Part one can be read here.
Where did the initial idea for MIRACLE MILE come from?
It
came out of the nightmares of my generation. I guess today people
think the world is going to end from economic collapse or terrorism
or something like that, but all those pale in comparison to the nuke
threat of the Cold War. You had it drummed into you that you had to
duck, roll and cover, and that we were going to be at war. We were
going to brush
I'd
always loved the Miracle Mile section of L.A. and the tar pits, so
they came into the idea. I also remember going to a 24 hour Preston
Sturges marathon at the El Ray Theater and coming out at 4 in the
morning. The marathon was great because Sturges always had the same cast.
You could fall asleep in the middle of one movie and wake up during
the next
movie, and you'd see the same actors! That stuck in my head somehow.
L.A. goes to sleep at 10 in the evening and it's hard to find a
restaurant. The streets are empty. And I had been spooked by lonely
pay phones ringing on empty streets. So that kernel lead to the
'You're Chicken Little and you're not sure if things are happening or
not' main thrust of the film.
When
did you write it, and how long did it take to get made?
 |
| (C) Steve De Jarnatt |
I
don't think there was a single nuke movie when I wrote it. Mark
Rosenberg, who was running production at Warner Brothers, was quite a
character. He used to be in the radical underground group SDS -
Students for a Democratic Society. He wanted to use MIRACLE MILE for
The Twilight Zone or something, but he wanted the lead character to
wake up at the end and it was all a dream. Everybody always wanted to
change the ending.
How
close did it come to production before it actually got greenlit?
It
probably could have got made at Warner Brothers but they wanted me to
work on it a lot more. After I bought it back from them, Mark
Rosenberg offered me $400 or 500, 000, or whatever it was, to buy it
again. I think this might have been 1982. That was top dollar, what
Robert Towne or William Goldman was getting at that time. But I
turned it down. I
think I said if they could get George Miller, who had not long done
THE ROAD WARRIOR (1981), to direct it, I would sit on the sidelines.
But that didn’t happen, and I really saw no other choice. I didn’t
have any money, never had. I didn’t know what it would mean. I just
had to make my baby. Warner Brothers was very generous in giving it
back. I remember that Tony Bill was the producer at Warners, and he
was the guy who found new film-makers coming up, like Marty Brest who
did GOING IN STYLE (1979) with him.
What
were some of the influences on you whilst writing and making MIRACLE
MILE?
Like
everyone else I was influenced by Hitchcock. Not so much his
artifice, where he wanted to control it so much and it could be a bit
stilted, but the whole idea of a guy being over his head and not sure
what is going on. I'm not a big fan of going out there and shooting
in a shaky, fake documentary style. Something like THE FRENCH
CONNECTION (1971)
is brilliant, but real documentarians don't make their cameras go out
of focus and slop their cameras all over the place. I definitely like
clean, hard-lit films, with elegant, well planned camera moves.
Was
there any significance to BIRD OF PARADISE (1932) being on the TV?
Kathy
Orrison, who was married to Sherman Labby, the BLADE RUNNER storyboard
artist, told me about the film. It's a love story set against a
volcano, as opposed to a love story set against an impending nuclear
attack. I always like to put little background bits in there. The
character speed reading the Cliff Notes version of Gravity's Rainbow
always gets a
chuckle.
At
what point when you were dreaming up the story did the love story
aspect come into it?
I
went in and pitched it to Mark Rosenberg. I said ''It's the middle of
the night. Someone calls the wrong number. You pick up a pay phone …
They're calling from a missile silo and they say they're going to shoot
their missiles off in ten minutes. After that it'll be seventy
minutes before the Russian warheads arrive.'' It was always going to
be a real time movie from
that point in the story. I can't think of anything worse than the
world ending and being
alone. Running off to Antarctica with the guys from the diner to
''fuck penguins with Jacques Cousteau'' was not something the
audience would believe was going to be any better. From the phone
call to the end was always in the script, but we shot a whole other
version of the opening 'meet cute'. The stuff we used was stitched
together in the filmmaking process, and I'm still unsure of parts of
it. We did a lot of reshoots. It's a little bit montage-y and telling
you, not showing you, that they are in love. In an ideal world they'd
have some more scenes to build on. We would have taken more time.
