Man bites Dogme
Gypo is the first British Dogme movie. Actor PAUL MCGANN finds the whole idea decidedly dodgy, but in this case he was not deterred. He tells Miles Fielder why he was happy to improvise the role of a racist.
aul Mc(iann is taking a break from the
chorus line. ‘l‘m doing a Miss Marplef
he says. evidently in high spirits. This is not. as it turns out. thespian shorthand for playing a drag queen. rather a reference to his latest acting job for telly. ‘We‘re in a church hall in Teddington. and I play a member of a 1930s singing and dancing troupe. along vvith Martin (‘lunes. Davvn l‘rench and Russ Abbott. It‘s a crap dance troupe.’ Mc(}ann laughs. ‘But it‘s great fun.’
McUann‘s taking time out to talk to me about his nevv lilm. (iv/m. vvhich. having gone dovvn a storm at the (‘annes liilm liestival tvvhere it was the only British film picked up for [S
44 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE ‘- ‘
distribution). receives its British premiere at the lidinburgh International Film l‘estival. It‘s about a dysfunctional working-class Kent coast family (vvith McGann playing the man about the house vvho’s on the verge of a nervous breakdovvn) into whose lives a young Romany (‘zech asylum seeker unexpectedly arrives.
(iypu is also notable for being the first British film made under the ten rules of chastity as set out by Lars von Trier and Thomas \'interberg in their l)ogme‘)5 back-to-basics filmmaking manifesto. In addition to adhering to the rules
(which are designed to reject the artifice of
modern. hi—tech cinema through. for example. the preclusion of props. sets and non-natural lighting) vvriter-director .lan Dunn had her cast improvise their dialogttc. based on scenarios
outlined in her script. In keeping with many of
the Dogme films (most notably \'interberg's listen and von Trier‘s 'l'lu' [din/x). (iv/m comes loaded vvith shock value.
'What a title.’ says Mc(iann. '(iypo? My character screams it at someone. It‘s such a pejorative vvord. It's a spit. like “cunt”. Initially. I thought. "No. you can‘t be serious." .\'ovv. I can see the vvisdom of it.‘
It took McGann a vvhile to see the vvisdom of
making (iypo at all. largely because Dunn approached him empty-handed. 'l got a phone call from Jan Dunn. I didn't knovv her. She said. "I’m this British filmmaker. and we’re going to make this thing. and this is hovv it's going to be.
it H ima/MM "'5
Do you vvant to meet for a cttp of tea?" So. vvc met and we talked. But there vvas no script. just the germ of the idea. So you‘re talking in the abstract. In the normal course ofevents you get a script. read the thing and decide if you like the part. But with this it vvas. "Do you fancy coming dovvn to Thanet and playing this character.”
Mc(}ann decided he did fancy playing the character. which in keeping vvith Dogme's minimalist/transparent aesthetic is named Paul. So he vvent dovvn to the south coast of lingland and. for l3 days of filming. improvised vvith his cast. vvhich includes Pauline Mcl.ynn. Rula Lenska and nevvcomer (‘hloe Sirenc.
‘\\'e vvere tnaking technical mistakes early on.' says Mc(iann. ‘l‘or exatnple. a scene around a dinner table: no one \vould allovv silence. as would be realistic. You felt compelled to contribute something. So vvc all talked too much. did too much. But real people aren’t like that. ’l‘here's often a temptation to display your whole character in two minutes. and the improvisational process makes that more acute. So it vvas like. “I'm playing a racist so I‘d better say something racist." But even racists sit still and quiet from time to time. vyatching the telly. vvalking the dog. having a bath. You have to get to know people to lind out vvhat they’re like. and characters should be no different. It was only as we got used to the process that we could factor in silences. the human thing. and then the relationships became more realistic.’