AND 'THE BLUE ANGEL' BY FRANCINE PROSE - BRIEF 'SNAKES' INTERVIEW AT CRIMEREADS
A few days ago, CrimeReads posted a brief chat with Brian De Palma and Susan Lehman about their novel Are Snakes Necessary?. When asked what is currently on their nightstand, the pair replied: "The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood by Sam Wasson. The Blue Angel by Francine Prose."Regarding the cover art for their novel, De Palma and Lehman told CrimeReads, "The publisher initially showed us cover art that featured a girl in a bikini. We objected. There are no bikinis in Are Snakes Necessary? We love the current cover."
Here's a bit more from the interview:
CR: The story and hardboiled themes of Are Snakes Necessary? seem to fit neatly in your diverse repertoire, but what made you decide to explore these themes in a book, instead of a film?BD & SL: I have more ideas than I can ever make films from. It seemed like it would be fun to try this as a book—though the story would obviously make for a good movie too.
CR: Your films draw so much on rich cinematic lineages of Hitchcock, Godard, and Antonioni—how does your writing draw on your filmmaking inspirations?
BD & SL: I started as a writer, not a director. I wrote many screenplays before I directed any movies. So I tend to think in terms of structure and plot and dialogue. A book also requires description—of characters and locations—and cleverly constructed prose. A new challenge.
CR: What was the genesis of the novel? Was it inspired by anything in particular?
BD & SL: We wrote the book before Trump was elected. It was inspired by two political scandals, the John Edwards scandal and the Gary Condit scandal which involved a Congressman and an intern who mysteriously disappeared.