I was excited to be assigned this one, since I love and admire Harry Dean Stanton so much (who doesn’t?).
A new documentary by Sophie Huber, called Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction – I reviewed it for Roger Ebert.
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Review: Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2013)
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Great review, as always.
He is such an interesting actor. He is one of those actors who is usually in a small role, and I often end up wishing the whole movie were about him. When he leaves the screen, I want to leave with him and hang out with him instead of the main characters, just to learn more about this guy.
In Pretty in Pink, which is nobody’s idea of a great movie, he leaves an indelible impression as Molly Ringwald’s Dad. In a movie full of fake and forced relationships, their relationship seemed incredibly real, and so did he.
In Alpha Dog, a movie I liked, he makes a great impression with almost no dialogue. I’m not sure how he does it. It’s partly the look of the guy, and while I understand that there are wardrobe people and directors involved in those decisions, I get the feel he picked this look out himself, and even if I’m wrong, it seems that way.
I’m glad somebody took the time to make a movie about this guy.
“How do you want to be remembered?” ” It doesn’t matter”. That is awesome, sounds like something one of his characters would say.
http://www.hotflick.net/flicks/2005_Alpha_Dog/005ADG_Harry_Dean_Stanton_006.jpg
Oh yes, he was wonderful in Pretty in Pink! How great, too: to introduce this weird gritty character actor to a mainstream audience, I loved that choice.
There is one fascinating glimpse of him on set with David Lynch – and they are talking about how Stanton should deliver a line. Stanton is supposed to exclaim, “Dreadful!” and I guess Stanton hadn’t done it big enough for Lynch’s taste. They discussed it and Lynch said he almost wanted it to be melodramatic, a huge exclamation – and then Lynch did it – with a big awkward arm gesture – “DREAAAAD-ful!” And Stanton, before Lynch even finished, got what Lynch was talking about – and then did the line, and took it to a whole other level and Lynch started laughing and nodding. “Yes, that’s it.”
A great example of the fluidity of their partnership, the shorthand. I wish there had been more of that in the movie, but like I said – that didn’t seem to be the film’s primary interest.
Still so interesting!!