Ratner: AFTER THE HIT, BOOM!
MY INTEREST IN FILMS BEGAN IN MY CHILDHOOD, FOR SURE,
WHEN I WAS 8 YEARS OLD
AND I WAS GIVEN A GIFT OF A SUPER 8 CAMERA.
AND I STARTED MAKING THESE SUPER 8 FILMS.
I LIVED IN MIAMI BEACH.
AND I REMEMBER IN HIGH SCHOOL, CONVINCING MY TEACHERS --
SAY, IF I WOULD TAKE A HISTORY CLASS,
MR. ADAMS WOULD GIVE YOU A TEST EVERY FRIDAY.
I SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M NOT REALLY GOOD AT TESTS.
"LET ME JUST DO A FILM. I'LL SHOW IT TO THE CLASS.
"IT WILL BE MUCH MORE ENTERTAINING.
IT WILL BE MUCH MORE FUN FOR EVERYBODY."
I ATE, SLEPT, AND BREATHED FILM.
WHEN I WAS WATCHING MOVIES WHEN I WAS A KID,
I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW IT WAS ACCOMPLISHED,
HOW THEY DID IT, HOW IT WAS DONE.
IT WAS JUST --
IT WOULD TAKE ME TO PLACES THAT I NEVER DREAMED OF GOING.
AND SO, THAT WAS WHAT WAS SO EXCITING ABOUT IT.
AND IT STILL DOES THAT EVEN THOUGH I UNDERSTAND.
AND PEOPLE SAY, "OH, IS IT HARD FOR YOU TO WATCH YOUR MOVIE?"
I'M LIKE, "NO. I'M THE BEST AUDIENCE MEMBER
BECAUSE I GET CAUGHT UP IN THE STORY."
I ALWAYS GET LOST IN IT.
ONE OF THE FILMS THAT WAS REALLY KIND OF PART OF MY YOUTH
BECAUSE I LOVED HIP-HOP MUSIC, I LOVED MARTIAL ARTS,
I WAS A KARATE KID, WAS "ENTER THE DRAGON."
AND THE THING THAT I GOT FROM THAT MOVIE
WAS THE SCORE WAS UNBELIEVABLE.
IT WAS A COMBINATION OF URBAN GROOVES
AND KIND OF CHINESE INSTRUMENTATIONS TOGETHER.
IT FIT THE MOVIE PERFECTLY.
IT WAS JUST A BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT SCORE.
AND I THINK THEY SAMPLES BRUCE LEE'S VOICE, "WAH!"
AND PUT IT IN THERE.
IT WAS REALLY COOL.
SO, I ALWAYS HAD MY MIND SET
TO WORK WITH THAT COMPOSER, LALO SCHIFRIN.
SO, I HAD THE IDEA OF "RUSH HOUR"
JUST FROM THE MUSIC OF "ENTER THE DRAGON."
AND I WANTED TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM
BECAUSE ONE DAY I KNEW I WAS GONNA DO A MOVIE
LIKE "RUSH HOUR."
AND SO, I HIRED HIM TO DO "MONEY TALKS," MY FIRST MOVIE.
I GREW UP LOVING ACTION MOVIES
AND, YOU KNOW, BILLY FRIEDKIN, OF COURSE,
AND MARTY BREST AND THESE GUYS, "BEVERLY HILLS COP"
AND "48 HRS." AND ALL THESE MOVIES,
'CAUSE THAT'S THE GENERATION I GREW UP WITH.
WHEN YOU TALK TO SCORCESE OR SPIELBERG,
AND THEY HAVE THE SAME REFERENCES --
YOU KNOW, THEY BOTH LOVE MICHAEL POWELL'S "PEEPING TOM,"
THAT'S THE GENERATION.
THEY WATCHED IT PROBABLY AT A SIMILAR AGE.
SO, IF YOU ASK PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON,
WHO'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FILMMAKER THAN ME
AND A GREAT FILMMAKER,
AND YOU SAY, "WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE FILMS?"
I BET YOU HIS FIVE FAVORITE FILMS,
IT'S THE EXACT SAME MOVIES
ONLY BECAUSE OF THE AGE WE WERE WHEN WE ACTUALLY SAW IT.
SO, HAL ASHBY IS A BIG ONE FOR ME.
"BEING THERE" IS MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE MOVIE
BECAUSE OF THE TONE OF THE MOVIE,
'CAUSE EVERYTHING IS TONE.
AND YOU WATCH THAT MOVIE, AND YOU'RE LIKE,
"WOW, THIS IS A COMEDY, BUT IT'S SHOT LIKE A DRAMATIC FILM."
SO, HERE'S MY MOVIE CLOSET.
YOU KNOW, ALL THE CRITERION MOVIES.
THIS STUFF IS ALL DIGITIZED NOW ON A COMPUTER,
AND IT GOES ON MY TVs AND ALL MY TVs IN MY HOUSE.
SO, YOU KNOW.
HERE'S BRUCE LEE'S NUNCHUKS FROM ONE OF HIS MOVIES.
MOVIES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MY LIFE.
IT'S BEEN SOMETHING THAT I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF.
AND I BECAME AN AVID COLLECTOR OF MOVIE MEMORABILIA
BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS LOVED PROPS FROM MOVIES.
AND I HAVE WAREHOUSES FILLED WITH PROPS I COLLECT.
I MEAN, EVERY STORY BOARD, EVERY PRODUCTION DOCUMENT,
EVERYTHING FROM EVERY ONE OF MY MOVIES.
I'M ALSO A COLLECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
AND PHOTOGRAPHS FROM SETS OF MOVIES.
BRIGITTE LACOMBE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHERS,
AND SHE SHOT, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE SCORCESE ON-SET PHOTOGRAPHY.
SO, I HAVE A BOOK ON ROMAN POLANSKI'S
"ROSEMARY'S BABY" SET.
IF THIS HOUSE WAS BURNING DOWN AND I COULD TAKE ONE BOOK,
I'D PROBABLY TAKE THAT BOOK WITH ME.
AND THAT'S WHY WHEN I HEARD THE ACADEMY WAS DOING A MUSEUM,
THAT -- I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE EXCITED.
YOU LEARN SO MUCH FROM THE EXPERIENCE.
I MEAN, YOU COULD, YOU KNOW --
YOU READ BOOKS, YOU CAN STUDY STUFF.
NOW, OF COURSE, THERE'S THE INTERNET.
BUT TO PHYSICALLY GO AND STAND IN FRONT OF IT
GIVES YOU ANOTHER VISCERAL CONNECTION
TO THE PROCESS OF MAKING -- OF MAKING FILMS.
IF I CAN GO INTO THE TREASURE TROVE
OF SPIELBERG'S PERSONAL PROPS
OR JUST SEE IT ONE DAY ON EXHIBIT THERE,
THERE WOULD NOT BE A MORE EXCITING DAY OF MY LIFE
TO BE ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO THAT,
TO LOOK AT THE STORY BOARDS,
TO LOOK AT THE SCRIPTS WITH HIS NOTES IN THEM.
I MEAN, THAT WOULD BE JUST UNBELIEVABLE.