Actor and musicianJason Schwartzmanis one of the most entertaining performers around, with a knack for bringing emotional depth to even the quirkiest and most comedic characters. He’s most well-known for his many collaborations withWes Anderson, beginning withRushmore. His performance style is the perfect match for Anderson’s writing. Schwartzman has also appeared in supporting roles in a range of projects, most recently his hilarious performance as TV host Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman inThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
Like most successful actors, Schwartzman has a deep love for and knowledge of cinema. In interviews and during his visit to the Criterion closet, he speaks about the films that inspired or shaped his own approach to acting. Many of his selections may be somewhat surprising, leaning toward much darker themes than his own movies. These are Schwartzman’s most intriguing recommendations, from experimental documentaries to brutal thrillers.
10’The Killers' (1964)
Director: Don Siegel
Tough-as-nails filmmakerDon Siegeladapted this neo-noir film from a story byErnest Hemingway.Lee MarvinandClu Gulagerplay two hitmen who arrive in a small town to kill Johnny North (John Cassavetes), a former race car driver turned schoolteacher. The plot thickens as the killers encounter no resistance from their target, who seems surprisingly resigned to his fate. Curious, the assassins begin digging into North’s past, uncovering a conspiracy.
The Killersis a brutal, violent, and, above all, pessimistic thriller, in which there are no heroes. With leads as talented as these, however, that’s not a problem. “One of the things Wes [Anderson] suggested I look at [before shootingAsteroid City] was Clu Gulager’s performance in this film,“Schwartzman said. “I watched it so many times and needed it so much as a reference that I ended up filming my television, which I shouldn’t say, so that I had it on my phone at all times […] He’s great in it.”
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9’Under the Volcano' (1984)
Director: John Huston
“Hell is my natural habitat.“Under the Volcanodepicts a day in the life of Geoffrey Firmin (Albert Finney), a former British consul stationed in Mexico. We follow the alcoholic, despairing Firmin as he wanders through a small village during the Day of the Dead celebrations, vainly trying to reach out to his alienated wife (Jacqueline Bisset) and deal with the ghosts of his past. At the same, the specter of World War II looms, casting a further sense of doom over the whole affair.
This movie is heavy going, but it succeeds thanks to Finney’s powerhouse performance. He’s a roiling force of self-destruction, perhaps a metaphor for the broader social upheavals of the time. Schwartzman praised the film as well as the behind-the-scenes features. “It’s great to watchJohn Hustonwatching the actors, seeing the shots, the way he talks to the actors, the way everyone is listening to each other, the way he’s responding,“Schwartzman explains.
8’An Unmarried Woman' (1978)
Director: Paul Mazursky
This character studycenters on Erica Benton (Jill Clayburgh), a Manhattan art gallery worker whose seemingly idyllic life takes an abrupt turn when her husband (Michael Murphy) announces he is leaving her for a younger woman. Devastated but also liberated, Erica embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Through her, the film warmly and smartly examines issues of love, loneliness, and independence. Believable dialogue and amazingly raw performance are at a premium here. Clayburgh, in particular, received rave reviews, winning the Best Actress Award at Cannes.
Schwartzman said the movie held “a special place in [his] heart.” “Jill Clayburgh, I think, is just one of the greatest actors of all time. Wonderful, beautiful performance. She’s like showing you a maze but without solving it for you,“he said. AnotherMazurskyfilm well worth checking out isBob & Carol & Ted & Alice,which was a primary inspiration for the aesthetic ofTarantino’sOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood.
An Unmarried Woman
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7’Straw Dogs' (1971)
Director: Sam Peckinpah
David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman), an American mathematician, and his wife Amy (Susan George) move to the rural English countryside seeking peace and solitude. However, some of the locals resent the Sumners' presence and begin harassing them. Eventually, the tensions escalate to a brutal assault, upending David and Amy’s lives and setting the stage for a harrowing, incendiary confrontation.
DirectorSam Peckinpahwas notorious for his gritty, challenging, narratives, butStraw Dogswas controversial even by his standards. Its sexual violence, in particular, shocked many viewers on release, but overall the film is held in high regard by modern critics. Schwartzman namedStraw Dogsas a favorite, adding that he found the behind-the-scenes fascinating. “Not only do I love [this movie], I like the making-of things. I like to see how people communicate and express ideas that are sort of hard to explain: what they’re after and what they want. People trying to understand what someone else is trying to get at,“he said.
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Director: Akira Kurosawa
FrequentKurosawacollaboratorToshiro Mifuneleads this mystery drama as Koichi Nishi, a young man who marries into the powerful and corrupt Iwabuchi family. Secretly, Nishi’s marriage is a calculated move, driven by a deep-seated desire for revenge against those responsible for his father’s death. As Nishi rises within the ranks of the company, he meticulously orchestrates a scheme to expose the truth.
