The Kid Stays In The Picture
This one is definitely worth getting on DVD, not worth seeing in its theatrical release. The bonus features outweigh a reasonably good film. It tries so hard to be an entertaining documentary but is hampered cause there’s not much to build on visually. Raw footage is crucial in a project like this and photos from a person’s life, even if taken by Eisenstadt and enhanced with After-Effects… still not up to the visual product offered in other formats.
The commentary track is, in its own right, a primer on the film industry, documentary filmmaking and point of view. Bob Evans fascinating life is the subject here and the title is taken from his book. Evans, I guess most famous for his marriage to Ali McGraw, ran Paramount Studios at a time when the film industry went through as much upheaval as the surrounding culture and Bob played the rouge role all through.
We have him to thank for more great films than Spielberg, Coppolla & Lucas combined. And, unlike those dream weavers, Evans is responsible for breakthrough films that truly changed society and showed a light on our culture. There is much to comment on, such as the pervasive power of image and how it factored so strongly in his rise and demise.
But, what really moved me, stuck with me, was actually from his acceptance speech for the Independent Spirit Award. He was presented the award by Larry King… surprising since that type of honor usually goes to a close friend, and Evans does credit Stanley Jaffe with saving his career, if not his life. So, why Larry? Evans explains.
Bob had run into Larry a few years earlier and said, “Hey Larry, you just had a quadruple bypass, you look great…. What’s the deal?” Larry’s answer stayed with Bob every day for years that he endured pure hell and it’s sticking to me too. So, here it is. He said, “Bob, it wasn’t the heart attack. It was an attack of the heart.”
He was referring to his latest young wife, with whom he was very much in love. Bob, goes on to say that his life had always been about achievement but when he softened his heart and fell in love with his own twenty-something… well, that was what it was all about. You could see the real love in this seventy something guy. Well, like Bruce Willis said, it’s all about love people.
It’s so easy to discount feeling. It’s so easy to forget what every prophet & Beatles told us, all you need is love. Here’s a guy who led an incredible, charmed life. He’s seen it all, done it all and even produced it all… and what does he think it’s all about? Love, the most powerful force in the world.
The commentary track is, in its own right, a primer on the film industry, documentary filmmaking and point of view. Bob Evans fascinating life is the subject here and the title is taken from his book. Evans, I guess most famous for his marriage to Ali McGraw, ran Paramount Studios at a time when the film industry went through as much upheaval as the surrounding culture and Bob played the rouge role all through.
We have him to thank for more great films than Spielberg, Coppolla & Lucas combined. And, unlike those dream weavers, Evans is responsible for breakthrough films that truly changed society and showed a light on our culture. There is much to comment on, such as the pervasive power of image and how it factored so strongly in his rise and demise.
But, what really moved me, stuck with me, was actually from his acceptance speech for the Independent Spirit Award. He was presented the award by Larry King… surprising since that type of honor usually goes to a close friend, and Evans does credit Stanley Jaffe with saving his career, if not his life. So, why Larry? Evans explains.
Bob had run into Larry a few years earlier and said, “Hey Larry, you just had a quadruple bypass, you look great…. What’s the deal?” Larry’s answer stayed with Bob every day for years that he endured pure hell and it’s sticking to me too. So, here it is. He said, “Bob, it wasn’t the heart attack. It was an attack of the heart.”
He was referring to his latest young wife, with whom he was very much in love. Bob, goes on to say that his life had always been about achievement but when he softened his heart and fell in love with his own twenty-something… well, that was what it was all about. You could see the real love in this seventy something guy. Well, like Bruce Willis said, it’s all about love people.
It’s so easy to discount feeling. It’s so easy to forget what every prophet & Beatles told us, all you need is love. Here’s a guy who led an incredible, charmed life. He’s seen it all, done it all and even produced it all… and what does he think it’s all about? Love, the most powerful force in the world.
posted by Intervision at 11:57 AM
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