European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 10, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Lany not All glitter for f. Murray Abraham at the same time the Money the oilers come to almost $2 million it i had taken All tha television and movies i d been offered. Ii would come to s 1.8 million. I could have been Busy Lill the Middle of next year Boon a millionaire. Trial what the Oscar Means. Every Lime i would come to my agent s of Lico to complain he d say just a minute,1 and pull out those sheets and say. You refused this and you re used this and you refused this and Afler a while i started to think. It s been months since i worked " then came the Par in the name of the Rose. I the film was the first one i had really liked since i won the award f was excited to gel Back to the name of the Rose is scheduled lot release next fall its cast and Crew have now packed for Italy where filming will wind up. Today As f. Murray Abraham stands on his Balcony watching the Rhine barges churn past he looks far lion the part of Saliers. A Horseshoe shaped fringe of hair it looks like a giant Caterpillar seems to Perch an Inch above his ears tonsure for his part As the grand inquisitor in the medieval detective Story. His clothes though Are distinctly secular and decidedly casual a red Polo Shin a Blue Denim jacket Coilton pants of an indeterminate greyish la animated As he describes another Opportunity the Oscar has brought him. Was made a professor at Brooklyn College. At first i said no and then i thought this is the Chance of a lifetime. I can Pul into practice what i be been preaching about my work about my life because i believe it s that important " the course in Street theater teaches slide nos thai they can make their own theater they Don t have to go to Broadway they Don t have to sit on their hands and Hope Lor a Job. They Don t have to Sll around like everybody else and drink Coulee and complain. They can make their own theater. So suddenly All these years seemed to Point to this one place to the school maybe i can really effect a 1 change or at least an awareness of the world that is controlled by the people themselves rather than by a Lew tight listed Abraham Hopes hell be Able to continue teaching if i can give it the time it deserves ii feels the Oscar also meant Abraham can be choosy about where and when he works although. Oscar notwithstanding. It s a Gypsy life. It has l changed at least in thai sense. I guess i be been everywhere except Iceland. That s one of the Best things Aboul the movie business f was in Mongolia Lor 3v months filming Marco Polo a television mini series Bui Abraham has l lost Louch with his beginnings in Elpaso Texas. He recalls his Days there at Texas Western University walking to class within sight of the Rio Grande encounter Long mexicans who had sneaked across the Border to work in Elpaso. He remembers the City As having a Laid Back mexican mentality an attitude of Lake it that was my whole background he says. Ii was Nice. It was of. As far As i was concerned the world was Elpaso and he grins. I thought i was mexican for but in High school Abraham discovered a was t destined to stay in Elpaso forever. He discovered what he Calls this Gypsy business acting. Bellave it or not it was nothing i Felt in my genes. It was a teacher who saw in this troubled Young Man was anyone not Iron band in High school an actor. I Don t know h i Ever would have stumbled into it otherwise. It was just dumb Abraham acting Al Texas Western now the University of Texas Al Elp Sothen moved to los Angeles " Hal s what you did ii you were going to leave Elpaso and eventually to new York. A you re going to get selous about acting you be. 1986 got logo to new York. You have of it s that there. Abraham says he truly Learned to be an actor although he had a hard time convincing his family he was a Success. They did l believe i was established until they saw me on to wearing a the Grin returns. Ii did t matter that i was killing people i was those Days of trying to make a name in the business have paid off Lor Abraham now in his mid-40s, married t. J the Aljier of iwo children approaching College age. He is As he understates ii established. And he s Able 10 map out his Lile Wilh some Confidence. I would like 10 Slart making my own projects happen bul i Vestil Gol to put some Money in the Bank. I m going to do Shakespeare in the Park next year i do it every year. I m going to do Macbeth this coming summer the following year i m going i o do Cyrano. Ihen i m Guting to do King Lear. So i guess i am Catling a Lew shots. Ii s really great to be Able to think in those terms do the great rotes before i die. If i can do one Quality movie a year and continue my Shakespeare in the summer in the Park and continue to Loach it sounds Prelly Ideal to cd Cue Colman left f Sean Cannery Mil Wilh director Jean Jacques Aynaud Art if Lei of the name of the Reie. Quest for fire director takes on medieval mystery by de Reavis stall writer Jean Jacques Aynaud has come a Longway since 1961 from the prehistoric Era tothe Middle , director of quest for fire is in in midst of shooting the film version of Umberto eco s the name of the Rose it s a murder mystery with a twist the detective is a medieval Monk. Al Kloster Eberbach a 12th-Century cloister on the Rhine where shooting look place before the film makers moved on to Italy Aynaud explained Why he had chosen to film the Bock which is part detective Story part history and theology lesson. Eco s novel is like a la a said gesturing As if he were holding one. You must Cut through the fat to gel to the eco s Book fascinated Aynaud from the time he first read it and he began pillaging to film the novel As soon As quest Tor file wi5 finished in 1981. I picked up the film rights very Early and began doing my own research by talking with eco and Reading some of the books that he read. My research took almost five years. You need a week to read the Book and i read it three times. I wanted to understand eco and his motivations. It took me six months before i was Able to lace the practical problems of making the dim. I had no illusions about the difficulty in getting a workable script or finding the Money. What sustained me Over the years was my All consuming passion Lor the Book. I was convinced in could be made 1o work. This Book is something special and i was determined to make a film thai would show that a major problem was gelling a workable so dipl. Aynaud said he wore out our writers Belore he was satisfied. If you Lake out All the ideas and the novel is basically about ideas you can reduce it to a gothic mystery bul it s a banal crime Story. It s a Book Hal works on Many Levels i had to Lind writers who could keep the action line a series of murders and also show the various Levels of interpretation. The action is the hard line upon which we had to play the Melody and that look Aynaud Sard the works of Agatha Christie. Sir Arlhur Conan Doyle and Victor Hugo were important elements in eco s creative processes. But i would not do this Book if it did t have the Dilfer enl Levels of interpretation he said. Lei s face it the action line is just a suspense Story set in the dark Ages and i did nol want to spend Lour or five years of my life Olha Lindof Story i wanted something the stars and stripes Page 15
