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Montecito Journal, January 29, 2009 |
Montecito at the Movies by Steven Libowitz,
She hasn’t called Montecito home for more than 16 years, but “The Brothers Warner” writer director Cass Warner lived here for three years during high school in the mid 1960s, returned for another five-year stint in 1968 and spent another decade in Montecito beginning in 1982.
The granddaughter of Harry Warner, one of the founders of the seminal film studio that bears his name, Warner now lives in Painted Cave. But she raised her kids in a home on Schoolhouse Road – they went to MUS. Her son, Cole Hauser, 33, with her former husband, actor Wing Hauser, toils in the family profession, too; his more than 30 credits include
starring opposite Kathy Bates in Tyler Perry’s 2008 film “The Family that Preys.”
“The Brothers Warner” uses archival as well as personal footage to tell the story of the four immigrant brothers from Poland who formed the famous studio, including the family drama of sibling rivalry, employing memories, research and interviews with Dennis Hopper and Montecito resident Haskell Wexler, among others.
Q. What drove you to make this movie at this point in your life?
A. Chutzpah and courage. I had written a book on my family that came out in 1993, called “Hollywood Be Thy Name: the Warner Brothers Story.” And I’ve always thought of it cinematically. I originally tried to do it as a miniseries. But when I saw a spec script that was all about the dirt and scandal, which wasn’t the story I wanted to tell,I decided
it should be a documentary so the facts would all be there: If someone later tells the story some other way we’ll still have the truth.
Q. So it was to set the record straight?
A. Yeah, absolutely. Harry’s youngest brother, Jack, survived him, and the true story got altered. Jack was very much into promoting the idea that he was the one who did everything. I’ve been researching this for thirty years. So there was a clear evolution of the story.
Q. You’re the producer, the director, the narrator and the subject’s granddaughter. Did you ever wonder if perhaps you were too close to the project?
A. Not at all. What it did was give me all the more reason and resources to put in details that nobody else would know. I knew my grandfather personally as well as his background. My father worked on the lot and was often the referee between Jack and Harry. I heard all those stories growing up. I knew the battles, and how bitter they were. But then
I’d go to the lot and see this thriving, creative art form process going on. They were partners and they did a damn good job in that area. But behind the scenes it was another story. It always fascinated me how they could create that studio and yet be such bitter enemies.
Q. Has the experience been cathartic? Are you ready to close the chapter and leave it behind you?
A. It’s a wonderful continuation of a purpose for me, namely, to let people know that there were once guys who pioneered the business and actually had a social conscience. They used film to educate and entertain and enlighten – that was the original motto for the studio. I’m hoping to remind other filmmakers that they do have this
incredible, powerful tool in their hands. So it furthers my goals and purposes to carry that legacy on and remind people of that responsibility that comes with the power.
Q. What’s next?
A. I have a couple of other films I’m passionate about. There’s a feature called “A Shade of Gray” which I nurtured into a script and co-wrote, based on a true story. It’s told through the eyes of two children, one white and one black. And like “To Kill a Mockingbird,” it teaches kids about prejudice and how friendship survives that. It’s ready to go, we’re just missing the money.
Q. What memories do you have of Montecito?
A. It’s where I wrote the book, at our house on Schoolhouse Road. My dog would come and get me at 5 pm every day to go for a walk. That was the reward for working. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t acknowledge how much I appreciated where I was.
(“The Brothers Warner” plays Thursday at 1 pm at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and Saturday at 6:30 pm at Victoria Hal |