There are some glimpses of an alternate version in the out-takes on
the Blu Ray.
Why
did you want to mix genres in the film?
I
wanted people to just be stunned and affected by the end. It's a very
frustrating movie. The guy doesn't save the day. He's flailing a gun
around for quite a bit which is a bit
preposterous.
He makes some wrong choices. He doesn't get away and he drowns in
tar, luckily with the one he loves. Some people just hate the movie
because he does so many frustrating and stupid things, but he's just
a trombone player, an average guy – not a Bruce Willis character.
There
was a critic in England who thought the film had the biggest lurch in
tone ever. It starts off as a sappy romantic comedy and it turns into
something less fluffy. Back then you could get away with it. Nobody
today would expect that ending. You're not allowed to have things so
bleak. I fought for eight years to get that ending but today I don't
think anybody would make it.
 |
| (C) Paul Chadwick |
I
try to get people to watch it without knowing anything about it and I
implore them to stick with it past the 80s love story! It's supposed
to operate as if it could be a dream to some degree, but then on
another level it's definitely real. You're treading that line. In the
middle of the night it's always a dreamscape. You're not sure if it's
really happening. In the department store too much time has gone by
and he comes to the point where he is a faux Chicken Little. He's
going to be in big trouble but at least the world isn't ending. Then
we dash that ‘out’ - and pull you back into doom.
What
message were you trying to convey with the film?
I
was absolutely thinking ''What can I do to scare the world to death
about a nuclear war happening?'' People think the Cold War is quaint
nowadays but I remind them that a nuclear attack is much more likely
to happen tonight than it was back then. Everyone was totally
attentive and on top of it back then. The missiles are still pointed
and ready to go
today.
All it could take is some Russian down in the missile silo, drunk on
vodka after his girlfriend has broken up with him, being unpaid for a
while, hitting that button. I don't think nuclear disarmament will
ever happen until a city gets blown off the map.
In
what ways is the film autobiographical?
Not
at all really, but in the original draft, the lead character was in
his 40s or 50s, like a Gene Hackman figure. There was once a Paul
Newman possibility for that version actually. Harry Washello hasn't
seen his ex-wife in fifteen years and barges into her home in the
middle of the night. There was a kid involved too. It wasn't two
people meeting and falling in love, and then the world ends. In some
ways, that version had stronger emotion, and
some
people didn't forgive me for changing that character in the script. I
changed that willingly though, and nobody made me do that. I did it
for personal reasons I think. A long relationship had ended, and new
love was of more interest than going back for the old. The
reconciliation factor though, was transposed to the grandparents,
which is a bit autobiographical, and was inspired by my mom’s
parents in Denver.
 |
| (C) Paul Chadwick |
No,
it was always the same structure, starting and ending at the tar
pits. The same scenes were always there. I think in a very early
draft I might have written 150 pages before the phone rings, which
was way over the top. That was never turned into to the studio. It
was just part of my process. I sometimes write 30,000 words now
before boiling a short story down to 8,000 words.
Why
do you think the film took so long to get made?
The
ending. To not have it work out, well, that wasn’t done then - and
would never even be conceived of today. But 70s movies did that. I
was forged in that era, so I thought that is what you went for in
films. When people offered me the money, I wouldn't compromise. I
tell young filmmakers now ''Don't be that pigheaded. Play the game.
Do one for them, and one for you. A la John Sayles. Make some money,
work the system and then you can make more movies.'' I think people
had respect me for not compromising, but they also wanted to know
that I was going to get in the game and play it. Back then there were
a lot of interesting indie films being made. Today it's so limited.
There are the big comic book movies. Even the indies are pretty
expensive, unless you are going to make something for $150, 000. It's
not that independent.
Once
quite a few nuclear dramas became popular were the studios more
interested in MIRACLE MILE or in letting you have your complete
vision?
My
heart kind of broke when THE DAY AFTER (1983) went huge and TESTAMENT
(1983) proved to be a a good movie. MIRACLE MILE was already regarded
as one of the ten best
unproduced
scripts on the first such list in American Film (now we have The
Black List, which gets published), and there was definitely a flurry
of activity after THE DAY AFTER, but they still wanted it to have a
happier ending.
