-25th 2017, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA:
“Change is Possible and Necessary:
New Perspectives on Wim Wenders as Filmmaker and Visual Critic”
Presentation Abstract: The conversation between Wim Wenders and Melinda Camber Porter (1953-2008) took place on location in December 1983, while Mr. Wenders was shooting his first American Film, Paris Texas. America was a place of European immigrants, German immigrants, and a vast land stretching to California. Men and women were becoming disillusioned and seeking ‘that something’ just out of reach. Melinda Camber Porter asked Wim Wenders: “When you say men have certain expectations of women, what exactly do you mean? Wim Wenders explains, “We still have to find out what we mean by that, because ‘the character’ hasn’t really understood that yet [in shooting the film, Paris Texas]. The character is getting ready to confront the issue. I do not work so a film is laid out and people can spell it out. I work much more on intuition … Sometimes film making is very much based on very subconscious choices or intuitions.” Paris, Texas directed by Wim Wenders and written by Sam Shepard with adaptation by L.M. Kit Carson, and starring Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, and Hunter Carson among others.
By Joseph R. Flicek, Director
Melinda Camber Porter Archive of Creative Works
flicekjr@pipeline.com USA 1-347-782-1653
www.MelindaCamberPorter.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Camber_Porter
A major exhibition with readings is now scheduled for September 15 to October 15, 2016 at the National Museum of Music and Art Gallery located at the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Music_Museum located at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota and The University of South Dakota John A. Day Gallery is one of the largest modern university exhibition facilities with over 185 feet of linear wall space and nearly 2,900 square feet. From September 15 to October 15, 2015 the Art Gallery will be dedicated solely to the exhibition of the art, books (including Montale’s) and films of Melinda Camber Porter http://www.usd.edu/fine-arts/uag/john-a-day-gallery) .
Advance Comments and Praise:
“This is an exceptional book on Wim Wenders. Frankly, I was not prepared for this extraordinary volume. The depth of Melinda Camber Porter’s interview with Wim Wenders is breathtakingly apparent. Speaking from experience, I am in the position to truly appreciate work of this nature and Melinda Camber Porter’s remarkable achievement.” Michael Edelson, Professor Emeritus Film and Photography, Stony Brook University, numerous awards and books on film and photography.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781942231189 |
| PRICE | US$3.99 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Stephen M, Reviewer
Relating to an Irrelatable World: <i>Melinda Camber Porter in Conversation with Wim Wenders</i>
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I assume that like many others, my initial interest in this book was in Wim Wenders. It also caught my attention that this was about my favorite movie of his, <i>Paris,Texas</i> (1984), and that the interviews were done during filming. I was hoping that the book would then be a peek into the process that Wenders was using for the film, and there the book doesn’t disappoint.
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For example, Wenders and Sam Shepard, one of the screenwriters, are full of doubt and concern that the film may fail artistically and monetarily. Neither artist was a total unknown at this point, both were fairly well-established in the industry, though not necessarily household names, which didn’t seem to be their goals anyway. The takeaway, particularly for young artists, is that even established creators work in self-doubt and struggle. Wenders, who had been making movies for almost a decade-and-a-half at that point, says, “I mean if you make a movie that questions its own ideas all the way, you realize that questioning your ‘ideas’ really means questioning yourself.” For him, this means that he has to maintain confidence in those around him, even “mankind,” (though I’m not quite sure what that means--maybe that the film will find its audience?) rather than himself.
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While not always discussed blatantly, much of the thematic material shines through the conversation. Wenders discusses the “discrepancy” in the title, <i>Paris, Texas</i>, and you realize how much that illuminates the film. Wenders, a European, telling this story written by Shepard, an American, sometimes iconic for his loner/rambler status. This discrepancy, really a beautiful tension, gets carried over into the film in which the viewer encounters the visuals of the American landscape set to a European cinematic pacing.
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Initially, I thought that this was more or less like many “on set” books, but opening it up to the title page I noticed that it was labeled as part of the “Melinda Camber Porter Archive of Creative Works Series in Journalism” as “Volume 1, Number 3.” I was wondering if Porter was someone I should know or had read before, but didn’t remember her name. Reading her bio I realized she had died of ovarian cancer in 2008 and “left a significant body of work in art, journalism, and literature.” When I had casually flipped through the pages previously, I wondered why there were pictures of the tapes and cassette recorder that Porter had used to record the interviews. It just seemed odd, but the backstory helped me make sense of them.
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There are photographs in the book by Porter that are spare and gorgeous, reminiscent of O’Keefe’s desert paintings, yet more abstract. Her husband, Joseph Flicek, also has photos, though his remind me more of Andrew Wyeth in terms of color and composition. When I carve out some time, I’m interested in seeing her paintings.
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After reading the book, I was directed forward in a couple of ways. One, it made me interested in Porter’s work, an artist that I knew nothing about. Two, the conversation made me go back and watch <i>Paris, Texas</i> for the first time in about twenty years. Not only did it look much better, since I wasn’t watching it on a rental VHS, but the movie was even better than I had remembered. And that’s probably the best praise I can offer a book that is a transcribed conversation, that it is an impetus into the creative works under discussion.
