ANNE WHEELER, DIRECTOR OF THE NICHOLAS LEA MOVIE 'THE INVESTIGATION', HAS KINDLY ANSWERED THESE QUESTIONS FOR THE SITE:
22 APRIL 2003.
Q. Please can you tell us a bit about yourself and your career so far?
A. Well, I've been making films for more than 30 years and there is a lot on the website < www.annewheeler.com - Leafan>. I guess I was born a storyy-teller and somehow life lead me to making films.
Q. In 'The Investigation' you had a chance to direct some fine young actors along with a mixture of proven talent, can you tell us what it was like working with them and what you thought of their performances, especially the films star Nicholas Lea and veteran English actor David Warner?
A. It was a large cast - mostly of men. Many we cast from Calgaary which seems to have many good film actors because so many movies have been made there and people have gained experience. We brought in Nic and David and Laughlin and Micheal and Rothgar and Sean and so on but one of the major roles was played by Paul Coeur- a talented guy who moved back to Calgary from Toronto because he liked the life style.
David has a wonderful style...he makes sense of a line - exploring every word - and if something doesn't feel right, he's very specific. He rarely asks for an adjustment, and he can shift the color of his performance so easily.
Nic is a passionate guy. He respected the character he played, and wanted to get it just right. I needs to know the character he's playing from within and goes about it very carefully and methodically. It shows a respect for his audience as well.
I like working with actors very much because it's really an adventure, an exploration of how people think and feel. It's a puzzle. And it's intense. You get to know your players pretty well.
Q. Given the chance, would you work with Nick Lea or David Warner again?
A. I'd love to work with either of them, both of them...
Q. Before filming, had you read the book 'Where Shadows Linger' on which 'The Investigation' is based? If so, how close do you think the film stayed to it?
A. The book is non-fiction. The film is primarily non-fiction. Both seek the truth. We had to be very careful that we did not step over the line of what could lead to litigation. We had to be very sure of our position. I think both try to be very fair . We were not pointing fingers. We were trying to understand how big instituions like the R.C.M.P. function, and how opportunities are missed.
Q. The film has a very sensitive subject matter, did you think this was a story that needed to be told or wasn't it an issue in your decision to take the job?
A. I think some lives could have been saved if the mistakes hadn't been made. If this makes people more aware of what can happen, and serves to correct what could lead to another "oversight", then yes, I think this is an important story. These men are good men. They are human like all of us. Lot's of people could have helped the R.C.M.P. .
Q. Do you have any insight as to when 'The Investigation' might air?
A. I suspect it is going to be the fall now but I am not sure. There are lots of reasons for this. For one thing, most people have been watching the news and networks have been holding their long form dramas. Secondly this is a period drama and will keep well.
Q. If you had the choice, what extras would you like to put on the DVD release? Would you consider doing a commentary perhaps?
A. I think a commentary would be interesting...several people, especially Bernie Zukerman would have something to say. This project has a long history. I joined it relatively late.
Q. Finally, do you have any new projects coming up and if so, please tell us a bit about them.
A. Betrayed was just on the air. I am writing for the most part right now - and hope to shoot a feature in the fall.
THANK YOU!!!!