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Home , Cisco Pike, Harry Dean Stanton, Seamus McGarvey

Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction

A film by Sophie Huber

Running Time: 77 minutes Color/Black and White Language: English

www.adoptfilms.com

Publicity Contacts:

New York City JMP Verdant Communications Marina Bailey Film Publicity Julia Pacetti Marina Bailey [email protected] [email protected] 917.584.7846 323.962.7511

FILM FESTIVALS

VENICE FILM FESTIVAL 2012 VIENNALE 2012 IDFA 2012 GÖTEBORG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2013 ZABGREB DOX 2013 DOKUMENTARNEGA FILMA LJUBLIANA 2013 BELDOCS 2013 – FIPRESCI AWARD EURODOC OSLO 2013 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL 2013 BAFICI BUENOS AIRES 2013 DOC AVIV 2013 INDIE LISBOA 2013 KOSMORAMA TRONDHEIM 2013 ST. PAULS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2013 KRAKOW FILM FESTIVAL 2013 UNDERHILL FEST 2013 – SPECIAL JURY MENTION LA FILM FEST 2013 MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2013 MARFA FILM FESTIVAL 2013 PROVINCETOWN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2013 EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2013 FILMFEST MÜNCHEN 2013 KARLOVY VARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2013

SYNOPSIS

“I don’t give anything away,” cautions Sophie Huber as her poetic tribute commences. By focusing less on the enigmatic actor’s few words, but instead on his expressive physiognomy, and listening while he sings and plays harmonica (music being his true love), the film offers up everything we need to know about this quiet Kentucky man who also happens to be one of our most powerful character actors of all time.

The portrait skillfully uncovers the qualities that have allowed a self- described loner to establish lasting relationships in an often-callous industry. As once suggested, Stanton is a “walking contradiction.” Content to let his friends sing his praises, the prolific actor is more comfortable crooning country songs. Oddly enough, his melancholic readings of familiar lyrics – and the pregnant pauses he punctuates them with – actually serve as confessions of a sort.

HARRY DEAN STANTON: PARTLY FICTION is a mesmerizing, impressionistic portrait of the iconic actor comprised of intimate moments, film clips from some of his 200 films and his own heart-breaking renditions of American folk songs. Stunningly lensed in color and black and white by Seamus McGarvey, the film explores the actor’s enigmatic outlook on his life, his unexploited talents as a musician, and includes candid reminiscences by , , , Kris Kristofferson and Deborah Harry.

Uncensored, unguarded moments and wry humor illuminate scenes filmed at locations like Stanton’s home and his favorite local watering hole, Dan Tana’s. Stanton discusses his friends Marlon Brando, , how his family influenced his musical leanings, the women he almost wed, and his preference for film over theatre. The poignant collage reveals the essence of a fascinatingly opaque and charismatic man.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Harry Dean Stanton and I met in the 90’s and we have been friends ever since.

Years before I came up with the idea to make this portrait, I started recording songs with Harry Dean. There were hardly any recordings ever made with him, even though he had been invited by renowned musicians to record in their studios. I went up to his house with a microphone and a laptop and started recording songs with him there, where he felt most comfortable.

Harry’s resistance towards a film portrait was more complex. The idea of having to expose himself as a private person was troubling to him. Putting the focus on the music rather than his person, helped to engage him. A year later he let us film him sing the songs he had chosen. Their contents - most of them being about unrequited loves, solitude, transience and a search for “home” - provided a way to more personal conversations.

Harry Dean’s concerns and difficulties to reveal himself as a private person might be the reason why he became and actor in the first place: It seems that he can only truly and fully express his vulnerability through a medium, a character or a song. This necessity can be felt in the intensity and authenticity with which he performs. It was important to me to share his raw and powerful talent as a singer with a wider audience.

It was always clear to me that this film would never be a conventional talking heads documentary, filled with biographical facts. Harry Dean’s belief that ‘ego’ is an illusion created by the human mind and his quest for living in the moment, would have made a more traditional documentary about him and his past somewhat paradoxical.

I wanted to create an atmosphere that corresponded with Harry’s way of living, moving along with him, in his mind, at his pace, rather than to follow a linear or biographical order. I wanted to make his philosophy and state of mind palpable to create the kind of atmosphere that he exudes in person: a certain sense of peace and calm.

Portraying a film actor and a face as expressive as Harry Dean’s it was also important to me that the film had a cinematic quality, which Seamus McGarvey made possible.

Sophie Huber, June 2013

HARRY DEAN STANTON - BIOGRAPHY

Harry Dean Stanton is a prolific and legendary actor who has appeared in over 200 films from the 50’s to the present day.

