Oct. 2 (Bloomberg) -- A director who dresses up as Osama bin Laden for a video shoot and demands that his first film credit be listed as Humpty Dumpty is obviously not afraid of controversy. So it's no surprise that Tony Kaye's ``Lake of Fire'' tackles one of the most divisive, fiercely debated issues in the U.S.

What is surprising is that his 2 1/2-hour abortion documentary took 16 years to finish. Kaye spent more than $6 million of his own money to make the black-and-white movie and went bankrupt along the way, though he says the time and money were worth it.

Kaye's film, which opens tomorrow in New York, is an in- depth, intelligent, evenhanded look at an issue that's been known to turn normally rational people into screaming idiots.

His calm approach reflects his personal journey from a wild-man director who sued New Line Cinema for adding footage to ``American History X'' (1998) without his permission to a balding, soft-spoken Kaballah follower who carried his beat-up guitar to a recent interview at Bloomberg's New York headquarters.

Kaye, wearing a navy-blue sweater, checked shirt and gray pants, looked more like a college professor than an eccentric filmmaker. Though the U.K. native has lived in the U.S. since 1990 -- he resides in Los Angeles with his pregnant wife, Yan- Lin, and their 17-month-old daughter -- he retains his British accent and speaks with a slight stutter.

Heated Issue

Warner: Abortion is such an emotional issue. Why make a documentary about it?

Kaye: I tried to write a story about abortion, but I couldn't do the subject justice. Then I decided to make a documentary. I was inspired by the work of people like Errol Morris, Michael Moore and Frederick Wiseman.

Warner: The film includes interviews with those who think abortion is murder, as well as those who say it's a fundamental right. Is there any middle ground?

Kaye: My concept was to make a film that was not propagandist in any way. It was all about the confusion. Everybody on both sides thinks they're 100 percent right, which is why there is such a huge argument.

Warner: What is your personal opinion on abortion?

Kaye: I don't really have an opinion, other than you should follow the law. As a filmmaker, I'm sort of like an empty vessel. I just let things come through me, and they end up however they end up.

Warner: Why did it take so long to finish the movie?

Kaye: Making any film is difficult, but making a film about an issue that's an infinite sea of ideas and text and images is much, much harder. ``Lake of Fire'' is a physically demanding film to watch. I'd say it's best to see this film at 11 in the morning.

Body Parts

Warner: You show graphic footage, including a late-term abortion where you see discarded body parts -- legs, arms, even a head. Was it really necessary to show that?

Kaye: Since the film is about abortion, I felt I had to show what an abortion was. It would have been fraudulent of me not to have included that in the film.

Warner: Abortion is controversial in many countries, but it seems to be an especially heated issue in the U.S. Have you figured out why?

Kaye: In America people are concerned about everything and they love to put things under a microscope.

Warner: The last part of the film focuses on a pregnant 28- year-old nursing assistant named Stacey who's preparing to have an abortion. She's had several previous abortions and gave birth to one child who she gave up for adoption. How did you find her and how did you convince her to tell her story?

Kaye: We worked with a clinic to find a woman who would be prepared to share the whole journey with us. If there wasn't any Stacey, there wouldn't really be any film.

Hot Temper

Warner: In your younger days, you had so many run-ins with studios and producers that you were practically blackballed from the business. Any regrets?

Kaye: I brought a lot of difficulty on myself by behaving in a very poor, very egotistical way. But I've tried to learn from my mistakes. Looking back, there was a much easier way of doing it.

Warner: What happened between you and Marlon Brando? I know you were friends at one point, and then he stopped talking to you.

Kaye: I met Marlon Brando when I was right in the middle of the ``American History X'' battle. He kept telling me to stop acting like an idiot, that he'd been through it a million times and I had no chance of winning. Unfortunately, I didn't listen to him.

(Rick Warner is the movie critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this story: Rick Warner in New York at rwarner1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 2, 2007 00:10 EDT