Topic: A discussion with Tony Marsiglia

[Jimmy]

Two weeks ago I got in my PM box an astonishing message. It was from Tony Marsiglia a a director for whom I reviewed most of his movies for this website, no need to say it was a pleasant surprise. After some PM exchange, we come to an agreement for a short interview.

I hope you will appreciate the outcome of this two weeks exchange.  

You began your career in the live theater field – was this in classical or experimental theater?

I began by taking any and every job possible in the theatre as that was the only place I truly felt alive. And as an actor. Still true to this day. Best – at that time - was a short stint at South Coast Rep in Costa Mesa. I’d grown up watching their productions as a teen so it was a dream to work there as an actor. Got the job due to a company member taking a shine to me. George Archambeault. A genius actor and director I’d taken a few classes with. He got me the audition. They liked me and hired me to do a few plays. A ‘dream time’ in my life. Thought it would last forever.

Did you work only as a stage director or did you work as a writer as well?

Always as an actor.

Is the live theater scene in California a healthy one or do you fell all of the attention there is on film industry?

I don’t get to the theatre much anymore – too expensive and too depressing. The only true artist in the theatre of the last 20 years was Reza Abdoh. The guy was a master. Sadly, he died of AIDS in his early 30’s. A shame. His work revitalized theatre. Nothing in the theatre today can match his vision. Sad only a few managed to see his work. Those that did are marked for life! I was lucky to have known and worked with him – if only briefly.

Did your theater experience help a lot when it came time to make your first film, Phoenix?

Hard – no, impossible for me to talk about PHOENIX – everything I have to say about that film is on the commentary for that film.

The black & white cinematography brings a lot to the beauty of the film. Did you plan from the start to shoot the film in black and white?

Yes – even had the crazies to think id shoot it myself – some of the test footage I shot is on the dvd as an extra – thank god I hired someone as at that point I did not know how to operate the camera.

After this film there was a long period in which you developed scripts for Chris Nebe. To the best of my knowledge none of them have been made into films. Did you wind up using some of the ideas from these scripts for other projects?

That was a dark time of my life. Quit a great day job. Planned for making a foray into MAJOR film making due to interested producers. Left an almost perfect relationship – and then – it all fell apart! The producers bailed. Was almost the end of me. I will not forget sitting in a movie theater watching Oliver Stone’s U TURN from noon till 3am for 2 days straight when I learned the news of its demise. Came close to ending my life.

2003 was the beginning of your association with Michael Rasso and E.I. Independent Cinema. What was the genesis of this association?

Mike Raso was the major thrust in the creation of many of my films. I am forever grateful to him for that opportunity. Also important to know that I never made a dime off those films. I was paid, but every penny went back into the movies. Mostly into editing gear. Lost a job over it. Lost the love of my life over it. Lost my reputation. In retrospect, I lost myself.

Sadly, our relationship is over. A miscommunication in what I thought he’d do for my independent film SUZIE ended it. Both our faults as I see it. Sure he thinks differently. Dunno.

Would still love to have a good sit down in person to person interview with him before I die. Lotsa history there. I will always be grateful to Mr. Raso – and sad that our relationship ended as it did.

Yet, I still have hope that we may do something together again – if nothing else – an interview with all the participants of the era he created.

Hope he does it – and soon – before we’re all gone.  

Dr. Jekyll & Mistress Hyde, your first movie for E.I. Independent Cinema, more or less used the usual E.I. Studio formula. Did you have your say on this one or was this Bruce Hallenbeck's scenario ‘as is?’

Bruce is an amazing writer. I just made the script a little bit better because I was there with the actors. He was not.

Sin Sisters is the only one of your movies I still have not seen. Could you tell me more about this one?

BUY IT! – a 3 day miracle shoot! One of my best scripts.

The first time I read the synopsis of Lust for Dracula I must admit I was quite confused, but after watching it I must say I really enjoyed it. Where did you get the idea for this one, making a film based on the Dracula story with an all-female cast?

Came from Raso – the idea of an all female cast for DRACULA. My favorite of the films with him. He hates it - I think – know it lost some money as far as my sources tell me.

This guy wrote an excellent review for it – probably the only person I know of how ‘got it’.

This was the first film where Misty Mundae really showed her talent as an actress, did it take a lot of work to get that performance out of her or did it come out naturally?

I love and miss Misty. Not on that first one –we were both pretty wary of each other - but on all the films that followed – we had complete trust with each other after that one.

Miss her. Love her. Only wish her well – and long for the days when we all thought making movies together would last forever.

Woof.

Sinful, your next film, was very different from what E.I. Independent Cinema was doing at that time as it was a drama that seems to have been taken from one of the many scary news items that we see in the newspapers almost every day. It seems that this film can be analyzed in more than one way, by example: to me it seems that everything happens in the Lilith’s head but other viewers have interpreted those same events as actually happening in the story. Was it a deliberate choice to make the story this way and leave it open to interpretation?

Like PHOENIX – this is a very personal film. Listen to the commentary on it.

Misty Mundae, in Chantal, gives the best performance of her career but she is not the only one. It is with this film that I realized the great talent of Andrea Davis (I really do not understand why she does not get more work) and Julian Wells gives a great performance considering how little screen time she gets. Considering the subject of the film was it a difficult experience for them?

