Bronze Age Gold from Wales

Written on the back of this work is: “This was photo was taken on the set of L'important c'est d'aimer by Andrzej Zulawski in 1974. It was my first film set. I had only one year of professional photography behind me, and I was just finishing university. With Kinski, there was also Romy Schneider, Jacques Dutronc, Fabio Testi, and more. All these prestigious figures made me feel quite intimidated as a beginner, but I was so fascinated, watching in silence what was unfolding in front of me. I discovered amazing intricacies that existed between the mood of the film and the inner psychology of the actors during the shooting. I ended up unable to truly be able to emotionally differentiate what was happening in the fictional film, and what was happening with the real life actors. Andrzej Zulawski has always excelled in handling this kind of situation. The film crew and producers had given me almost full 'carte blanche.' I was left alone with the actors. Kinski fascinated me most — his sudden mood swings, from very calm to incredibly violent. He was struggling with his demons and playing with the struggle. With me, he was attentive and kind. It was while the crew was setting up the lights that Kinski began to improvise this moment, began to play. It weighed on me, the mood he would inhabit a few moments after this frame was made. After the take ended, he got up and walked away slowly towards the bedroom window. He cried. We stayed both silent.” — Jean Gaumy