FEATURE | ROBERT R I CHARDSON I NTERV I EW
If I’m not shooting I do little other than watch films. All forms of films. That is my hobby
owned Cape Cod Sea Camps, managed by his cousin these days. He had a persistent hearing problem at birth, that lead to 13 operations on his ears and continues to be a problem. Shooting an underwater sequence for Snow Falling on Cedars , Richardson ruptured an eardrum and had to have to a new eardrum grafted on his right ear. Bob wanted to be a rock musician ‘but the many ear operations and no technical talent shortened that dream,” he says. He names Hendrix, Clapton, Page, BB King, Richards, McLaughlin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chuck Berry, Allman, Les Paul, Dylan, Neil Young and Santana among “numerous others in my head when I hold a camera. When I shot Shine a Light with Marty, the music felt one with my camera.” INTRODUCTION TO FILM Richardson “slipped into photography” in his teens, later realising he wanted to get into film. It was his mother who introduced Polaroids and film cameras into his life, from 35mm still to 8mm motion picture cameras. “She filmed my parents’ trips and festivities, Christmases, Thanksgivings,
replies, “I just move onto the next one. I live in my cave and I watch films and I work back to back. Transfer the energy from one to the next. Try to maintain the flow.” THE FILMS AND DIRECTORS “Does it disturb you, these violent films you shoot?” I ask Richardson. “Do you sleep well?’ “An interesting question,” he replies. “But I do not see all of my films as violent. I certainly can understand where you are coming from. I suspect you are speaking about Kill Bill , Django , Inglourious and Hateful . But it is difficult to put Casino or Adrift or Breathe or Hugo or Aviator into that mould. But back to your question. It is true I don’t always sleep well. I personally need a solid eight hours, so when I finish work, I go straight to bed. I need sleep to be able to work and focus. I tend to have a low tolerance or a short fuse as to acceptability with those around me when I don’t sleep. I’ve been doing this my whole life. But the issue of whether my lack of sleep or inability to sleep has anything to do with the subject of the films I shoot is not something I have considered. More often I am suffering from
birthdays. She also had a 35mm reflex camera which I played with from time to time, but I have no recollection of using her film camera,” he adds. Richardson took up black & white photography at Proctor Academy, a private school he was sent to, where he learned to develop and print his work. “I prefer to see what was not, rather than what was”. “What do you do when you are not working?” I ask. “If I am not shooting I do little other than watch films. All forms of films. Whether that be Un Flic or Death Rides a Horse or Kwaidan or Taste of Cherry (four recent viewings). My selections are wide. That is, I guess you would say, my hobby. I don’t want to turn off. I don’t want to relax. Everything I do is film oriented. It is my way of moving forward. Quite simply, I don’t let go of movies”. I finally extracted that he does go swimming. “When there is clean water. Or I meditate, or I play tennis, but I don’t have that time often. This holiday season is the first time I have had a month off,” he adds. And when I say there must be something to get work out of his system, Richardson
ABOVE Although Robert has just been awarded a Lifetime Achievement award he is showing no signs of slowing down
50 DEF I N I T ION | MARCH 20 1 9
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