John Sayles - A Life In Film

The king of American independent cinema on conquering Cannes, writing the forthcoming Jurassic Park IV and working with Stacy Keach

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There's not much John Sayles hasn't done in the world of film. An Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, the native New Yorker has penned scripts for B-movie behemoth Roger Corman, touched up Hollywood epics such as Apollo 13, acted opposite Tupac Shakur and Dolly Parton, and directed talents the calibre of Chris Cooper, Tim Roth, Kris Kristofferson and John Cusack. All this and he's cobbled together a filmography that's the envy of independent filmmakers the world over.

Eight Men Out, Lone Star, Men With Guns, City Of Hope - when it comes to ensemble dramas, only the late Robert Altman can rival John Sayles. And to think it all began almost 30 years ago with Return Of The Secaucus Seven, the stunning debut work that's now available as part of the John Sayles Collection DVD boxset, together with Lianna and The Brother From Another Planet.

A bona fide veteran of the industry, you could forgive Sayles for slowing down as he enters his 57th year. In fact, he's rarely been so busy. With a new picture in the editing suite, the jazz-based Honeydripper, and a high-profile screenwriting gig on the long-awaited Jurassic Park IV, the writer-director-actor-editor-author looks set to be a figure on the film landscape for some time to come. Which is just as well, because if you ask him to look back to the beginning of his career, Sayles seems more excited to discuss his fascinating future.

It's now over 27 years since Return Of The Secaucus Seven came out. Given that length of time, have you often revisited the picture?
I very rarely tend to look at my films again. Because I edit my own movies, by the time the film's ready for release, I've already seen it upwards of 50 times, so the last thing you want to do is watch it again. But I do try and watch the films with an audience once or twice, and with the demands of DVD, I watched a few again while recording chat tracks.

Next page • "I think Return Of The Secaucus Seven paved the way for directors to make movies without stars"