Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction hit DVD on June 3rd from Adopt Films & Kino Lorber.
It’s pretty much impossible to love movies without loving Harry Dean Stanton. I dare you to try. The man has been a fixture on the silver screen for more than half a century in some 200 films across seemingly every conceivable genre, and — with the exception of Paris, Texas — usually in highly memorable supporting roles. To list just a few: Alien, Cool Hand Luke, Repo Man, Pretty In Pink, The Last Temptation Of Christ, Red Dawn, The Wrong Man, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid, The Godfather Part II, and my personal favorite Escape From New York. With his lanky figure and soulful hangdog face, he just seemed to gain more character as the years passed. I was happily astounded when he made a surprise cameo in 2012’s The Avengers.
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction is a documentary created by longtime friend Sophie Huber. It seeks to honor the 87-year-old actor by creating a portrait of his twilight years. In a certain sense, the success of the film lies less in its execution than in its mere existence because it fills a void: it is something that needed to exist. Thankfully, it was created and completed while Stanton still lives, and in this respect it is successful in creating a living tribute to the beloved actor.
Partly Fiction contains interviews with Harry Dean, but his enigmatic and quiet soul is engaging and evasive in turns. Some of his answers come out surprisingly quickly, while others — about his childhood and parents, for example — give him great pause. It’s in these long uncomfortable moments that we may actually learn more about him than when he is speaking. He seems much more comfortable singing folk songs than answering questions. Several of them pepper the film, his raspy and sombre voice ringing out at times with surprising resonance.
The film includes interviews with several collaborators as well. A cheerful David Lynch, who directed Stanton in six films, engages him in some interview questions and is rewarded with surprising answers. This was probably my favorite part of the film, as the pair have a comfort level which eased up on the documentary’s overall sense of quietude. Sam Shepard and Wim Wenders, who wrote and directed Paris, Texas, respectively, reminisce about the critically acclaimed role — a rare lead for the legendary character actor. Singer Deborah Harry explains that her song “I Want That Man” was a response to seeing Stanton in that role, and opened the door to a friendship with him a few years later. Actor and musician Kris Kristofferson tells some fun yarns about how Harry Dean helped him nab his first role in Cisco Pike, and of shenanigans with Bob Dylan on the set of Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid. We also get to visit alongside as Harry Dean drops by some of his usual watering holes and engages with friends and acquaintances.
The film’s documentary footage is peppered with film clips from some of Stanton’s most memorable roles. The new footage is a mix of color and black and white: color when the cameras are simply following him around in the wild, and black and white for the interview sessions. The camera often lingers pleasingly on Stanton’s craggly visage, but also takes some moments to explore his photographs, decorations and sentimental miscellany.
It may be important to check your expectations before viewing the film. It’s not a comprehensive biography or retrospective, and for every special guest who appears, there must be dozens more whose stories we may never hear. The film is more of a portrait of who he is today. A chance to eavesdrop as he sits and chats, sings some songs, and acquiesces a few questions.
In my research I found that comedian Marc Maron had dedicated an episode of his WTF Podcast to the film, and interviewed both Harry Dean Stanton and Sophie Huber. His interview seemed to be more conversational and successful in getting “straight answers” than the documentary, and uncovered some surprising insights: for example, that Stanton and Huber were once romantically involved. It’s a great complement to anyone who has seen or is interested in the film and can be checked out here.
THE PACKAGE
The film arrived June 3 in a new DVD edition from Adopt Films and Kino Lorber (no Blu-Ray has been announced), and is also available on VOD. The disc contains just the film; no special features.
Cinephiles should absolutely seek out Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction and treasure its subject, though for most the film is probably not too high on rewatchability. For this reason, and the absence of extras on the disc, I’d consider it more of a rental than a blind buy.
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon:
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction — [DVD] | [Amazon Video]