Word: benton
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...Kramer is one of those movies that does not come around often. A rare combination of deft acting and a believable story, it draws you in, holds your attention and forces you to become emotionally involved. It was not an easy movie to write or direct, but Robert Benton has succeeded in treading the fine line between washed-out soap opera and documentary. The result is a rare treat--a film that does not preach but makes its point, a film that makes you feel but does not jerk, a film that does not pretend to have all the answers...
...plot does not follow the facts of his life, of course, but many parts of Ted Kramer have been consciously modeled on the actor. "We wanted Dustin to draw on his own volatile, engaging personality in creating the character," says Director Robert Benton. "We tape-recorded our talks and took endless notes on his language. Everything was carefully worked out." If Kramer is brash, egocentric and often obnoxious, so too is Hoffman. If Kramer is tender, loving and often vulnerable, then Hoffman is as well. Like Diane Keaton in Annie Hall, he has turned the screen into a mirror...
...editing. In Kramer vs. Kramer, he made certain that he would be involved from the beginning. To find the right boy to play his son, he sat in on a hundred or more casting sessions, then did video tapes with 40 finalists before choosing Justin Henry. Together with Benton and Producer Stanley Jaffe, he worked and worried for months over the character of Kramer, trying to get him exactly right. "I've never seen anybody come to the party with more to offer than Dustin does," says Jaffe. "He had a whole palette of colors." Reflecting a second, Jaffe...
...that in six months he'll be saying, I should have done it differently.' " Maybe not this time. Kramer is more than just another film to Hoffman. He has a special feeling toward children-and they toward him. "He's one of those natural fathers," says Benton. "Kids drift to him instinctively and immediately. For that reason I worked out an arrangement...
Director Robert Benton recalls her work that day on the set with amazement: "We must have shot that scene from seven in the morning until six at night, over and over again. First in closeup, then a medium shot, finally a long one. Later in the day, we shot only Dustin reacting to her on the stand. During this last take, all 30 people in the room were facing Dustin. I happened to be watching Meryl, as well. She had the same intensity as she had when she first did the scene...