Doug Wright, left, with Quills
director Philip Kaufman
Doug Wright,
screenwriter of Quills, recently dropped in to Tokyo and talked to Miyuki Ishii about his distinctive take on a
sadomasochist.
This month sees the Japanese
release of Quills, Hollywood's attempt to catalogue the trials, travails and
sexual aberrations of one Marquis Donatien Alphonse Francois de Sade (1740-1814). The
French government banned the scandalous writings of de Sade, from whom the word
"sadism" is derived, until the 1960s, but in Quills the Marquis has
been recast as a paragon of Enlightenment free thought.
De Sade captivated Yale graduate Doug Wright, who gained an MA in playwriting from New
York University, after a friend gave him a biography of the Marquis in 1993. He
subsequently wrote "Quills," a stage play about the imprisonment of the Marquis
and his determination to have his incendiary writings published, fictionalizing certain
aspects of his last years. The play opened in off-Broadway in New York in 1995 and Wright
not only won an Obie Award, but also a movie debut deal with Fox Searchlight.
Wright went on to write the screenplay adaptation of Quills which, under the
guiding hand of director Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff, The Unbearable Lightness of
Being), has gone on to become a commercial and critical hit-lead actor Geoffrey Rush
was nominated for an Academy Award. In Tokyo to promote the film, Wright talks about his
journey from off-Broadway to a National Board of Review's Best Picture of the Year award.
Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
How was the film
deal developed?
With Quills tackling the risky subject of de Sade, 20th Century Fox were fairly
courageous in taking on the project. Understanding the somewhat notorious reputation of
the play, they nonetheless saw the value in a film adaptation and supported every perverse
turn of the screenplay. A highly enthusiastic cast also aided the film's development. Kate
Winslet was thrilled by the project and immediately said yes to the role of a young
laundry girl who surreptitiously ferries the Marquis's writings from prison to a Paris
publisher. Also Geoffrey Rush, a great Australian theater actor who won the Best Actor
Oscar for Shine, took the risk of taking off his clothes. Michael Cane declared his
interest when we explained to him that Dr. Royer-Collard's character mimicked Bill
Clinton.
Did you face any trouble even during the stage production?
The play ran for five years in North America and achieved big success. But yes, in 1997,
when we toured a city in Canada, some residents complained to the police that we were
going to do an obscene play. Off course, we weren't charged with anything since the
accusation missed the point of the play. This is a fictional story about Sade that
stresses his creativity and illustrates debates about censorship and the power of art.
Sade's battles against Dr. Royer-Collard, whom Napoleon hired to shut him up, shows that a
libertine like Napoleon was hypocritically taking Sade's creative liberty away. Deprived
of pens and paper, Sade writes on sheets with wine and on his suits with his blood. He is
a symbol of an artist who didn't give up a passion for writing in spite of being in a
terrible situation. So the title is not "Sade," but "Quills."
How did you adapt the play into a film script?
The play version borrows a gory theater element, as the stage is limited to a lunatic
asylum. But while the theater flavor remains, the media of film is able to create much
more freedom and I needed to streamline the dialogue. Director Philip Kaufman allowed me
to stay on location in England, from pre-production through the entire shoot, during which
I was able to answer any questions and make necessary changes. For example, a
play-within-a play written by de Sade wasn't described in my original work. But the
director insisted that he needed to include that. So I wrote the part to be as humorous as
possible in two days. And Kate Winslet approached me about her lines in a scene in which
she and Joaquin Phoenix make love, saying, "You know, I can do it with my eyes."
I agreed to cut her line, and this incredibly down-to-earth actress gave a great
performance.
What is your personal view of the Marquis de Sade?
Peter Weiss (who wrote the play "Marat/Sade"), Yukio Mishima (who wrote the play
"Madame de Sade"), Nobel prize winner Octavio Paz, Italian film maker Pier Paolo
Passolini and I, we all forged works based on de Sade's canon. You can't deny the enormous
character of the Marquis, even though some attack his impact on the world as toxic.
What is your favorite film scene?
There are so many, but one particular is when Sade meets his long-suffering wife (played
by Geoffrey Rush's real-life wife, Jane Menelaus) in his cell. I have a personal reason
why [I like this scene so much]: I was forced to add it by the director. But now I admit
Kaufman was right since the scene is central to the whole movie.
