Interview: "Porn Tale Has Moral Overtone"

Now Magazine, Written By John Harkness
October 16th, 1997


With a single small film under his belt, little seen but highly regarded Hard Eight writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson wants to paint on a broader canvas. Which brings us to Boogie Nights, co-winner of the Critics' Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, a film that sprawls across almost a decade in the life of the L.A. porn industry from the late 70s to the mid-80s.

Anderson is all of 27, so there is no autobiographical element in this film.

In a room at the Sheraton Centre during the film festival, he says, "I'm from the Valley, which may explain a few things." Well, a few -- the San Fernando Valley, over the mountains from L.A., is home to the porn industry.