Komkommertijd, daarom hier in de herhaling een paar regels Luciano Tovoli. In het interview, eigenlijk een lange monoloog, geeft Tovoli met mooie details de omstandigheden weer waaronder de film "Professione Reporter" werd gemaakt (Tovoli nadat hij op de set aan was gekomen, net voor de opnamen begonnen: "And then arrived Jack Nicholson. I didn’t know: what was the film, what was the story, what was the crew, who was the camera-operator. " Antonioni weigerde hem een script te geven of over de film te praten: " [...] he was a funny guy! Antonioni, you don’t imagine: so serious. No, no. He was all the time saying things for laughing. Playing cards. Dancing all the time. The nearest nightclub: he was there! He didn’t want to speak of the movie!") Ook vertelt hij over de techniek die ze gebruikten voor het inmiddels heel beroemde eindshot van de film, waar de camera in 1 take vanuit een hotelkamer, door een hek naar buiten gaat. In beroerde kwaliteit te zien op youtube. Maar de film is veel meer dan dat shot alleen.

Nadat Luciano Tovoli het voor elkaar heeft gekregen om op een Londense lokatie, op het laatste moment 12 arcs te laten komen om een complete straat uit te lichten die in een glimp door een geopende deur te zien zal zijn, besluit de acteur de deur minder ver te openen waardoor er van de straat niets te zien is.

Luciano Tovoli: Antonioni was the king, the great director, could do what he wanted. There are few. He was one. I remember:
A simple shot in London. Camera (on a tripod). Simple entrance, the door opens, Jack Nicholson enters and goes out of frame. Finito. But when he opened the door, not completely, you see a beautiful line of threes. 10 o’clock in the morning in London was night. Suddenly clouds, black, so black: night. And they opened the door... also when I didn’t put any lights inside, it was too much, it seemed night outside. So I say to Antonioni:
- It is not going to work, it won’t shoot.
- And why?
I have all time with me two arcs, two brutes. I brought everywhere in the dessert.
- Didn’t you say to me that with your arcs you can do anything?
- Yes I can do. But this is 1 kilometer of threes. What can I do?
- You are the technician, you are the cinematographer, take 10 arcs in instead of two.
And he left away.

Director of photography Luciano Tovoli, A.I.C., A.S.C. in Rome (photo: Bart van Broekhoven)

I went to the general manager, who already understood a little bit, and said:
- Sorry, but the maestro asked himself, not me, asked for ten... if you can find 12 that will be better!
- What are you?! You are crazy! In London each arc is one truck! Two electricians, they will arrive at 8 o’clock in the night!!
- I don’t go! You can go and speak with the maestro. I give you my recipes.
After two hours the trucks arrive. I spent another hour, we prepare. And I lit. And if you open completely the door, you see this nice light down there: day. But by the fact that Jack Nickolson didn’t want to open the door completely... I had a question at a certain moment (to Jack Nicholson, ed.):
- Can you open the door more?
- What the fuck is this? I don’t open the door more, I am the actor, you don’t tell me how to act with a door. You can not just open to see more: that is absurd!
- Yes! You do what you want.
He didn’t open the door. We didn’t see anything outside. The guy, the production manager took me aside, and said:
- Fuck you!
I said:
- Don’t say fuck you. I brought you here to this movie. Say thank you now, than fuck you!

- Okay: I say: thank you very much. But fuck you! Fuck you! I am general manager. You see tomorrow what happens.
- The police will come and take me away? I don’t know what happens.
- You will see!
Ok we shot. Antonioni is laughing, Zen. Looking very, very amused. He didn’t say one word, but he was on the back listening to everything. He was amused to see me fighting this way. Because I was his man in a certain way. He thought:
- Ok, he defends himself right away, I don’t need to make a reservation.
Because he knew he had to make another intervention on the producer, Ponti.

Later als de crew in een restaurant zit te eten belt de producer Carlo Ponti vanuit Rome om Tovoli de oren te wassen:

We were in a restaurant, nighttime. With Antonioni we where always in the best places. A guy from the restaurant came:
- A telephone call sir.
And he brought the telephone to me at the table. I thought: my wife?
- Hello?
- Fuck you hello! I am Carlo Ponti.
Antonioni was there. This guy was screaming. Antonioni was listening, starts laughing.
- Eh, yes mister Ponti, what is the problem, say it to me?
- I have nothing to say to you. You are fired! Simply fired!
- But why, what did I make?
- 12 Arcs in London. Last minute! It cost me a fortune. You will pay. I don’t pay you anymore. You are finished!
Antonioni was laughing. I was thinking: I am ruined.
I said:
- Ok, yes, we will see...
- Tomorrow I come in London.
- Ok sir.
Antonioni:
- Who was speaking?
- That was Carlo Ponti.
- He looks quit angry?
- Yes a little bit. He said he come to London tomorrow.
A day later we are shooting in the same place. The arcs where no more there, we didn't need them. Around was a big crew, 150 people, doing nothing. But they saw Carlo Ponti arrive. And then suddenly:
- Carlo Ponti is arriving. Carlo Ponti is arriving.
The news arrived to the centre of the power.
Antonioni was preparing. He took himself a lot of time. He put himself to the camera, and searched with the key-grip, the dolly man, in search for the frame, himself. And took quit long. With the actor, Jack Nickolson, the camera-operator, the assistant and myself sitting aside, for hours, searching. Marking the points. We had two shots a day. One in the morning, one in the afternoon. No more than two.

Jack Nicholson in 'The Passanger (directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, photographed by Luciano Tovoli)
And then Carlo Ponti enters. He opened the door. Antonioni was at the camera. Ponti:
- Ah, good morning Michelangelo!
- With you I will speak later! (to Luciano, ed.)
- Ok bonjorno!
I was sitting in my chair like that (Luciano shakes his hands, ed.)
And Antonioni said:
- Ah ciao Carlo sorry, can you sit in the chair there? I just finish my research for the plan.
- Oh yes no problem, no problem. After that we can speak hè?
- Oh yes, we can speak all the time that you want. Sit down there, please.
He starts. He didn’t abandon the viewfinder, for two hours. After two hours Ponti said:
- I have another appointment...
- Yes but I didn't really find the shot, you see. Other-way, I cannot be distracted, I can not find it anymore, sorry, sorry.
Finally Ponti said:
- Okay, I have to go, because I have another appointment. Ciao, ciao.
I learned a lot from these guys. He didn't say anything about the arcs. I looked very triumphed to the general manager:
- Ponti has gone.

Hele interview "Go to take a reading, Luciano Tovoli" hier.