Writer/director John Beaton Hill’s The Wolves of Savin Hill tells the story of childhood friends from the streets of Boston who drift apart following a shocking discovery deep in the woods of Savin Hill. Years later a tragic murder brings them together again.
In the lead-up to the film’s premiere at the San Diego Film Festival next week, we spoke to director Hill about the film’s conception, journey and legendary ‘70s cop thrillers.
How long of a journey from script to screen has this been for you?
Two years from the beginning of the writing of the screenplay; 18 months from the finished script to the film; however, the script was being modified while we were shooting–as ideas came up and as the influences emerged. John Boorman’s Point Blank became a big inspiration, as well as Soderbergh’s The Limey. This influenced the editing style and the wider arrangement.
What came first – the talent or the financing?
The talent came first. We started to meet with people and the script helped. It became a labor of love. Actors tended to like the script a lot and so they came on and worked with us for very little.
The film has the gritty ‘70s cop thriller-vibe. What or who were your influences?
Scorcese’s Mean Streets was a big influence, and the streets of Los Angeles became our New York. William Friedkin’s The French Connection was another major influence, along with some of that beautiful 50s and 60s French crime cinema–the gangster style of Jean Pierre Melville. We really liked the style of Melville’s Le Samouri and Un Flic, especially.
Have you screened the film publically yet – or is San Diego Film Festival its debut?
San Diego will be our first public screening.
How important are festivals with a film like this? Does it help with distribution?
The festivals are very important to distribution, of course. For us, it’s about gaining an audience, and the festivals are certainly going to help in that regard.
Did you do a Hitchcock and cameo in the film yourself?
It was a bit more than Hitchcock. We were on location in a liquor store and our actor called in and said he might not be able to make it. I did what any good director would do–with a one hour window and a cranky liquor store owner, I played the character myself. It actually worked out pretty well. We had a good time and more importantly, the scene got made. It was a treat to work with David Cooley, one of the leads. And the scene seems to work. As fate would have it.
The Wolves of Savin Hill
Where : San Diego Film Festival, Reading Cinemas 701 5th Ave. San Diego, 92101
When : Saturday, September 27
Tickets available from www.sdfilmfest.com
