INTERVIEW: “The Corrupting Nature Of Power” Todd Field Talks ‘Tár’
NOTE: This article is a republication- Source: Creativescreenwriting.com.
“I never thought of Lydia Tár having anything to do with music,” declares writer/ director Todd Field (Little Children, In The Bedroom) about the famous conductor and composer. Tár first started making waves in the music scene when she became the innovative conductor of a major German orchestra.
In Fields’ film we first meet Lydia Tár (played by Cate Blanchett) “at the very heights of holding power and then losing it. It was really more about an examination of what power does to any individual who is handed that baton by others,” expands Field. The nature of building power and prestige is a complex dynamic built on alliances, ambition, and betrayals.
Tár climbed the musical career ladder for many noble reasons other than to control her fiefdom. She is a passionate, disciplined artist who loves classical music. Her meticulous definition of the role of time in music reinforces her dedication.
Her musical genius is unquestioned. As her accolades increase, so have her responsibilities in terms of managing her acquired power. “That power is starting to manage her because it’s obviously corrupting,” cautions Field. “When we meet Tár, she is someone that’s that’s thinking about legacy and trying to hold on to power and wondering if it’s worth it.” She’s climbed almost every mountain, written a book and is ostensibly at the peak of her career when the film opens.
She’s also approaching the age of fifty, so she’s wondering where her next success might lie. More importantly, as the years go by to make way for new entrants into the musical establishment, she may never reach another summit.
“I think her philosophy right now taking stock in certain things that allowed her to be three steps away from the summit and questioning what those things are. Philosophically she’s thinking, ‘I must hold power, I must keep power, and I must keep my instrument,’” Todd muses.
Lydia Tár is a textured, complicated polarizing figure. Can her unhealthy love for control be explained by her artistic genius or are there shadow characters in her personality emerging?
Read the full interview here