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"Merce Cunningham" director Charles Atlas answers a few questions for AMERICAN MASTERS ONLINE.
Q: When did you first become aware of Cunningham?
I first met Merce Cunningham in 1971 and in 1974 began collaborating with
him over a period of ten years making "media/dances", works combining dance
with film and video, pieces made for the camera. After 1983, I started to
work for televison both in the US and in Europe and became involved in
creating video installations shown in museums and art galleries.
Q: What first got you interested in doing a film on Merce Cunningham?
In 1999 a French producer asked me if I would be interested in doing a
biographical documentary about Merce and his work. This appealed to me for
two reasons. One, I had never made this type of televison program before, and
secondly, it would give me the pleasure of reacquainting myself with
Cunningham's dances and a chance to work with him again for the first time in
more than 15 years. I thought it would be a challenge to convey my
admiration and enthusiasm for this man, often thought to a mandarin of 20th
century art, to a broad television audience.
Q: Please describe you approach to the film.
My goal in making the film was to create an intimate portrait of a working
artist and a unique thinker. Cunningham is still, at age 82, questioning the
way he looks at the world. I wanted to tell the story of Cunningham as a
legendary dancer and an innovative choreographer developing ideas that
revolutionized modern dance. I also wanted to provide glimpses of the
playful side of Cunningham, his wry humor, the choreographer as showman.
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