Rod Hardy:
A Hollywood Director's Take on Western
By Thea Marx
Even though the opportunities to direct Westerns are not as plentiful as they used to be, director Rod Hardy says they are his favorite. When asked why? He explains, "The Western is a story that comes from a time of white hats versus black hats. They are cleanly defined, there is a sense of goodness that is very clear."
Hardy, a Melbourne native, grew up living and breathing the American West at the Saturday afternoon matinee where the serials would leave you hanging one after another with the hero on the edge of a cliff. Then, the feature would have he and his friends glued to their seats for the next hour.
Traveling to the other side of the pond was unheard of in those days, but now that he has had the chance, he says, "its better than he expected". The people are real. In the West, the people are pure of heart, and humanity still exists in the American West. "It really is the people, the culture, they are down to earth, full of purity and they haven't been jaded by city living. That's a pretty strong statement from a man who started his film career before he was 12 on an 8mm camera on a continent 8,000 miles from the West as we know it in the USA. With over 350 hours and numerous credits to his name, Rod Hardy is known in the industry as a man who can bring out the best in anyone, whether it be an actor or a director of photography.
Rod's experience spans the globe and the industry. From The Yearling to Battlestar Gallactica, he has been bringing the cream to the top. He has received the Western Heritage Award given by the National Cowboy and Western Museum for Two For Texas, a made for television movie based on James Lee Burke's novel. He directed Buffalo Girls which received 11 Emmy nods, 1 SAG and 2 Golden Globe Nominations.
When asked about his greatest accomplishment, his reply is filled with enthusiasm. "High Noon." He shot the remake in a mere 19 days in the ever-changing weather (sometimes hourly or daily) of Calgary. When he received a congratulatory letter from the film's original producer, Stanley Kramer, he knew he had made the cut: he got it. He got the West and what it was all about. Stanley said so.
Rod would do more westerns, but there are challenges from the public and from Hollywood. He predicts that the time is coming when Westerns and their story lines will again be a part of popular culture. But until then he is checking off other dreams on his list. December Boys, a film starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), which was 11 years in the making, has recently been released. It's a movie about values, morals, family and the search for self. It's the kind of stuff this Aussie likes to direct. What's next on his list? In the film department, he hopes to team up with good friend, actor Tom Skerritt who has written his own western screenplay and produce another feel good Western. He also has a film up his sleeve that is set in Italy. It, too, is a period piece. He says he loves doing period pieces, perhaps, as he laughs and says, "its because I like people in funny clothes." Beyond that he doesn't know. He says sometimes you have to let go of the your dreams and move to the next and the next. "You need challenges to get to the next step in life."
Hardy does know that he is going to spend more time in the American West drinking in the landscape, local lore and meeting the people who still live the life he likes to put on the big screen. 
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