The Studio Commissary (The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman)
THE STUDIO CHIEF: Well, Mr. Bergman, have you made your decision? But before you answer, perhaps you are hungry. Let’s go into the commissary.
Ah, Ingmar Bergman, look around, and hear the happy happy sound Directors of all size and shapes are eating steak and munching cake Directors of a foreign stripe who’ve done quite well, see if they gripe Their vision made it here unscathed, none felt a whore, none felt he caved
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Ah, BillyWilder, sure you say, he had to come, no other way But Sunset Boulevard and such, I’d say we let him keep his touch And there, Fritz Lang, an émigré, who managed to do films his way Perhaps less stylized, so true, but then Fritz Lang, he isn’t you
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
And Alfred Hitchcock, bless his soul, there chomping on a dinner roll The Man Who Knew Too Much done twice, in Hollywood, done twice as nice And Jacques Tourneur, Cat People, great, Simone Simon, right here, so great AndMurnau, genius just like you, made Sunrise, top ten in my view Of all the films made anywhere and yet he made it here not there And Elgar Ulmer made Detour, a classic if you love film noir Von Sternberg’s eating all alone, let’s say hello, hey, Josef, phone! The point I guess is all had fears, the fears you have, these noble peers And one could quibble which was best their OldWorld work or work out west The differences are subtle, though, the language, sure, but still you know That English is the common tongue of cinema, when said or sung
Ha ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha ha
So please, dear Ingmar, think tonight, be sure the choice you make is right But there’s a table, have a seat, and here’s a menu, bon appétit