"My only hope is that this movie could be the first of a whole different kind of film." - Harmony Korine

In 1995, a group of filmmakers got together to write a manifesto and sign a vow of 'cinematic chastity'. A few years on, 'Dogma '95' had attracted extensive media attention, and the digital techniques the Dogma films were using had become recognised as the way forward for cinema. Yet, Lars Von Trier and his fellow 'Dogmen' were looking for a worthy, innovative US 'auteur' to spread the Dogma word in the States and initiate the American 'new wave'.

Up until that point, Californian Harmony Korine had, at the age of 19, written the script for Larry Clark's highly controversial Kids, and directed his equally controversial first feature, Gummo. At the Toronto Film Festival, Korine's producer Cary Woods was approached by Thomas Vinterberg at a screening of his film 'Festen' (Dogme I), enquiring about the possibility of Korine making a Dogma film. Woods told Vinterberg he held out little hope of Korine agreeing, knowing his aversion to conforming. However, when Vinterberg called Korine in New York to put to him the proposal of joining the Dogma brotherhood, he was keen to take up the challenge, recognising the pioneering opportunities in the world of Dogma. In the Dogma filmmakers Korine saw his only peers: people trying to push the boundaries of cinema, who also saw film as a growing art form.

Korine had already been working on julien donkey-boy (review), the eponymous central character based on his schizophrenic uncle, Eddy. The two had spent a considerable amount of time together, and Korine had developed a true understanding of his uncle's - and Julien's - way of thinking. Yet, when the script was written, it contained absolutely no dialogue, and instead consisted of full, poetic descriptions of each scene. Yet, despite this potential for change, Ewen Bremner, the actor who plays Julien, sees the finished film as being entirely faithful to the original script: "What the script wanted, the film did."

Everything about the film was different or new; in particular, the use of cameras was very novel. In co-ordination with the FBI surveillance team, tiny DV 'spy cams' were produced that were placed on hats or watches, or were used as hidden cameras. This last function was used in the final scene of the film, where real people on a bus were the extras, their genuine responses to Bremner carrying a dead foetus being captured. The look of the film is completely different to anything ever seen before. Korine had set out to create a film that could have been discovered by someone, even from 30 or 40 years ago. This strange, distinct look was achieved in many different ways. Among other things, 'frozen' shots were superimposed in camera, Polaroid stills were used, and the video was transferred onto 16mm reversal stock before being blown up to 35mm using an optical printer. DV technology allowed this such complicated procedures, and the speed and ease of use of the cameras meant that after an intense 24-day shoot, Korine presented his editor with 86 hours of footage.

Having been friends since Korine saw him in Mike Leigh's 'Naked', Ewen Bremner was just the sort of calibre of actor needed to pull off the very challenging part of Julien. 'julien' was the first film on which Korine was to use professional actors, having used amateurs and first-timers on 'Gummo'. It was very exciting for him to be working with what Cary Woods calls a "powerhouse" actor such as Bremner, who "gives his guts" in every performance.

This commitment was demonstrated quite clearly, with Bremner spending four months doing preparation and research before filming began. He worked for several months in an institution for the criminally insane in Queens, New York, and Korine told him many fantastical stories about his uncle Eddy, although, as Bremner subtly puts it, "not all of them were totally true." The only worry Korine had had about Bremner tackling the part had been concerning the accent, but this proved not to be a problem. 'Disciplined' is the word Bremner uses to describe his time playing Julien. He spoke with Julien's accent both on and off the set, and avoided meeting Scottish friends who had come to see him lest his focus should be in any way disturbed. It was very hard, he said, to be an American all the time. Though he says that he "really love[s] the film", Bremner freely admits to it having been a "huge relief" to get out of Julien at the end of the shoot.

Like Bremner, Werner Herzog, the legendary German director who plays Julien's father, was friends with Korine before he started work on 'julien donkey-boy'. "If you ever write a maniacal part, please call me," Herzog had said.

After writing 'julien', Korine did contact Herzog, who encouraged him to rewrite in a truly radical way, as he should "Be bold, you're the last foot-soldier in this army." Cary Woods identified the "special bond" between the two directors. Woods saw it as a "great honour" to work with the much revered German, and was deeply impressed with his contribution to the film: "He saw what was sought, and gave more". With the style of script the film was using, there was great scope for actors to contribute their own lines, and Korine was very enthusiastic to incorporate many of the amazing and outlandish stories Herzog related to him. Though Bremner respectfully calls him "very insightful", an anecdote about Herzog reveals his slightly 'eccentric' side. On the day after shooting a scene in which he had to perform a difficult acrobatic flip, Herzog turned up with a seriously swollen ankle. Despite having perfected the flip on the third or fourth take, he continued to perform the stunt, each time risking hurting himself. In reply to the question why he had done this, he simply said he didn't feel like he was doing a movie unless he got injured.

Cary Woods tells an interesting story about Bremner's ability to get inside a character completely: when the pair met up a while after filming had finished, the person Woods met was totally new. Previously he had not known the real Ewen, only Julien, the donkey-boy.

Nicholas Dawson

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