Give Us Our Daily Brad

Brad Pitt at the Venice Film Festival

He has made photographers angry by wearing huge shades during the photocall; caused the Lido to be invaded by a horde of women of all ages and walked the red carpet in a wonderful cream coloured tuxedo, accompanied by his equally fabulous wife.

 Brad Pitt is in town.
He is here to present Andrew Dominik’s western in Competition The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, in which he stars with Casey Affleck.
Brad and Angelina seem pretty good natured and kind, given the number of autographs they sign.
Be it a mere pose to look oh- so liberal, the two stars have to face an elated crowd at the end of the red carpet they have just walked.
And they do it with a smile on their lovely faces. It is enough to send said crowd into raptures.

But  the pleasure doesn’t last long as the two enter the Palazzo Del Cinema to attend the official screening of Brad’s movie.
To take a close look at Pitt, the right occasion is the Press Conference of the film.
Actually, The Assassination is not at all a film that exploits good looks: on the contrary, the relationship between James (Pitt) and Ford (Affleck) is complex and multifaceted, and develops for the full two hours of the film.

Unfortunately, many of journalists at the conference ask generic questions and Pitt looks tired and lazy, so the real nature of his work in the film remains unveiled.

But, here are  a few of the best questions asked at the conference, along with a couple of my own.
What I really need to do is fly to Hollywood and have a long chat with him.

Why did the film take two years to be completed? Weren’t you satisfied with the result?

This is a long and complex film and we had to screen 34 different cuts before we could be completely satisfied. But now I think it’s a delicious film; like a good wine, it needed to be aged. You know, as a producer I had to be very careful and precise and check that the final result of the film was the way I wanted it to be. 

You have been a good actor for a long time and now you are a good producer. Are you also tempted by directing?

No, I think there are already many good people doing it. I don’t think I would be good at directing such a complicated experience as a film.
I’m more interested in producing, and when I produce a film this does not mean that I have to be involved with it as an actor. but it has to be a good film. 

Your character has very bad sides: he is violent and merciless, he even beats a young boy, but then is extremely sweet with his family. How did you relate to this?

Although I was born and raised in Missouri, Jesse James’ home, I wasn’t familiar with his story until I read the book by Ron Hansen our homonymous film was taken from.
I think he is a trapped man who lives behind a façade. But he is human after all, his soul is neither black nor white, but a mix.
As Sam Shepard (who plays Jesse’s brother) says, Jesse James is a product of the Civil War and the sense of fear throughout the country. When the war finished, the James gang wanted to be an extension of it.

What is his relationship with Robert Ford, the man who adores him but kills him in the end?

His relationship with Robert is very complex: you could even say that there is a hint of  homosexual attraction, but their feelings are so variegated that they can be interpreted as you will! In my opinion, Robert is looking for identity, a meaning. There are big forces pushing him forward, whereas Jesse is depressed and hates himself.   

Vera Brozzoni

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