Arthur Miller: You know what I think it is? - I think it's the new Naturalism. That is, Naturalism in its worst sense: where you get the whole thing no matter how boring the damn thing was. Nothing was going to be left out. You never got into the people. And Easy Rider is that way. These are displacement figures - that is to say, they're up there having scenic adventures. Which is perfectly fine, but to attribute to it a deep artistic value is a sign of the moment - that is, that a lot of people who felt it was of the first importance do feel about life that it has surfaces but no depth, that it has consequences but not causes, that there is no center, it's simply that you do get on the motorcycle and go from one place to another.
Inge Morath: (enters again and speaks to Miller)
Jim Proctor on the phone.
Arthur Miller: (leaves to talk with him, or uh --exits upstage left)
William Styron: Jim Proctor?
Inge Morath: Arthur's publicity man, a marvelous incredible person. But you know what was interesting to me with all you were saying - I was just now down in Miami lecturing to students of photography, and it was just very interesting. Their whole approach is again different. You know? Finally one said to me, "How do I find my identity? I can do physics, I can do photography, I can do plastic styrofoam sculptures." I said to him, "You have too much money. It's very simple. You know, you wouldn't have so much money you'd have to stick with one thing and try to find yourself in it." He said, "You know, you are right." And it's true. It's like those modern painters who have so much money to buy these enormous canvases. If they would have smaller canvases they would do better work.
