Boxoffice-January.2000

the story." Robbins explains, in a way.
the shot tells us, the audience, about the
world of the film and where we might be
going.
"The opening helps us first of all
understand when [the film takes place]
without hitting you over the head with.
'Okay, we think you're stupid. Here's
what you have to know before you're
allowed to watch this film.' To present
the newsreels in that way gives you the
choice. You can either watch them, or
you don't have to watch them. You can
watch [Olive Stanton (Emily Watson)],
and you can understand that something's
going on: She's dressing. We
understand that she's been sleeping
there. Then we understand that she's
being thrown out of the. theatre, that
she's a vagrant of some kind. So now
we're with her and she's poor, and by the
end of the shot, she's washing herself in
the fire hydrant.
"And then we're up into a [secondstory]
apartment where some kind of
creativity is happening. A
composer is composing, and
then he imagines that this
little doll in a [model] theatre
is singing, so there's a
surreal element as well.
"Pretty much, that is the
world of the film. I wanted
to be able to tell the world of
the film.... I want[ed] to tell a
story in this shot. I want[ed]
to very elegantly and quietly
and slowly show poverty.
Because in order to understand
why this is important,
why the end of this movie is
important, why their standing
up in that theatre is
courageous, you first have to understand
that they have nothing. This is where
she's starting, and this is where she could
go back to. So when she stands up in the
theatre, [there's] a real courage, a real
dignity to it."
It's this moment that first sparked
Robbins' imagination, and moments like
it that will continue to inspire him. whatever
their politics. "It all starts with
story." he says. "You have to be telling a
story. You have to have an interesting
story. So what you have to first come to
terms with is 'What is the story Cm
telling'?' And if you can't figure that out,
then you've got a problem. There's nothing
thematic or philosophical that binds
anv of the stories that I've told. I think
they're all great .'s, though.
"Cradle Will R