Did
you have to make any small compromises to get the film finally made?
John
Daly at Hemdale was a tough character but he really should be more
appreciated. He won the Best Picture Oscar two years in a row with
PLATOON and THE LAST EMPEROR (1987), and he made a lot of good movies
like HOOSIERS (1986) and RIVER'S EDGE (1986). He had good instincts.
He was also a good guy - to me anyway. John would often come in and
take films away and re-edit them, but when he saw that I had put
every penny I owned into the movie he said ''If you care that much
about the movie, I'll leave you alone.'' He gave James Cameron a
second chance after PIRANHA II (1982) and made THE TERMINATOR (1984)
with him. He gave Oliver Stone the chance to make SALVADOR (1986) and
PLATOON (1986) after THE HAND (1981). If you ever want to get paid or
see some of the profits, you can forget it, though! That's why the
company went bankrupt. There are only two cuts that he made in the
film, and they are pretty minor. One was the Wilson character
carrying his sister at the top of the elevator, all bloodied. And
we had done a version of the ending where the white light at the end
sort of coalesces into two diamonds and floats away. John said
''That's too upbeat! Let's cut that out!'' It didn't really matter
though, as I was ambivalent about that particular ending anyway.
What
was the final budget?
It
was $3.7 million, below the line, and $4.4 million above the line,
total. I'm sure Hemdale sold it for $8 or 10 million and claimed it
cost that much or more!
How
was the shoot?
 |
| (C) Steve De Jarnatt |
The
actors were all you could ask for. The DP, Theo Van De Sande, was
fantastic. I had wanted him on CHERRY 2000. I had seen his reel, and
it was very eclectic. He didn't just work in one style. I have used
him on a TV pilot and many other things since. He's the guy to have
with you in the trenches. You need someone fighting as much as you to
get everything onscreen.
It
was seven weeks, all nights, with usually a dawn shot to be gotten
each morning before we wrapped. I then went and did a lot of
second-unit shots on my own dime. I would go spend amounts up to $25,
000, and sometimes John would reimburse me, but I would just go and
spend it on doing more shots. At the end, I was $150,000 in
debt, owing labs and vendors, and credit cards etc. I did not go
bankrupt though. I paid back every dime.
How
did you decide on the look of the film?
I storyboarded it many times over the years with Paul Chadwick, who now does graphic novels like Concrete and The Matrix. I looked at every film that had been shot at night. We didn't wet the streets at night, and we used no smoke, only a little neon. So we managed to somehow avoid the typical 80s look. We would be inside shooting an interior and then at the end of every night when dawn broke we would be getting shots of the lead character running around LA with the sky changing.
I storyboarded it many times over the years with Paul Chadwick, who now does graphic novels like Concrete and The Matrix. I looked at every film that had been shot at night. We didn't wet the streets at night, and we used no smoke, only a little neon. So we managed to somehow avoid the typical 80s look. We would be inside shooting an interior and then at the end of every night when dawn broke we would be getting shots of the lead character running around LA with the sky changing.
 |
| (C) Donald Burghart |
I
guess a little bit but THE TERMINATOR was using that filtery, blown
out look and I wanted something cleaner and more dream-like.
Certainly the kinetic, cinematic cutting of TERMINATOR was great at
the time. Probably that and THE ROAD WARRIOR were the best action
templates at that time and something to try and emulate.
What
would you change about the film if you could?
I
think the main thing would be the 80s hair styles! I would like to
CGI them all. I cringe every time I watch the film! I wish I had been
more particular about the hairstyles and clothes, but at the time –
these actually seemed cool believe it or not.
How
did you come to cast Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham?
After
TOP GUN (1986) Tony had a lot of heat and so it was possible to get a
low-budget film financed with him in the lead. Tony knew Mare, and
though the studio wanted to go with a more glamorous bombshell, they
seemed like a real couple and were tremendous to
work with. You couldn't hope for anything more. Anything I asked them
to do, they were there. I kept doing all these little pick-up shots
for like a year after and saying to them ''Hey, we're shooting on the
weekend. Can you come down and shoot this bit?''
