Prominent Hollywood screenwriter Robert Towne, known most for Chinatown, Mission: Impossible and Tequila Sunrise, answered questions for more than 100 Boston University students at the College of General Studies auditorium Tuesday night.
Towne discussed his upcoming movie, Ask the Dusk and his previous films.
The event began with a screening of Towne’s work, including The Last Detail, The Godfather, Shampoo, Personal Best and Without Limits.
After the screening, Towne was interviewed by Gerald Perry, a film critic for the Boston Phoenix, and opened the floor up for individual questions.
When asked why he became interested in “Ask the Dusk,” Towne said the film “returned me to a part of my past for a city that I loved much more than I thought I did.”
The movie is about an Italian writer, played by Colin Farrell, who comes from Boulder, Col., in the 1930s to avoid racial prejudices. He falls in love with a Mexican waitress, played by Selma Hayek, and the story continues from there. Towne said the main theme of the story is that people need to overcome cultural shame.
Towne said Farrell was an “ideal choice” for the role of a “mama’s boy.” According to Towne, Farrell looks the part and has the right disposition.
Towne discussed the difficulties in getting the film started and produced. It was initially turned down by Paramount, but it was finally filmed in South Africa.
A representative from Paramount Pictures said the movie should be out in New York and Los Angeles March 10th and in Boston March 17th.
When asked why he became involved in screenwriting, Towne said he was inspired by James Agee, a critic for Time magazine and The Nation.
Towne also talked about his role in writing a scene for The Godfather, a movie he is not credited for. He said he was asked to write an emotional scene between a father and son with Marlin Brando and Al Pacino. Towne said Brando asked him to read through it with him twice because he liked it so much.
When asked by Perry about his writing for Bonnie and Clyde, Towne said he has “never been disturbed” by the fact that he was not credited for his work. He knew it was good and just wanted to help and change a few scenes. He suggested that he is credited with many other movies and this one can remain without his credit.
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