Peter Prickett spoke to Hungarian
director Gyorgy Palfi about Taxidermia - a darkly bizarre tale of the
male members of one family spanning three generations.
Why
did you want to make this film?
Firstly
I wanted to make a good film with unusual elements. I wanted to show
an area that is censored, to try and apply these things to a story about
family. At the same time talk about important things that are unspoken.
The body, history and society.
The first two acts are based on the works of Lajos
Parti Nagy. Where did the idea for the third part come from?
The seeds
of the idea are in the second novel. The novel shows the eating champion
reminiscing about what might have been. There is one line about the
son. It says he is a hunter who brings animal guts back to feed his
fathers cats. We filled this out and made a story for him. It was a
natural progression to taxidermy and working with bodies.
What was
it about the stories of Lajos Parti Nagy that you wanted to show the
world?
When making
the film we relied on instinct. The motifs of the stories felt right.
It was less about thought and more about inspiration. I was concerned
with the message the film expressed to me, not just the audience. If
it felt right, it went in. I also wanted to push the boundaries of censorship.
The double standard that exists, that you can show any violence but
sexuality is forbidden.
There are
many gruesome images in the film. Are they there just to push these
boundaries?
Not at
all. We decided we would pour clean water in to the glass. The story
would be crisp and lean, with nothing unnecessary. There is a story
within the film that serves as more than just provocation.
In the
film you break a film making taboo by showing the erect penis. Why did
you decide it was important to do so?
I did take
a decision on this. But I am certainly not the first director to do
so. It remains one of the big things that you cannot do. You can shoot
someone in the head, but you cannot show an erect penis.
Where do
you feel the censorship line should be?
There should
be one restriction. Anything that is gratuitous should be cut. I tried
to cut everything unnecessary, anything that is just decoration. The
only restriction should be on things that serve no narrative purpose.