The work day – 20 hours – did not allow for thought – it was all only a drive to complete the vision. Crazy in retrospect – but the only way to complete any film with no budget to be shot on film.

Your next project was Suzie Heartless, which is, as I have already written a masterpiece and one of the best films I've seen in the last 30 years.

The greatest strength of this film is the performance of Wendy McColm and it's amazing to see all the emotions she can convey without saying a single word. How did you find her?

Through an audition. Went through zillions of girls. Mostly talented - but too old.

Then Wendy walked in the door!

Was hours away from cancelling the production.

Then Wendy walked in.

The 2nd dream of my life.

And my best film. And most personal.

After this film you returned to the theater with Sprung: A Love Story which seems to be a dramatic work on the ravages caused by drug abuse. Can you tell us more about this project because I could not find much information on it?

Here is the review of the play:

The “sprung” in writer-director Tony Marsiglia’s off-kilter, comic Grand Guignol carries multiple connotations for his antihero chemist, Samuel Nathanson (Marsiglia in a compelling performance). There is the sense of obsessive infatuation, although in the 49-year-old Nathanson’s case, it is not for his 20-year-old, pregnant girlfriend, Tracy (co-writer Donna Kane), but for the MDMA and methamphetamine crystals he cooks up and deals from his living room lab. That he also loves to ingest the particularly potent creations he calls “red doxies” leads to the second sense — the spaced-out, psychotropic paranoia produced by his ecstasy-eating diet. Finally there is the haywire clockwork sense of his tightly wound existence coming unsprung before our very eyes. As the wild-eyed Nathanson painfully rehearses for the important job interview he is clearly in no shape to make, a succession of skeevy ravers (Jeremy Gladen and Lucas Salazar), psychotic tweakers (a charismatic Tom Wiilde and scene-stealing Amelia Gotham), malevolent cops (Gladen and Jim Eshom) and even a vindictive third wife (Denise Devlin) collide in his seedy apartment and derail his belated attempts to get his runaway train of a life back on track. Marsiglia, a direct-to-DVD horror auteur, successfully transfers his black, surrealist humor to the stage, racking up laughs, an impressive body count and a surprisingly authentic portrayal of the retreat into solipsistic self-destruction that awaits substance abusers of any stripe.

Are you considering this play for your next film?

It’s already done. Shot it with – mostly – the same cast the week after the play closed. Am editing the rough cut now.

Can we expect this film or another one in a near future?

Have 2 more completed scripts I want to make before I go – THE XTRA and ALICE.

Sadly, ALICE was to have been completed by now.

Worked with an LA theatre company for a year and developed an intimate relationship with the cast in a long running show. Wrote a script around those friends – ALICE – a twisted variation on Carroll’s’ WONDERLAND.

Had everything in place – then at the last minute – the lead actress got cold feet. Broke me in every way possible. The entire success of it lay at her feet. And she left.

Why? I will never know. All’s I know was that it ended me creatively and financially for these past 2 years.

Was a loss of trust that I hadn't felt since that Nebe experience I spoke of earlier.

Is there a way to help you to realize this project?

YES! – Please buy my film SUZIE HEARTLESS (which includes my first film PHOENIX) for less than 10 bucks off eBay! I have 100’s of copies. I need to sell as many as possible to make my next feature with a new cast.

Before ending this article I must thank Tony Marsaglia for the time he granted me for this interview. For me it was a chance to speak with someone I admire and I was not deceived, Tony is really a nice guy.

I must thank also Ian Jane of the Rock! Shock! Pop! website and forum. Ian is the reason why my questions are written in a better english form than what I usually write.

You can also read my reviews of Dr. Jekyll & Mistress Hyde, Lust for Dracula, Sinful, Chantal and Suzie Heartless on this website.

Finally your comments, good or not, are welcome.

[Najemikon]

Well done, Jimmy! Excellent work.

Did he find you through DVDCOL, or do you mean another site?

[Jimmy]

From our own website
Looks like the days of our little hippie commune are over, so it's time to cut our long hippie hair

[Kathy]

Congratulations Jimmy. 

It's pretty great that someone you admire reached out to you - simply amazing.

[Dragonfire]

That's really nice that he contacted you..and answered your questions. 

[samuelrichardscott]

Fascinating read. Thanks Jimmy (and Tony).

[Alien Redrum]

Congrats, Jimmy! That's really cool.

[Achim]

Awesome!

[RossRoy]

Wow that's awesome Jimmy, good job! 

[Jimmy]

Thanks guys

[hal9g]

Nice job, Jimmy.  Very impressive!   

[addicted2dvd]

I finally got the chance to read this Jimmy.... great job! Thanks for sharing. 

[KinkyCyborg]

Great interview Jimmy! 

You'd be surprised how often artists look for and read reviews of their work and reach out to the authors. We were lucky to secure some interviews for our Video Vault blog that we were pretty excited about as well including another indie movie icon, Larry Fessenden, Secret of The Kells director Tomm Moore, Damned By Dawn director Brett Anstey, one of the premier scream queens Tiffany Shepis (I'm sure you know who she is Jimmy), and the one interview we are most proud of is with REC & REC 2 directors Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró.

It's refreshing to see artists who appreciate their fans and reward them with interviews like these. You must feel like a kid in a candy store right now Jimmy! Your questions were great and well crafted. He really seemed to open up to you about some very personal subjects.