Joe Dante made an appearance at the Edinburgh Film Festival for an 'In Person' interview conducted by the writer Kim Newman. Newman's affection for Dante’s work shone through, although he was remiss not to mention Matinee (1993), one of Dante's finest films and as loving a depiction of 50's B-movies as Tim Burton's Ed Wood (1994). An eager member of the audience did bring up the film during the audience Q & A though letting Dante explain just how much of it was biographical.
Roger Corman and New World Pictures
Dante started out as a film reviewer for 'Exhibitor' magazine in the 70's before landing a gig at Roger Corman's New World Pictures cutting trailers for exploitation films. Newman delighted in showing a couple of amusing trailers put together by Dante; one for the prohibition-era Big Bad Mama (Steve Carver 1974)with Angie Dickinson looking hotter than hell and wielding a sub-machine gun, while the other was a lengthy promo for Jonathon Demme's girls in prison film Caged Heat (1974)Fittingly Dante's mentor Roger Corman was in the audience for the event having been given a retrospective by the Festival and interviewed by Newman the day before.
Dante persuaded Corman to let him direct a movie but was told to deliver the cheapest film possible and to do it in ten days. The resulting Hollywood Boulevard (1976) was put together from discarded footage from other Corman movies and incorporated into a story about a B-movie studio. Dante's next film Piranha (1978) was a co-production between New World and United Artists. A wickedly funny Jaws (Steven Spielberg 1975) knock-off featuring some scenes Dante noted could not be put in a film today, such as the killer piranhas chewing their way through the patrons of a summer camp. United Artists threatened to sue, but Steven Spielberg got the joke and persuaded them to put their lawyers back in their boxes.
Steven Spielberg and Gremlins
Dante made his first studio movie with The Howling (1981), a witty werewolf tale starring Dee Wallace and Patrick Macnee. There was not enough time to mention ‘It’s a Good Life,’ Dante’s contribution to Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), easily the best segment in a film in which John Landis, Steven Spielberg and George Miller all directed parts of. Spielberg hired Dante to direct Gremlins (1984) for his new production company Amblin Entertainment. Made through Warner Brothers, Spielberg had to protect Dante from meddling executives. Eventually the suits left them alone figuring a creature feature made for $11 million was no big thing. Only Ghostbusters (Ivan Reitman 1984)made more money that year.
Joe Dante Directing in Hollywood
Despite Kim Newman’s admiration for Explorers (1985) Dante insisted he made a mistake by agreeing to direct the film. The studio changed regime midway through production and insisted on releasing the film before it was finished. Essentially a rough cut was released and the film sank at the box office. These days it is most notable for featuring River Pheonix in his film debut. Dante had a better time on Inner Space (1987) a comedy about a tough pilot miniaturized and accidentally injected into the body of a neurotic wimp. A box-office hit, Dante reserved special praise for his stars, Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan, Martin Short and Kevin McCarthy.
The Burbs (1989) also made money thanks to the marquee value of star Tom Hanks, but the film was reviled by critics in the US. Dante pointed out the film now had a strong cult following and conveyed his belief that you cannot get the measure of a film until a few years have passed. Dante had to fight to get his own way on The Burbs, but found the battles increasingly difficult to win in the 90’s. Since about 1998, tellingly this is the year he directed the muddled Small Soldiers, Dante insisted it has become harder for creative types to work without interference on film sets. Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2004) should have been the perfect match of director and material, but again it seems to have been a troubled production.
Masters of Horror and a Return to Film Directing
Dante excelled himself with his entries into the Masters of Horror television show. ‘Homecoming’ mixed political commentary with the zombie genre as dead soldiers returned from Iraq to vote against the war. ‘The Screwfly Solution’ sees Dante doing ‘straight’ horror with none of his usual comedy elements. Adapted from a short story by Raccoona Sheldon, it is a chilling tale of a virus infecting men and causing them to wipe out womankind. Dante has returned to big screen filmmaking though and screened an impressive eerie trailer for The Hole 3-D, which hopefully should be released later this year.
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