Harvey Weinstein is known for having a significant amount of influence over the films that he produced. He was known for placing huge demands on directors to make significant changes to their films, particularly in regard to runtime reductions. Many directors, including Bong Joon-ho and Quentin Tarantino, were forced to negotiate Weinstein’s demands to maintain creative control over their movies. However, Weinstein rarely encountered opposition in his dealings with people.
In 1997, the legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki was confronted by Weinstein with the ultimatum to shorten his animated masterwork, “Princess Mononoke,” from its planned running time of 135 minutes to just 90 minutes. This suggestion was received with an emphatic denial from Miyazaki, who had a history of avoiding compromises to his artistic vision to maintain its integrity.
Miyazaki was no new to the practice of guarding his intellectual property since he had previously withdrawn from distribution deals that demanded changes to his films. He was aware of Weinstein’s reputation for putting undue pressure on filmmakers to force them into unwelcome creative changes to their movies.
Hayao Miyazaki Straight Up Threatened Harvey Weinstein
Miyazaki made a courageous stance to defend “Princess Mononoke” when he anticipated the actions that Weinstein would take. He conveyed his message to Weinstein in a straightforward way by sending him a symbolic samurai sword along with the words “No cuts.”
This action was a direct indication of Miyazaki’s commitment to protecting the film’s integrity, and it was a gesture that he made. On the other hand, Weinstein did not find this response to be particularly satisfying. He then proceeded to begin an assault on the crew working at Studio Ghibli, laying the groundwork for a conflict between the artistic vision and the producer’s demands.
Weinstein’s response to Miyazaki’s resistance was forceful and aggressive. According to former Ghibli executive Steve Alpert, Weinstein’s words were fierce: “If you don’t get [Miyazaki] to cut the f***ing film, you will never work in this f***ing industry again! Do you f***ing understand me? Never!”
Miyazaki, however, held a strong position. Retaining the rights to the film was his safeguard against any alterations that went against his creative intentions. Weinstein bombarded Miyazaki with threats, but the Japanese filmmaker stood firm. Despite Weinstein’s aggressive attempts to bend Miyazaki to his will, the Japanese cinema icon emerged victorious. In 2010, Miyazaki declared, “I defeated him” in reference to his battle against Weinstein’s demands.
What happened between Director Bong Joon-ho and Harvey Weinstein?
When Bong Joon-ho and Harvey Weinstein worked together on a project, there was a great deal of back-and-forth communication. The two collaborated on the production of Snowpiercer, and it appeared that the end product was something that the former was not overly pleased with. In his previous film, the director did not make any cuts that were not absolutely essential, and he was certain that the same thing would not happen in Snowpiercer.
However, Weinstein was a strong opponent who demanded respect. Bong knew that the only way he could get the shots he wanted into the film was by lying to Weinstein. When he told the producer that a scenario with a fisherman was important to his father, Weinstein became emotional with the notion. However, that was not the truth, and Bong Joon-ho lied to keep the cool imagery in his film.
