Daisy Miller: An Introduction by Peter Bogdanovich

Daisy Miller: An Introduction by Peter Bogdanovich (2003)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Director Peter Bogdanovich sits down for an interview about his film DAISY MILLER, a film that many consider to have been the start of his downfall with critics and fans. Bogdanovich starts off talking about how he was having an affair with Cybil Shepherd (hey, I'd brag too) and that working together at this time was probably a bad idea. The director talks about the firestorm of their affair in the media and even mentions that Cary Grant called him and told him to cool it in regards to what he was telling the media. Back to the movie, Bogdanovich says that originally the two were going to star in the picture and he offered it to Orson Welles to direct but the legend turned it down and talked him into directing it himself. From here Bogdanovich talks about getting his cast together, making sure certain shots were right even if it meant waiting days for them and of course the downfall when the film was eventually released. I've always felt that DAISY MILLER was an overlooked gem and it's clear that the director thought it deserved a much better fate than it was given. As usual, the director is very open about the subject but of course his way of talking always rubs some people the wrong way. This featurette runs just 13-minutes but it's a good way to be introduced to the film, although I'd probably recommend people watch it after the movie since it does contain a few spoilers.