Q&A: John Kenneth Muir

By Michael Rogers -- Library Journal, 6/1/2004

John Kenneth Muir's The Unseen Force (see review, p. 138) offers the first full-length look at the films of Sam Raimi. With Spider-Man 2 opening this month, the book is sure to be in demand. LJ posed a few quick questions to Muir on his subject.

What do you perceive as the primary allure of Raimi's films?

The allure has changed over the years. Early on, Raimi's films were most fascinating from a visual standpoint, because of the inventive shots he executed,like the flying eyeball in Evil Dead 2 of the bullet through the gunfighters head in The Quick and the Dead. Now, in films such as A Simple Plan and Spider-Man, Raimi's capacity to vet a story has become paramount, and he ropes in viewers by finding the best methods to enhance his scripts, whether through performance, editing, or composition of shots. His films are as entertaining and stylish as ever, but I think he has become a great storyteller too.

You mention that John Huston is Raimi's favorite director, do you see any similarities in their work?

I do. Huston's films always stressed the human story as paramount-and certainly over the last several years, and such films as A Simple Plan and The Gift, Raimi has gone the same route. You can even see that trend in Spider-Man. How many blockbuster, big-budget superhero films begin with something as simple (and endearing) as a declaration that this is a story about "a girl," now world domination or villains? Like Raimi, Huston is a great visual stylist, but Raimi has matured into a filmmaker who delves into a character's humanity. Certainly, The Gift is an emotional character piece that just happens to feature the supernatural.

You've written a few titles on film and Hollywood notable. How hard is it to get access to these people when preparing your books?

It rums the gamut. I've had people grant me total access, people flat out say "no" to interviews, and then people who don't even respond to my queries! I'm always disappointed when someone doesn't participate, but the great thing about writing about film is that it is a discussion of art. You can interpret and discuss art, oftentimes even without the participation of the artist.

What do you perceive as the primary allure of Raimi's films?

The allure has changed over the years. Early on, Raimi's films were most fascinating from a visual standpoint, because of the inventive shots he executed, like the flying eyeball in Evil Dead 2 and the bullet through the gunfighter's head in The Quick and the Dead. Now, in films such as A Simple Plan and Spider-Man, Raimi's capacity to vet a story has become paramount, and he ropes in viewers by finding the best methods to enhance his scripts, whether through performance, editing, or composition of shots. His films are as entertaining and stylish as ever, but I think he has become a great storyteller, too.

You mention that John Huston is Raimi's favorite director, do you see any similarities in their work?

I do. Huston's films always stressed the human story as paramount, and certainly over the last several years, in such films as A Simple Plan and The Gift, Raimi has gone the same route. You can even see that trend in Spider-Man. How many blockbuster, big-budget superhero films begin with something as simple (and endearing) as a declaration that this is a story about "a girl," not world domination or villains? Like Raimi, Huston is a great visual stylist, but Raimi has matured into a filmmaker who delves into a character's humanity. Certainly, The Gift is an emotional character piece that just happens to feature the supernatural.

You've written a few titles on film and Hollywood notables. How hard is it to get access to these people when preparing your books?

It runs the gamut. I've had people grant me total access, people flat out say "no" to interviews, and then people who don't even respond to my queries! I'm always disappointed when someone doesn't participate, but the great thing about writing about film is that it is a discussion of art. You can interpret and discuss art, oftentimes even without the participation of the artist.