Issue date: 4/16/07 Section: Arts & Culture

Media Credit: Eunice Hong Doug Liman '88, director of "Swingers," "The Bourne Identity" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," gave the Variety Keynote Speech of the Ivy Film Festival Saturday evening in Salomon 101.

"If I learned anything at school, it was how to show up to class without any studying whatsoever," said Doug Liman '88, director of movies such as "Swingers" and "The Bourne Identity." With these words, Liman began the Variety Keynote Speech of the Ivy Film Festival Saturday night in Salomon 101.

His speech was marked by candor and dry humor as he recalled his exploits, setbacks and accomplishments from his years at Brown to the present. "I cherish this place and jump at any chance to return to Providence," he said.

Liman started with an anecdote about his senior year at Brown, during which he said he enrolled in a class known as "Rocks for Jocks" along with seven friends. While taking the course, he and his friends gave each other "handicaps" and competed to see who could score the highest grade. According to group-imposed rules, he wasn't allowed to attend lectures or do the reading for the class, but he still managed to pass. He likened the experience to working in the film industry, as he said both require one to "be able to work under insane conditions."

After graduating from Brown, Liman managed to direct his own short film at University of Southern California even after dropping out of its film school, but the film was unfortunately not the "ticket to Hollywood" he had thought it would be.

He subsequently directed his first feature film, titled "Getting In," which was not well-received. After these two disappointments, Liman decided to climb the Alps with a friend from Brown. He credited the trip with giving him a sense of accomplishment that has inspired him throughout his career.

When working in film, "you're gonna get bad news every day," Liman said. "I get rejected every day (by actors and writers). You need a way to still feel good about yourself."

"There's an adage in Hollywood - failure's not falling down, it's not getting back up," Liman said. "To cut through and break in, you've gotta do something that's great … it just has to have an original voice."

Continued...

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