There Be Dragons Movie Interview

Staff writer James Vaughn, Jr. had a brief Q&A session with Academy Award-nominated writer/producer Roland Joffe about his new film There Be Dragons. Find out more about the film and how it relates to the Christian culture by reading this short and interesting interview. For more information on There Be Dragons - visit http://www.dragonsresources.com/

JV: Roland, you have quite a reputation as this new movie nears national release, what are some key principles that are a part of your every day work ethic that attributes your success?

RJ: I think it’s difficult to live a full life, as a human being, without breaking many eggs. And, I suppose, if I look at the number of eggs I’ve broken, there’s a considerable number! When I've actually thought of what that means, I've realized that life asks you a very important question: ‘Can I contextualize myself, in the world, and realize that my own personal success is part of a web. Nothing has ended when you think it ends because we’re all part of this web. If we hold a grudge, it is entirely destructive, because it means that, instead of surmounting what life offers us and in a free way making something creative of it - we freeze over, in anger, and destroy potentiality. And life is all about potentiality, it seems to me.

For readers who are unfamiliar with Roland Joffe, can you share a brief resume with us?

I’m a two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Director for The Mission and The Killing Fields. I’ve also directed City of Joy, The Scarlet Letter, Fat Man & Little Boy, and the list goes on and on. In the ‘70s I directed a number of television series such as Headmaster and Bill Brand and as for recent endeavors, There Be Dragons is the latest project on my resume. The film hits theaters nationwide on May 6th.

Give a brief synopsis of There Be Dragons.

There Be Dragons is an epic tale of revolutionaries and saints in a time of civil war; a story of love and heroism amid jealousy, hatred and violence; and a heartbreaking drama about the power of forgiveness to break the chains of the past.

There are constant themes that run through my movies that have to do with how human beings express themselves. The questions have been existential questions like: What does it mean to say we are human? What does it mean to say we are alive? What would we do in that last moment before we pass away on our death bed? What would we like to have achieved? What would make us feel that everything was worthwhile? I think my work has always focused on those fundamental questions.

This movie was fueled by a feeling that it is not enough to look at the world in a purely existential way. Life is too complicated, too rich and too patent for that to be a satisfactory answer and I think Josemaria agreed with that view. This movie explores how these existential questions relate to our relationships, our societal roles and our faith. I like asking these questions because I do not know the answers but I am always open to learning more and delving into conversations about life and history that explore these questions more deeply.

What attributes of this movie pertain to the term "faith based" film?

The film's protagonist is Christ. His meaning is infusing every moment in the movie; and I don't mean that in a grandiosely religious way. I mean He is there, because this is a movie about suffering. And Christ is in suffering. And, that seems to me to be something that Christ really understood. And this is something that’s profoundly understood in Christianity; and, I think, is a remarkable message. Whatever my personal beliefs about religion may be and my personal agnosticisms, I can't refute the extraordinary creative and redemptive power of that.

How does There Be Dragons compare and contrast to what we are experiencing as a nation and the world as we know it?

It is a poignant portrayal of choices we all make and how consequences ripple through history. It's profoundly told with deeply human scenes that touch the soul. It's very important metaphorically, but it’s very important as a truth. The film depicts the Spanish Civil war, which was a time of mass movements. Very similar to what has been going on in the United States and the World today. Now we have our own battles and what’s important to remember is although the wars are much more different now in modern times the general principle of humanity, forgiveness and love is the same. History changes, but constant themes do not. There Be Dragons has current themes of today’s society, in a setting of the historic Civil War. An action packed story set during a murderous time in history that ultimately serves the present by revealing the importance and timeless power of forgiveness.

What series of events led to the writing of the movie?

Well, to begin, I had grave doubts whether I was even up for this project in terms of my knowledge of religion. Religion is an immensely rich and extraordinary experience, and I thought about how I could bring something new to that experience. And I thought about that very much, and I concluded that I probably could not.

But then, one of the first producers on this movie gave me, among other things, a DVD of Josemaria to watch. And that night, after I had dinner with him, I sat down to compose a letter of thanks but also to decline the opportunity to direct: “Thanks so much… it’s been very nice meeting you… I really admire what you want to do… but I don’t think it’s for me.”

But then I played the DVD anyway, and it showed Josemaria talking with a group of people in Chile or maybe Argentina. In a big tent of people, I saw a very likeable man, a man just like you and me, someone you might sit next to on the bus. He struck me as a man who loved people. Then, a girl in the back of the audience put her hand up and said:

“Excuse me, father, but I have a question.”
He replied, “Yes, what’s your question.”

“Well, I would like to convert,” she said.
Josemaria smiled and said, “Well, of course. Please do.”

She said, “The problem is, my parents are Jewish and they would be very upset.”

And Josemaria without a pause replied: “Oh no, my dear, honoring your parents is very important to the Lord. He doesn’t want you to do anything that would upset your parents. If he is in your heart, he is in your heart. Welcome him there.”

And I thought, ‘This is wonderful. He has such respect and such love for her parents, for her and for her experience.’ Understanding her experience was so moving that I paused in writing my letter and thought, ‘I wouldn’t mind seeing that in a film.’

And so I sat down and began to write a scene. And that’s when my preparation and commitment to the film began.

What is next for Roland Joffe?

Right now, I’m filming a movie called Singularity with Neve Campbell and Josh Hartnett. It’s set to release some time next year.

Why would you consider There Be Dragons to be a faith based film?

At the heart of There Be Dragons, are the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation -- keystones which affect all of us and transcend religion and nationality.

Religion is unavoidable because religion is the incarnation of questions. One of the things I learned, at a very early age, was that we all have the same questions. I haven’t been to any culture where the questions are not profound: Why do I die? Why does love not make everything right? What’s hate? Culture is simply a different set of answers to those things. So, provided we are joined up by the questions and not worried about the difference in the answers, I think we get to a very interesting point.

You can apply the same thing to religion, in essence. The truth about any religion is that it connects something essentially fundamental. And, then, it allows you to either explore it in a structured way or in a less structured way. So, I don't think that any human being – alive and allowing themselves to live - can avoid the questions that are posed by religion. In truth, life is religion.

Is there anything else that you would like to share that I may not have gotten to?

Just watch There Be Dragons in theaters on May 6th. It will blow you away.