"Punch-Drunk Love" interview ( Page 2 )

Three questions to Paul-Thomas Anderson :

( Click on " " to listen to PTA's response ,

audio streaming , RealPlayer needed . )

The 31 years old director of Boogie Nights and Magnolia makes his first appearance in the official Cannes competition with Punch-Drunk Love, an eccentric and tonic sentimental comedy .

Question 1 :

Pierre Murrat :Why did you choose for this film to use "He Needs Me", sung by Shelley Duvall in Popeye of Robert Altman?

Paul-Thomas Anderson : " it's a fucking great song ... it's just a great great song. You know , i didn't remember for the film,because i've sawn the movie when i was a kid, and ,you know, what happened was, when i was a kid i've bought the soundtrack and i have an old record collection that i was going threw, my girlfriend was going threw... And we were just listen to different things and she said: " You got to hear this song again ", i said "What? 'he needs me ?' " . ( Harry Nilsson wrote it ) and i said " Oh my god ! this is perfect" , it's just, i think i had a little bit of the movie in my head but not all of it and just hearing that , made the all rest of it come alive you know. It was really like a BIG "trigger pound" ( . . . ) . "

Question 2 :

PM : Adam Sandler, the main actor of Punch-Drunk Love, makes think of Peter Sellers in films of Blake Edwards...

PTA : " You know, i'm so happy that you say that, because i think we were just trying really hard to make a Blake Edwards's movies. You know [he laughs] i was just desperetly want to make like a Blake Edwards & Vincent Minnely ( . . . ) "

PM : Do you like Blake Edwards films ?

PTA : " I love, i love. I love "The Pink Panther" movie, and i love "10"especially which was just great. You know Blake Edwards sure did some amazing stuff in one shot, long long shot and within the frame all the stuff was happen. It's so Funny to have Jacques Tati here [ talking about the Cannes special event dedicated to Jacques Tati when PTA was at Cannes ] because ( ... ) massive Jacques Tati film , you know , i tried to steal a lot of stuff especially with the sound you know ( ...) When i watch Adam [ Sandler] he reminded me of Peter Sellers just the way he walked ."

Question 3 :

PM : It's your first comedy, but there was always the burlesque one in your preceding films...

PTA : "I love that stuffs in movies you know, i think, just, when somebody fall down it's funny, you know (. . . ) I think when Adam put the suit on a little bit tight you know it reminds me a Buster Keaton ( . . .) And he just walk it's funny, that's Adam Sandler who's just fucking funny you know. I saw him over here and came in and i was sitting here and i looked up and he was just pouring coffee, and made me laugh [ he laughs ] , i just say " pouring coffe it's funny" you know , i don't know what it is about him ( . . . ) and i spent two years with him. "

Remarks collected by Pierre Murat for Télérama - May 19, 2002