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Reva Rice and Kenya Osumi promise plenty of eroticism in the newest version
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his portfolio with a chain of delicatessens 433: Brunch break
TV personality Tamao Sato's goal in life is to make people happy 432: Heart beat
Justin Gardiner speaks with the versatile percussionist who took center stage
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Shocking peers, maverick sensei Makoto Nishimura invites foreigners into the
cloistered world of the shamisen 429: What women want
Fantasy film Kate & Leopold's Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman debate the art of
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Will Smith takes on his biggest challenge yet in Michael Mann's biopic Ali 426: Foster care
Now a mother of two, Jodie Foster re-emerges in Panic Room, which deals with
the issue closest to her heartfamily 425: Pop rocks
Britney Spears is big business, but the 20-year-old pop singer sees it all as
just good fun 424: No shortcuts for Morgan Freeman
Fame was a long time coming for Morgan Freeman, who gives thanks to providence
and friends 423: Universal values
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on a car racing circuit 422: Tsuzuki style Kyoichi Tsuzuki, writer, editor and maverick designer, is Japan's great
chronicler of the strange and exotic 421: Arnie, get your gun Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger explains why the Sept 11 terror attacks
won't change a thing in Hollywood 420: Plenty to Crowe about
Despite missing out on the Oscar for A Beautiful Mind, Russell Crowe is still
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George Winston has made a career playing instrumental music inspired by the
American West 418: War plane Heroes often emerge out of the blood and guts of chaos, say filmmaker Ridley
Scott and his crew of Black Hawk Down 416: The sexplorers
Killing Me Softly director Chen Kiage and star Heather Graham talk titillation
415: Don't call us retro
Stereolab take tunes back to the future 414: Running "Rings" around the
rest
The cast and crew of Lord of the Rings talk Oscar and samurai elves 412: Lynch pin
Composer Angelo Badalamenti on Mulholland Drive and working with its famed director 411: Duality
Architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham on the beauty of building in Tokyo 410: American Woman
Natalie Merchant on her life and music 409: There's nothing like a dame
Veterans Julie Andrews and Gary Marshall team up for the Princess Diaries 408: Caiya Kawasaki
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Vanilla Sky's Cruise, Cruz & Crowe on casual sex 406: The
art of elegance
Veteran designer Takeo Nishida 404: Don't
judge an ogre by its cover
Shrek producer Jeffrey Katzenberg 402: Teen
angst
Crime and Punishment in suburbia director Rob Schmidt
401: Life's a party
Alan Cumming
400: In the Nic of time
Nicole Kidman high-kicks in Moulin Rouge
399:Memories
Memento's director Christopher Nolan
398:Positivity
American alt rockers 311 take a special interest in Japan
397:Evolution of an ex-Filer
David Duchovny explains why he went from the X-Files to Evolution
396: Rock Warrior
Former Clash frontman Joe Strummer
395: 2001's absurd odyssey
The Coen brothers pay tribute to classic American cinema 394: Jolie
good time
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up with the Jones 392: Ratner
a man in a rush
Director Brett Ratner can't wait to film Rush Hour 3 in Tokyo 391: Far
from the Madden crowd
Captain Corelli's Mandolin is more than a World War II love story ... 390: Wake-up
call
NHK morning news anchor Toko Takeuchi is an early bird with a passion ... 389: Gallo's
humor
Artist, filmmaker, actor, model, Vincent Gallo 388: Reaching
for the universe
Misao Arauchi 387: Speak
softly and carry a big kick
Actor Steven Seagal 386: Paper
boy
Italian mime Ennio Marchetto 385: A sight
for saur eyes Jurassic Park III's Sam Neill 384: The
planet that went ape
Visionary filmmaker Tim Burton 383: Digital
Godfather
The father of ambient music, Brian Eno 382: Mission
possible
TV personality Mari Christine 381: Bombs
away
Long-awaited Pearl Harbor comes to Japan 380: Not
so close encounter
Director Steven Spielberg 379: Sexy
poets
Samantha Lang, director of The Monkey's Mask 378: Hogan's
hero
Crocodile Dundee - Paul Hogan 377: Sumo
do
British actress Charlotte Brittain 376: Mummy
dearest The Mummy Returns' Brendan Fraser 375: Animal
magic
Independent movie auteur, Michael Di Jiacomo 374: Brief
encounters
American Short Shorts Film Festival organizer, Tetsuya Besho 373: Porn
free
Doug Wright, screenwriter of Quills 372: Virgin
for life
Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of the Virgin Group 371: Don't
call me babe
Bombshell Charlize Theron 370: Killer
personality American Psycho's Christian Bale 369: Sweet
inspiration
French actress Juliette Binoche 368: Playing
chicken
Nick Park and Peter Lord, the creators of Chicken Run 367: The
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"Tony" Hopkins in a PR stupor 366: Get
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"Auteur" filmmaker Paul Cox 364: As the
Crowe flies
Meg Ryan promotes her new movie 363: The
hard cell
The down-low on J. Lo 362: Boy
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Actor Masaya Kato 361: Bouncing
back
Hollywood's queen of cool, Gwyneth Paltrow 359: Play
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Catch up with Verbal from Japan's hip-hop group m-flo 358: A heartbreak
hotel Hotel Splendide director Terence Gross 357: Billy
Elliot
Star Jamie Bell 354: In a
tranquil mood
New age musician, Kitaro 351: Bah
Humbug
Jim Carrey as The Grinch