drinking". w'ondcring whcn I atn going to bc in a moyic again. If I changcd carccrs that would bc an ady‘cnturc too. l‘y'c bccn thinking about it. I‘d likc to writc plays.‘
It's a nicc thought. but unlikcly. Murray comcs from a tradition ol comic charactcr actors who undcrplay. Born to a largc family in Wilmcttc. Illinois in NS“ Murray moycd l‘rom caddying with his siblings (his l'athcr was goll‘ lanatic boy. nuist hc hayc bccn disappoinch whcn hc saw his son in a low budgct comcdy' callcd ('m/rlyzs’liut‘k in NS”) to bcing arrcstcd lor marijuana posscssion and thcn onto work with thc .\'ulionul Lampoon Radio Hour show and Salim/(1y .Vi'g/n Liw' with John Bclushi. l)an Ackroyd and (iilda Radncr. 'l‘hc t'cst. as thcy say. has bccn as broad as it is occasionally brilliant. from (ilim‘I/mstt'rs‘ to Mad Dog and Glory“ and iii coursc (hound/mg Day. It sccms somctitncs that Murray‘s day will ncy'cr cnd but it surc has comc. ll’l)l
ls thcrc so much ‘dcsigif in ’I'lu' Lili' .‘lqlltlllt' that it loscs thc plot'.’ 'l‘hat‘s thc \‘icw ol- somc critics. and it's not hard to see why. Much of thc film was shot on a Vast stagc at Italy‘s (‘inccitta studios. taking thc l'orm ol‘ a cross scclion down the cntirc lcngth ot' a boat »— Stcxc '/.issou's bcloy'cd \csscl. thc Bclal'ontc.
Dircctor Wcs Andcrson commissioncd this liy'c storey-high doll‘s housc. and then ust a crane to film action as it moycd around thc ship. ‘Rcally. that inspired mc to do thc cntirc moy'ic.~ hc explains. ‘I had bccn thinking about how to do it for ycars and ycars and I knew it was going to bc
a hugc cl'l’ort to build somcthing likc that' To crcatc thc most lil’clikc shooting conditions. :\ndcrson also bought a largc boat and sailcd it along with all thc cast in thc .\lcditcrrancan. to capturc somc ol thc lilm‘s documcntary-stylc l'ootagc. ’\\'c sct otll lol' this littlc Volcanic island. and it was \cry rough scas and ncarly cycry'body got scasick and yct wc had an ama/ing timcf hc says. ‘\\'hcn you'rc on a boat Iikc that. it bccomcs a wry intimatc thing.‘
Sci all this maritimc action against thc hallucinogcnic stop-motion animatcd undcrwatcr world ol thc rcst ol‘ thc l‘ilm. complctc with madc-up crcaturcs such as thc Rat ’l‘ailcd linyclopc liish. and you hayc thc potcntial l‘or \‘isual oycrdosc.
But ultimatcly. ;\ndcrson w rotc this moy‘ic‘ with its cast. and Murray in particular. in mind. ‘Bill’s a wry physical actor] says .'\ndcrson. 'llc might not hayc thc build of a l)i(' Hard-cra Brucc Willis. but hc has thc samc dcsirc. And I was always cxcitcd by thc idca ol him doing a shoot» out in a spccdo. robc and llip-llops.' .'\nd thc cast
is unitcd in agrccing that. w hatcycr thc mcrits of
its plot. Andcrson‘s singular approach and cxtraordinary scts crcatc a backdrop for somc
‘WES' CHARACTERS ALWAYS KIND OF BRIDGE FANTASY AND REALITY, WHICH MAKES THEM VERY UNPREDICTABLE'
stcllar pcrltirmanccs.
l-‘or comic actor Bud (‘ort. working with this singular dircctor was a rcyclation: ‘llc's onc ot' thosc lilmmakcrs who is taking tilm into ncw tcrritory. and thank (iod tor that. \Vcs is rcally on his own planct. yct lic’s absolutcly lastidiotls and totally in command.’ t \lh
ll Murray is a ncar constant lorcc throughout .-\ndcrson's moy ics. thcn hc can bc sccn as a hub around which a plcthora ol supporting playcrs rcyolyc. .-\ quick scan down thc cast list lor .\ If]? nit/mun" giycs up llollywood .\ listct's. \ctcran thcatrc lcgcnds and on»thc»risc indic moyic hcrocs rcsting comt‘ortably shouldcr to shouldcr. cgos and monstcr pay chccks chcckcd in at [lic‘ tlool'.
'l‘hc qucstion is. how is somconc likc .-\nt,lcrson ablc to gathcr such stcllar and incrcdibly diy‘crsc cast lists'.’ Budchcd at $5011). .-l [in .'l(/ll(lll(' is. by modcrn lilmmaking standards. a small moy‘ic. But how do you cnd tip with ('atc Blanchctt. Aniclica lltlstolt. .lcll‘ ( itlltll‘llllll.
.\lichacl (iambon and Willcm l)al'oc in thc b
'2» ‘ fl 70:, 222‘, THE LIST 19