Guillermo del Toro: Trivializing Art is a Prelude to the Rise of Fascism
According to the CinemaDrame News Agency, Guillermo del Toro, the Mexican director of Frankenstein, spoke about the profound importance of art and its connection to fascism after receiving an honorary award from Variety at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
The Oscar-winning director of The Shape of Water and Pan’s Labyrinth advises young filmmakers to ignore those who claim “art doesn’t matter,” asserting that such claims are “always a prelude to fascism.”
Del Toro stated: “Be kind and active, and believe in art. When people tell you art doesn’t matter, it is always a prelude to fascism… they think they can diminish everything that makes us better, a bit more human. And that is why my books and my life have monsters.”
Dwayne Johnson, star of The Smashing Machine, and Teyana Taylor, star of One Battle After Another, also received honorary awards at the ceremony.
In another segment of his speech, Del Toro spoke about the “spiritual experience” of watching James Whale’s Frankenstein. Sara Karloff, daughter of the legendary Boris Karloff, was among the special guests at the event.
The Mexican director continued: “The size of the screen does not matter; it is the size of the ideas that counts. Ambition includes failure—it is the neighbor of success. Doors have no numbers. You knock on that door, and when it opens, you are either met by the supermodel of your dreams or your mother in hair rollers.”
Frankenstein, starring Jacob Elordi as the monster, Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, and Mia Goth, was released on Netflix on October 17.
