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Although she was born in Canada, Mary Harron knew a lot about America. She used this knowledge to make the movie American Psycho. In her adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name, Harron was able to make a satirical film about Wall Street life in the 1980 s. It took two years and a lot of controversy to make her feature film debut, but Harron was able to do it in style and without backing down. Mary Harron was born in Canada, the daughter of Canadian actor and comedian Don Harron (a. k.
a. Charlie Farquharson. ) After attending Oxford University, Harron became a rock journalist. She was one of the people that helped start Punk magazine, and was the first writer from an American publication to interview The Sex Pistols. She went on to work as a writer for numerous publications including, Melody Maker, The New Statesmen, and The Observer. Her career as a rock journalist would then develop into a filmmaker and lead her to where she is today. Harron's filmmaking career started when she began making documentaries for British television.
She directed many short films for the BBC as well as making several documentary films. In 1996, Harron made her debut as a feature film writer and director, with the film I Shot Andy Warhol. Lily Taylor starred in this movie about author Valerie Solanas and her attempt at killing Andy Warhol. Harron's film received critical acclaim and won Taylor a Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival. It also received a nomination for best film at the Independent Spirit Awards along with the honor of opening the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. For Harron's next film she decided she wasnt going to go with something safe, which leads us to American Psycho.
Mary Harron was connected to this movie and she wanted it to follow how she envisioned it when her and Guinevere Turner adapted the screenplay. Harron felt that the role of Patrick Bateman, the Wall Street serial killer, should go the person that could capture him the best. Lions Gate felt that Leonardo DiCaprio would be the best for this role, but Harron did not. When they signed on DiCaprio, Harron painfully dropped out. She already cast actor Christian Bale for the role of Bateman, but Lions Gate went ahead and signed on DiCaprio for $ 20 million. Luckily, for Harron, DiCaprio dropped out and she and Bale returned to the project.
Harron describes why she picked Christian Bale for the project instead of someone like Leonardo DiCaprio. You dont want to bring any preconceptions; you dont want anyone with a lot of baggage. Christian (Bale) is not a familiar face yet, but he probably will be after this. Harron also thought Bale fit the role because of his look. I wanted a classical, GQ look. Chiseled features and such.
Now that Harron had her cast of then unknowns such as Bale and actresses Chloe Sevigny and Reese Witherspoon, she was ready to begin filming. American Psycho was shot in eight weeks with seven being in Toronto and a week in New York. As American as this movie was supposed to be it was shot in Toronto, with a Canadian director / writer , and an English actor playing the lead. The movie was completed and more problems would soon arise. American Psycho was hit with an NC- 17 rating. Harron's feelings on the rating were this: I dont think theres a reason for people under 17 to see this film, and I dont object to an NC- 17 rating.
Its a devastating this for a film, but I dont think this film is for children; its for people in their 20 s and up. Ultimately, the movie had to be edited to fit an R rating because Lions Gate didnt approve with the NC- 17. Then there would be peoples reactions to the movie and to Harron. The way Harron explains the movie should in my mind be a disclaimer before the film. Most people wont or dont understand what she is trying to get across and if they heard her feeling first, maybe they would be a little more open to the film.
Harron says, Its a surreal exaggerated version of the real world, but in which certain aspects of the world are there. In another interview Harron added, The fact that it was a satire had been very much overlooked. Because the book was so explicitly violent, people had kind of ignored what was most interesting about it, what it was saying about that time, about that incredibly competitive male culture. Harron also felt that some groups rather than others would better receive the movie. She believed that people in Europe might accept it more than people in America because in Europe it will be taken more as a critique of American Society. She also said that in screenings the black members of the audience have gotten it and liked it because (they see it as) a critique of privileged white society.
Harron also noticed that women liked it, which pleased her as a woman director. Harron believed that this movie was better because it was made in the hands of a woman. I think in a way, its a critique of masculinity, and its probably better in the hands of women, who dont feel implicated in that. After seeing American Psycho and learning that the director was a woman, I because even more intrigued by the movie, and the person who brought it to life. I was captivated at how well she was able to portray Bateman as a selfless man in an even more vapid world. Personally, I really enjoyed this movie and learning about Mary Harron and how she was a really normal person so to speak.
I would have thought with a movie so graphically violent the director would be a little on the odd side but Harron seemed like a normal 47 -year-old mom. She is a good director that knows how to bring a movie to life.
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Research essay sample on Examining The Works Of Director Mary Harron
