Nicholas Meyer isn’t just the director of two of the greatest movies ever - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - he is also, in the words of my father, a pisser.
He has just written a new book called The View From The Bridge: Memories of Star Trek and A Life in Hollywood. In addition to his Trek years, Meyer also talks about how the Hollywood system works, his Sherlock Holmes/Sigmund Freud book and film The Seven Percent Solution, adapting two works by Philip Roth and directing the Cold War TV film The Day After.
After what could only be described as a schmooze about changes in Hollywood (he brought up the name Charlie Bludhorn, not me) and some jesting about whether his Rura Penthe is colder than J.J. Abrams' Delta Vega (which, I think we can all agree, is clearly the case,) I got down to brass tacks. I asked him about two of the most iconic moments in all of popular entertainment.
Jordan Hoffman: The day you shot the scene - the scene – with Spock blinded by radiation and Kirk on the other side of that transparent aluminum wall. What was that like?
Nicholas Meyer: I came to Star Trek without the complete awareness of the love people had for the show. And on that day, I knew that Leonard had some trepidation about what was, at that point, what we thought his last momentas the character. So we had something of a guarded set that day. And I knew something was happening when I looked over to my cinematographer and I saw tears streaming down his face. And then I looked around and I saw the rest of the crew were all weeping, and at that moment I recognized this was not another day in the sausage factory, and that this was really important to the people for who this was all about.
Jordan Hoffman: Do you think the fact that you did not have a Trek background aided you, perhaps, in having a dispassionate approach to that very important scene?
Nicholas Meyer: Henry James once said that life is hot but art is cool. He meant that if you are the puppet master you can not be out front sobbing at the performance. You must be dry-eyed backstage and make sure that the strings do not get tangled. So throughout the making of a film as director, or as the writer of a novel or script, you have to maintain a certain detachment. So you can keep the strings from being tangled and creating the effect you want to create.
Jordan Hoffman: There are some directors who disagree with you.
Nicholas Meyer: They’re wrong!
Jordan Hoffman: I’ve heard about Peter Bogdonavich bawling his eyes out, or Paul Verhoeven leaping around his sets like a madman. . .
Nicholas Meyer: Well, okay, there are different methods. There is no one method of creativity, any more than there is one method of falling asleep or making love. Everyone has their own M.O. Some people like to lie on their side and other people put the pillow over their face. . . and that’s just the making love crowd!!!!
Jordan Hoffman: Okay, fair enough. So – real question now. Wrath of Khan - one of the most famous line readings in movie history. William Shatner, shouting KHAAAAAAAN! up at the heavens in anguish as he is trapped underground on Regula below. Now, as the director, it is your duty to draw the performance out of the performer. On that day – did he start low and did you coax him to go bigger or did he come in with even more and you had to pull back? I’m very curious about this, as it is such an iconic line reading.
Nicholas Meyer: My best recollection about this is that he. . . just did it. I don’t believe anyone dreamt it would turn into one of cinema’s memorable moments. It just happened. And that’s good. Things like that should be spontaneous.
Jordan Hoffman: Even though it is only one word, we Star Trek fans can parse anything. And I want to lay something out for you.
There are theories about Shatner’s dramatic shouting of the name KHAAAAAAN! Okay – so – when you see the movie for the first time you believe that Kirk really thinks he is trapped. When you see it the second time, you realize that he knows he has worked out a plan with Spock back on the Enterprise and they are working out a way to rescue him. Therefore, he has to perform, as it were, for Khan. He has to convince Khan that Khan has truly bested him, so he will leave, so Spock can then come back and save the day.
Therefore the somewhat “over the top” line reading that has become so legendary is actually quite savvy, because Kirk has to get Khan to think, “yes, I’ve won.”
Did that level of thinking go into the line reading, or am I just babbling incoherently to you?
Nicholas Meyer: You are babbling incoherently to me. But - what I would like to interject is that the notion that an artist is the same as the answers to a book of math equations at the back is specious and fallacious. Artists lose all proprietary authority over their creations when they are finished. And my opinion, whatever it may be, is just another opinion and has no more validity, maybe even less, than an audience member who even might be stupid but is never wrong. So when people ask me why Khan is only wearing one glove, I always turn around and ask why do YOU think he’s only wearing one glove. I am not the answer. And, any way, when you do get an answer the gas always goes out of it anyway, you know that.
But it is fun, though, to hear what you say about Kirk is “acting” in that moment for Khan’s benefit as opposed to a man in distress or despair or rage when he yells that. That’s the fun thing to speculate about.
Some questions, it seems, will forever go unanswered.