Is
Tony proud of the movie? I know you have done Q and As together over
the years.
I
know it was his favorite of the films he had done for a long while. I
actually got to do some E.R. episodes with him, and I am developing
some projects with him too. Interestingly, after being friends for
many years, and having children in their marriages, he and Mare
recently became a real couple. I was astounded. Life imitates art!
So happy for them.
How
did you assemble such a great supporting cast?
 |
| (C) Donald Burghart |
How
did Eddie Bunker end up in the film?
Yes,
Eddie with the sawed off shotgun. He knew how to use one. He was a
wonderful guy. He came in and read. I still have his audition tape,
and many others, and I will be putting them up on a MIRACLE MILE
website later this year. Theo van de Sande's wife, Michele O'Hayon,
was developing one of his books, Little Boy Blue. I wanted to do a TV
project with Eddie about a halfway house with prisoners coming out
and going back in, but nothing much became of it.
How
did Tangerine Dream come to score the film?
I
remember writing the script in the middle of the night, endlessly
listening to their SORCERER (1977) soundtrack. Their music is very
connected to how the film came out of my head. Tangerine Dream is
always this one guy, Edgar Froese, and then one or two or more other
people. For MIRACLE MILE it was just Edgar and Paul Haslinger, who is scoring films now but who was a classical music prodigy at the time.
I got to work with them and it was a wonderful experience. Sadly,
Edgar passed away unexpectedly this year. A huge loss to the music
world. Paul and he were discussing trying to put out the true
underscore on a limited issue vinyl (the CD score has added
instrumentation to supplement the film score) but not sure if it
could have happened anyway.
Yes,
it did well at Toronto and Montreal. It was the first big year at
Sundance and people liked it there, but it got swept away in the
tsunami of SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE (1989). The paradigm of
independent film was being changed for the 90s. There was HEATHERS
(1988), APARTMENT ZERO (1988) and others. There were about eight
independent movies at the festival that were really good, and MIRACLE
MILE had its fans but got a bit lost in the shuffle.
Were
you happy with the reviews the film got?
It
got some great reviews, especially from New York critics, but it got
trashed by others. It was very well liked in England and other
countries but it didn't play long there either.
How
did the film do commercially?
They
sold it as an action movie, an end of the world film, and a bit of a
love story. It opened wide in New York and L.A. It did good business
for two weeks. I think it held its own against ROADHOUSE (1989), but
then INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989) came out and FIELD OF
DREAMS (1989) and some other films, and they just wiped us out of the
theaters. But people found it on VHS and DVD and I'm very happy for
it to be a cult thing. Contrary to popular belief, the film did not
lose money - except at the box office. But between foreign
territories and VHS it made $10-12 million I think. I was owed $400,
000 in residuals and a deferred salary, but I only saw a fraction of
that many years later after the Hemdale bankruptcy settled out. No
complaints. I got to make it.
What
was the impact of the movie on your career?
It
was perceived as not making any money, although it was profitable. I
was still offered movies afterwards, and I arrogantly turned down
them down. I did end up going into television.
I wrote fifteen pilots for the networks, and four of them got made. I
was very close to getting my own show on the air. I worked on the
staff of The X-Files (briefly),
American
Gothic and others and then directed and produced about 50 shows. So,
I sold out and played the game in the end, but it was time to go out
and make some money. After MIRACLE MILE, I owed something like $150,
000.
The
film seems to have found an audience out there who appreciate it.
Along with my lesser film CHERRY 2000 it played at the American
Cinematheque, and it also played at the Doomsday Festival in Tribeca
and at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. I have a list of about 30
places around the world it has played recently. So thrilled it still
is something anyone wants to see.
I spoke to Steve by telephone on 18th September 2012, and via email during October 2015. I'd like to thank him for his time.
Please respect the copyright notices and do not reproduce the photos without prior permission. The copyright holders and myself thank you.
Thanks to Scott Bradley.
I spoke to Steve by telephone on 18th September 2012, and via email during October 2015. I'd like to thank him for his time.
Please respect the copyright notices and do not reproduce the photos without prior permission. The copyright holders and myself thank you.
Thanks to Scott Bradley.
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