2020 saw film critic Alissa Wilkinson embarking on a literary endeavor focusing on the enigmatic figure of Joan Didion. Rather than rehashing familiar perspectives, she decided to delve into an unexplored aspect – Didion’s relationship with the world of cinema. This unique perspective resulted in the publication titled “We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Factory.
Since 2023, Wilkinson – a critic who previously contributed to Vox – has been more focused on exploring the common themes in Didion’s body of work rather than her persona or celebrity status.
Wilkinson explained to EbMaster during their recent phone conversation that he decided to approach her story by using the perspective of Hollywood, as she had worked within the industry and written screenplays that have been turned into movies we continue to enjoy today. Additionally, she wrote stories that focused on Hollywood itself.
Joan Didion’s latest release, titled ‘We Tell Ourselves Stories,’ hits shelves on Tuesday. This publication comes a few weeks prior to the public unveiling of Didion and her husband John Gregory Dunne’s archives at the New York Public Library on March 26. Notably, Wilkinson will be there for a book event on the same day. These archives include draft scripts from both Didion and Dunne, offering new insights into Didion’s film-related work.
Wilkinson contends that Didion frequently employed Hollywood as a means to delve into a fundamental concept: the role of narratives and storytelling in our everyday experiences. The core of the book revolves around Didion’s growing caution towards the urge to craft simple narratives about personal lives, others, and significant political and cultural transformations – a tendency that can lead to overly emotional or nostalgic outcomes. This theme is clearly reflected in Wilkinson’s book title, borrowed from the opening line of “The White Album”: “We construct stories to survive.
Delving into Joan Didion’s remarkable journey, I found myself captivated by the narrative that mirrored her life with the larger-than-life John Wayne on the silver screen during her formative years, to her initial forays in New York City as a Vogue writer. This was followed by an intriguing stint as a film critic, sharing insights alongside the esteemed Pauline Kael.
In Los Angeles, Didion and Dunne embarked on their successful screenwriting ventures, penning the 1971 classic “The Panic in Needle Park” and the iconic 1976 adaptation of “A Star is Born”.
As her career progressed, Didion made a striking transition into political writing. Her unique perspective, honed from her Hollywood experiences, lent depth to her perceptions of influential figures such as the Reagans and Michael Dukakis.
The process of writing the book required an in-depth exploration into Joan Didion’s life and professional journey, including the digging up of her film reviews from the New York Public Library archives during the initial phase of the pandemic – these were large, heavy PDFs filled with images dating back to 1954 or similar periods. Additionally, Wilkinson delved into the major political events Didion addressed to provide context for the evolution of her work.
Wilkinson conversed with EbMaster regarding Didion’s role as a film critic and screenwriter, her insights into Hollywood and American politics, and what Didion intends for readers to gain from her book.
What aspects of American history and politics were you interested in exploring more deeply? Why did you find it appealing to delve into the wider picture as well?
Exploring America’s 20th-century history is almost like delving into Hollywood’s past, given their intertwined narratives. I hadn’t fully realized that my book would involve Ronald Reagan, John Wayne, Barry Goldwater, and even John F. Kennedy, all figures who moved between politics and cinema. Reframing my topics in this way seemed incredibly fruitful, as it allowed me to observe how these subjects intersect within the larger story. Joan Didion served as an exceptional navigator through this complex web of connections because she was writing about exactly that.
It’s unclear if she fully grasped the extent to which her writings often focused on Hollywood, but a pivotal moment for me was reading an essay titled “Insider Baseball,” which discusses the Dukakis campaign. In essence, she’s arguing that political campaigns have morphed into film production. They function like movie sets, and this transformation is turning the presidency into a performance tailored for cameras. This connection between politics and Hollywood struck me as profoundly insightful. Whether or not she intentionally used this metaphor extensively in her work, it’s quite apparent when viewed through that lens.
How aware were you of Didion’s film criticism?
It wasn’t entirely unexpected, but I was primarily familiar with the literary critiques she had penned for National Review and similar outlets during her youth in New York. Her film critiques, however, are mainly found in Vogue, and they have never been reprinted elsewhere. Many of her books consist of articles she wrote for various publications that were then compiled into books. It seems as though all of Didion’s writings eventually became part of a book, but this isn’t accurate. Instead, you’ll find that much of her work remains unpublished.
What did you learn from her film reviews?
I’ve gone through everything she wrote as a movie critic, understanding her perspective bit by bit. It seems more like an accidental role for her, given that she was already established at Vogue before taking up the column. Despite not always sharing her views on films, her take is quite intriguing. Many of the movies she reviewed are long forgotten, much like some contemporary films that were briefly popular but quickly faded into obscurity. What’s striking is her casual approach towards film as an art form, a trait that appears to have stayed with her throughout her life. However, she clearly adores the glamour and excitement of Hollywood, finding delight in the entertainment industry as a whole.
