BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW: THE ALEXANDRE O. PHILIPPE INTERVIEW

Alexandre O. Philippe has crafted a body of work that is unique in film circles. He studies cinematic greatness, then paints his own film canvas inspired by the brilliance of others. From his take on zombie film culture in Doc of the Dead (2014), to his frame-by-frame study of Hitchcock’s ‘shower scene’ in 78/52 (2017), to Memory: The Origins of Alien (2019), a journey into the nightmarish psychology of Ridley Scott’s deep-space shocker, Philippe has redefined the ‘making-of…’ documentary with works that expose not only the filmmaking process, but the filmmaker themself.

His latest is LEAP OF FAITH, in which he sits director William Friedkin down in a comfy chair and unravels the mind behind the most terrifying film in movie history. Ahead of the film’s screening at Monster Fest 2020 and wide release via Shudder, Alexandre O. Philippe spoke with SCREEN-SPACE about forging a bond with the enigmatic movie brat, now a revered elder statesman of cinema, and how Friedkin’s legacy will always include a turning point in cultural history...    

SCREEN-SPACE: You create these deeply artistic, very personal works in service of other people's artistic works. It's a very unique way to make movies, to look at films. How do you describe what you do?

ALEXANDRE: That's a really good question. I sort of see myself, in retrospect, as a bridge between what you might call cinema studies and the general public. There's a sense that this idea of deconstructing film [is] cinephilia, something that can only be enjoyed if you have studied X amount of years. But just trying to do your own deep dive into films is so much fun and should be accessible to the general public. I make films thinking about the most hardcore cinephiles [but] also for people who may never have even watched the film. Nothing makes me happier than when we screen 78/52 and my first question to the audience is, "Has anybody here, not seen Psycho?" There's always a few hands, and they're always very tentative. I'm like, "Well, wait a minute, you're here to watch a documentary about a scene from a movie you haven't seen that came out 60 years ago. That's incredible stuff." So I think there's hope in humanity, when that happens and it gives me great pleasure to provide. I mean, I'm glad you said that because I think the idea of making those films cinematic to me is very, very important.

SCREEN-SPACE: There's a fascination that I have with documentaries that provide not only an insight into the filmmaking rigour, but the minds of the director; films like Hearts of Darkness and Burden of Dreams. And I think that's where your films excel.

ALEXANDRE: Well, thank you. I'm very interested in meaning; why those films, why those moments, why those scenes continue to resonate with us. Let's face it, those are not just movies, they're cultural moments. I think they mean a lot to us. And so I think, as a culture, we need to understand why those things matter so much to us. I think it's a sort of a window into our collective unconscious. (Pictured, above; Friedkin with actress Linda Blair, as Regan, on the set of The Exorcist)

SCREEN-SPACE: Mr. Friedkin has been talking about The Exorcist, for what feels like a thousand years. What were you hoping to achieve that was a fresh perspective? 

ALEXANDRE: He talks a lot about ‘Gifts from the Movie Gods’. I think this was a gift in the form of William Friedkin, coming to me, and saying, "If you find an angle, just let me know." Those were his words. I will always remember that. To me, the angle was his process as a filmmaker. So I proposed to him, "I would like to use the Hitchcock/Truffaut model of interviews. But instead of chronologically going through your entire filmography, we're going to just focus on The Exorcist. And we're going to crack it open, and we're going to break down every moment, every scene, every image, every technique. I will structure it into sessions. We're not going to talk about special effects. We're going to talk about art and music, about influences and inspirations." And his response was immediate; "This sounds great and ambitious. Let's do it. How many days do you want?" So,we started with three, and then added a fourth, and then a fifth, and then a sixth. Then, we'd have these conversations, or he'd invite me for lunch and we'd start talking about stuff. I'd be like, "What? You haven't told me about this. We need another day. Let's add another day." We could still be talking about The Exorcist, frankly. For me the real pleasure was to just let him talk. You have to find these questions that you know are going to unlock something in him. And then he'll just go, and it's astonishing the... I mean, he is a true Renaissance man.

SCREEN-SPACE: What do you know about him that maybe his fans don't know? And I don't mean personal details of course, but what have you learned about him from being a friend, that you can impart to us?

ALEXANDRE: His sense of humor is pretty extraordinary. I will never forget this one lunch we had where the entire lunch he talked about two things - Citizen Kane and Beavis and Butthead. He is obsessed with Beavis and Butthead. I hope he won't mind me saying this, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't. He had Mike Judge record his answering machine in the voice of Butthead. And he sent me a cel, like an animation cel, by Mike, of Beavis and Butthead on the couch with William Friedkin in the middle, just sitting on the couch in between them, with a Judas Priest t-shirt. Amazing stuff.

SCREEN-SPACE: The Exorcist represents a landmark moment in film history. A major studio film containing these extraordinarily shocking scenes; the notion that a studio would take those sort of risks today is incredible. That's why I consider the '70s to be like the last golden era of Hollywood movie making. From your studies and your understanding of Mr. Friedkin and the film, what's your take on its place in film history?

ALEXANDRE: It's one of those few films that became a game changer. If you adjust for inflation, it's number nine at the all time box office, which tells you something about the popularity of the film. There's nothing like it, because it's just an extraordinarily powerful piece of filmmaking, grounded in some extraordinarily bold choices. Bill says that he was really the only person who knew how to make this film, which I don't think he means in a cocky or pretentious way. I think he truly was the only one who could, as he says, see it in his mind's eye. It's just one of those films that could have been ridiculous, easily. Just as Alien could have been ridiculous. I mean, if you think about the chest burster, right? The execution of the chest burster could've completely killed the movie. And yet, it's the execution of the chest burster that really made Alien the great film that it is. It makes it completely believable. And Hitchcock with Psycho, utilising source materials that are almost unfilmable. But, comes along the right director, at the right time, who figures it out. The works are so great and so powerful, translated to the screen in such a powerful way, they transcend the medium. Whenever something like this happens in cinema, we have to cherish those moments because they're few and far between. There's a lot of great films being made, but when something like The Exorcist happens, it goes beyond being just a great movie. It's just one for the ages, as they say.

A SHUDDER Original Presentation, LEAP OF FAITH: WILLIAM FRIEDKIN ON THE EXORCIST screens Sunday November 1 at 2.00pm at Event Cinemas sites in George St Sydney, Innaloo Perth, Myer Centre Brisbane and Marion Adelaide. Full ticketing and session details can be found at the Monster Fest 2020 website.