As withThrone of Bloodand Ran,Kurosawa channelsShakespearehere, this time drawing on aspects ofHamletbut relocating them to postwar Japan. It makes for a stirring exploration of corporate greed and personal morality. Schwartzman choseThe Bad Sleep Wellas one of his Criterion closet picks. “I love the way information gets dispersed in this movie through people giving speeches but then other people, like, whispering things at people, not wanting to disturb the event,“he said. He singled out the extended wedding reception scene as a highlight.
5’Heartworn Highways' (1976)
Director: James Szalapski
“Don’t ever aim a gun at a caged animal.“Heartworn Highwaysis a documentary about the outlaw country music scene in the mid-1970s. These were artists who sought to chart their own course outside the restrictions of Nashville. Focusing on musicians likeGuy Clark,Townes Van Zandt, andSteve Earle, the film shows us their writing and recording process and delves into their views on life. Most of all, it’s jam-packed with great music.
Notably, the documentary transcends a conventional narrative structure, opting instead for a fly-on-the-wall approach that allows the viewer to witness up close the camaraderie, struggles, and unadulterated passion of these musicians. “I loveHeartworn Highway[…] The way it’s made lets it give you a snapshot of what country music was like at the time — from the super-slick recording studios to a bunch of incredible people hanging out around a table at 3 in the morning […] I’ve always been a fan of this type of music documentary, butHeartworn Highwaysis a particularly big one for me,“Schwartzman said.
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4’Portrait of Jason' (1967)
Director: Shirley Clarke
As its title suggests,this experimental documentaryis a study of one man,Jason Holliday, a gay Black man and aspiring cabaret performer. He candidly shares his life experiences, dreams, and struggles while being interviewed by directorShirley Clarkeand her then-partnerCarl Lee. The whole thing is essentially an unfiltered monologue, blurring the lines between reality and performance.
As Jason becomes increasingly intoxicated throughout the night, Clarke and Lee push him harder and harder with their questions, even at times berating him. In the process, he makes some intense revelations touching on issues of identity and prejudice. “Another documentary, I love. It’s truly a portrait of one person, and it shows them just kind of unraveling themselves. I saw it at a repertory screening years ago in New York, and I remember I went and watched it three times in the theater. It was just very engrossing,“Schwartzman said.
3’Stolen Kisses' (1968)
Director: François Truffaut
Stolen Kissesis a whimsical comedy-drama by the legend of theFrench New Wave,François Truffaut. It’s the second feature in the Antoine Daniel series, followingThe 400 Blows. Antoine (Jean-Pierre Léaud) is now a young adult trying to find his way in the world. Recently discharged from the army, he takes on a variety of odd jobs, from a hotel night watchman to a private investigator, and begins a relationship with his childhood sweetheart, Christine Darbon (Claude Jade). We follow Antoine as he learns and grows from these experiences - and finds himself tangled up in all kinds of misadventures.
Schwartzman raved about Léaud’s performance. “There’s just something about the way he moves through space in those films, especially inStolen Kisses, that allows him to capture a feeling, and make something feel so true and so crazy at the same time. From an acting perspective, it was just so different. And I really love it. I appreciate it so, so deeply,“Schwartzman said.
2’The Long Goodbye' (1973)
Director: Robert Altman
The pinnacle of stoner noir, this mystery puts a unique spin onRaymond Chandler’s classic detective fiction. Detective Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) gives his friend Lennox (Jim Bouton) a lift to the California-Mexico border, only to find out days later that Lennox and his wife Sylvia are dead. The police believe Lennox killed Sylvia and then himself, but Marlowe suspects there’s more to the case, and starts digging. His investigation sends him on a madcap odyssey through the L.A. underworld, where he encounters a host of colorful (and sometimes menacing) figures.
“I love Elliott Gould. I think he’s wonderful, and he has the ability to believably talk to himself on camera. That’s a very challenging thing, but he does it so well. To me, he is Philip Marlowe in a way that none of the other actors who have played that part could be […] He’s able to perform both dialogue and scene description. It’s so amazing to watch. I love that performance, and the movie itself just changed my life when I saw it,“Schwartzman said.
The Long Goodbye
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1’Husbands' (1970)
Director: John Cassavetes
Husbandsrevolves around a group of three men, played by John Cassavetes,Peter Falk, andBen Gazzara, whose lives are upended by the sudden death of their friend.This event triggers a midlife crisis in the men. They leave their spouses and children for an impromptu trip to London, where they plan to go on an almighty bender. There, they cross paths with three single women, but things don’t play out as they might expect.
Husbandswas Cassavetes’s most polarizing film on release, drawing high praise from some critics and outright scorn from others. Schwartzman appreciated the acting and found the making-of fascinating. “I liked the feeling of watching those actors all together and the sense they gave that they were just a tight-knight group that was experimenting together. They decided to do something a certain way, and they found a way to push through life by following that mindset,“he said.