Additionally, I discovered an interesting aspect about her work – she collaborated on alternating columns with another writer, and every other issue contained her film review column. For a period, this other writer was Pauline Kael before she gained renown as a critic at The New Yorker. They held no affection for each other; they found the other rather absurd and preposterous. Despite their animosity, they co-authored a column for some time, which is amusing to consider.
Didion seemed to adhere quite rigidly to a certain method when considering films. Is it possible that Didion’s perspectives on cinema underwent changes throughout her lifetime?
After quitting her film criticism role at Vogue, she seldom wrote explicit movie reviews. However, there’s a piece I refer to in her New York Review of Books book which discusses Woody Allen, penned during his most successful period when he was producing “Manhattan” and “Annie Hall”. Instead of focusing on the films themselves, she was exploring the philosophical and worldview aspects she perceived in his work. In her later writings related to the film industry, she tends to delve into the cultural response to movies rather than the movies themselves.
Another kind of intrigue or contrast can be observed in her critiques, as indicated by her reviews, she appears to have little affection for anything avant-garde, underground, or influenced by New Hollywood. Instead, her reviews suggest a deep admiration for traditional, old school, and Golden Age cinema, with actors consistently playing roles that align with their established personas rather than deviating from them.
Or:
In her reviews, it’s evident there’s a certain contrast or irony – she seems to disfavor modern, experimental, or underground films, as well as those driven by New Hollywood. Instead, she appears to be a fan of classic, traditional cinema, where actors are often cast in roles that fit their established personas rather than challenging them.
Both versions convey the same meaning but with slightly different emphases and word choices.
However, if you look at the first two films written by her and Dunn, which were ‘The Panic in Needle Park’ and an adaptation of her novel ‘Play It As It Lays’, you’ll find they epitomize the New Hollywood style. These movies are about drugs and have a fragmented narrative, employing groundbreaking filmmaking methods. They seem tailored for the counterculture. This contrast is intriguing because it reflects the kind of films being produced during that time. I believe some of this can be attributed to the fact that they were simply making the movies that were popular and relevant at the moment.
Would you elaborate on how her experience in the film world influenced her political perspectives, a topic I delve into more deeply in the book?
It’s not original on my part to mention this, but it’s worth pointing out that she was strongly conservative, particularly a Western-style conservatism. She eventually switched from the Republican Party to become a Democrat due to her disdain for the California Republicans’ alignment with Nixon and later Reagan. To be honest, she had no interest in the Reagans at all, a sentiment that dates back to when Reagan was Governor of California. In essence, she’s an individualist, and it seems this trait permeates all of her views.
In my opinion, she tends to critique the methodology rather than the specific ideologies in American politics. As her work progresses, this criticism becomes increasingly noticeable. To her, there seems to be a blurring of lines between show business and politics, as they each have unique objectives and purposes.
The blending of show business with politics, often due to films and television, is an issue because she is well-acquainted with the intricacies of filmmaking and TV production, understanding the importance of image, the creation of iconographies and stardom, and the manipulation of focus groups. Seeing this phenomenon increasingly infiltrate politics, she expresses not just worry, but genuine dismay, fearing that such a trend could lead to politics becoming all about style over substance, with potentially detrimental consequences for the future.
Can you think of a method for American culture to break free from repetitive emotional narratives and over-reliance on nostalgia, based on your research into Didion’s views on this subject?
In her seminal essay “The White Album,” she asserts that we create narratives to survive, and I incorporated this concept in my title due to its rich interpretations. However, it’s common to find the quote being used in an inspirational context, such as ‘We tell ourselves stories, like authors are important,’ which is misleading because it diverges from the actual essay’s message. Contrary to some interpretations, she does not suggest that we should cease storytelling; rather, she acknowledges its significance and necessity in our lives.
To her, ‘We tell ourselves stories’ represents an understanding of human nature, encompassing her own humanity as well. Humans, including Joan Didion, are deeply emotional and we are inescapably bound by the narratives we create for ourselves. Escape from these narratives is achieved by simply creating a new one. For example, that’s what education should provide, or that’s the power of living amongst diverse perspectives (pluralism).
Each of these items holds great worth, primarily because they serve as reminders that beyond our personal narratives lie countless other tales yet untold. They underscore the fact that life is a tapestry of individual stories, each unique and significant. Rather than discouraging storytelling, it’s about expanding the narrative, questioning which stories align with reality, and discerning which ones might have been crafted by others for their benefit, and passed on for us to share.
What do you want this book to add to the way we think about Didion?
It’s important to note that while she is known for writing movies in Hollywood, many don’t associate her with the typical Hollywood persona. The book aims to avoid portraying her as such, as she was multi-faceted and had numerous interests beyond filmmaking. My hope is that this perspective will provide a unified view of her primary creative passions.
I’m eagerly anticipating that it will provide enlightenment for those who admire Didion deeply, but also for those who may not be avid fans yet, but are intrigued by her influence and the broader context she offers. This exploration might help them appreciate that there’s more to Didion than just the popular image on the bag or the mental picture we have of her.
This interview was edited and condensed.
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2025-03-12 02:19