Spike Jonze And Lance Bangs Talk 'Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait Of Maurice Sendak'

by Cristina Ramos

With his adaptation of "Where The Wild Things Are" set for DVD release on Tuesday, March 2, Spike Jonze took a night to chat about the intimate documentary about the witty and wise author Maurice Sendak, along with co-director Lance Bangs. "Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak" takes you through enchanting, funny, and sometimes sad moments of the "Wild Things" creator's life as he recounts his childhood, the controversy surrounding his recently adapted book, his late partner of fifty years, Eugene Glynn, and his obsession with death. The 40-minute film exposes life as Sendak views it, quirks and all.

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In the film, Jonze and Bangs combine detailed stories with photographs and illustrations that take us on an emotional tour through what matters most in Sendak’s life. Through the past couple years they taped several casual conversations with the writer and illustrator in his Connecticut home. During these chats, he speaks candidly about his eight decades of life, starting with his early memories of being a two year old.

Sendak's life is as full of wonder as the tales in his books. You can’t help but fall in love with him and his stories as they are as inspiring as his passion for creating his wonderful works of art.
After the screening, Jonze called upon long-time friend Mike Myers to help moderate a Q&A with the audience. The two directors spoke of the creativity behind the film, naming Sendak as an inspiration in and of himself.

“I find his imagination is certainly inspiring. I think that’s what really drew me to him," Jonze explained. "But what I find deeply inspiring is his ferocious honesty and his fearlessness to be honest both as a person, as a friend, and as a mentor in helping us make this movie. As the thing about him is, he has no ability of small talk or chitchat. He wants to engage in something real. He is who he is and he doesn’t have the energy to pretend to be someone else.”

Jonze also spoke about Sendak’s approval of the "Where The Wild Things Are" adaptation. “Not that he hated it, but it was the fact that Max didn’t go to his room and the bedroom didn’t turn into the forest. That was something early on in writing Dave [Eggers] and I realized didn’t make sense with this movie we were writing. He didn’t hate it, but he did challenge me on it”.
Despite Sendak’s eccentrities -- or perhaps because of them -- Jonze and Bangs were able to capture the essence of who this old man really is in their documentary. Whether it was his creepy obsession with mortality or how strange yet captivating his books are, "Tell Them Anything You Want" is a wonderful look into the life and success of one of literature's most creative minds.