Born in Kentucky, he served in World War II before appearing in a production of Pygmalion. After honing his craft at the prestigious Pasadena Playhouse, his first on screen role was in Tomahawk Trail in 1957. Following this, Harry Dean had numerous smaller roles in television and film in the late 50’s and early 60’s, including Rawhide and Bonanza and films such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1960 (Dir: Michael Curtiz)

In 1967, Harry Dean was cast in . Some other classic films he appeared in around this time include Kelly’s Heroes (Dir: Brian G. Hutton), Dillinger (Dir: ), and The Godfather: Part II (Dir: ). He put in a memorable turn as the doomed Brett in Alien for in 1979. In another science fiction classic, (1981), Harry Dean played a cunning scientist for . Wim Wenders cast Harry Dean in Paris, Texas in 1984, and Alex Cox used him to great effect opposite in the Repo Man in the same year. In 1986 John Hughes cast Harry Dean against type as a suburban father in . David Lynch’s Wild at Heart in 1990 gave Harry Dean another memorable role, this time as an ill-fated private investigator. Lynch also cast Harry Dean in : Fire Walk With Me in 1992 and in 1999. Also capping the 90’s were Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) for Terry Gilliam and The Green Mile the following year for Frank Darabont,

No rest for the weary in the 21st century. Last decade’s memorable Harry Dean Stanton performances have come in standout titles such as The Pledge for in 2001, The Wendell Baker Story directed by Andrew and Luke Wilson and Alpha Dog (2004) for Nick Cassavetes. More recently he contributed his talents to Anthony & Joe Russo’s You Me & Dupree (2005), the voice of Balthazar in the 2011 animated hit Rango, as well as a notable cameo in the 2012 blockbuster The Avengers.

For four seasons, he appeared in the hit HBO series, , as polygamist patriarch, Roman Grant. He was most recently seen in ’s The Avengers, Martin McDonagh’s , and The Last Stand with . In 2014 the indefatigable Stanton will join Daniel Stern and Laurie Metcalf in the new HBO series Getting On.

FILMMAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Director / Sophie Huber: Sophie Huber was born in Bern, Switzerland. After studying acting at The Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles she worked as a performer for several theater- and film productions in Switzerland and Germany before she co-founded the award winning Berlin film collective hangover ltd.* She co-wrote, co-directed and composed music for all hangover ltd.* films. “Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction” is Sophie Huber’s solo directing debut.

Producers / Christian Davi, Thomas Thümena, Christof Neracher: Co-Owners of Hugofilm Productions GmbH. Hugofilm has been producing feature and television films since 2002. The Zurich based Hugofilm emerged from a group of filmmakers and graphic designers. Originally, the main idea was to improve the working conditions for productions. In 2002, Hugofilm opened up its present production facilities and has since been producing creative films for the cinema and television in close cooperation with independent authors of the younger generation. Its most successful production with sales in over 40 territories is VITUS by Fredi Murer, which premiered at the Berlinale 2006. Other examples of our line-up are PEPPERMINTA from the Swiss video-artist Pipilotti Rist or HARRY DEAN STANTON: PARTLY FICTION, both with premieres at the Venice Film Festival.

Producer / Chiemi Karasawa: Ms. Karasawa is an award-winning Producer who founded Isotope Films in 2005 to make independent films based on true stories. Her notable films as a producer and co-producer include: Billy The Kid (2007), Ellen Kuras’ Emmy Award Winning / Oscar Nominated film, The Betrayal (2008), Spike Jonze and Lance Bangs’ Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak (2009), and The Lazarus Effect (2010), ELEVATE Elevate (2011). Karasawa recently produced Love Etc. for Jonathan Tisch’s Walnut Hill Media, which premiered at IDFA, and was released by OWN. She most recently produced and directed Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me, which will be released in Spring 2014, and is at work on Aretha Franklin: Amazing Grace.

Director Of Photography/ Seamus McGarvey, ASC/BSC: Seamus McGarvey is an Irish cinematographer who began his career as a still photographer before attending film school at the University of Westminster in . His credits as a cinematographer include ’s World Trade Center, The Hours, directed by , for which he earned the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Technical/Artistic Achievement; Along Came Polly, High Fidelity, directed by , Wit, directed by ; Enigma, directed by ; The War Zone, directed by ; Butterfly Kiss; The Winter Guest; The Actors; A Map of the World; Charlotte's Web; and Atonement, for which he received an Academy Award nomination (2008) and a BAFTA nomination (2008). Other esteemed credits include: ’s The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency , , Nowhere Boy, and the acclaimed 's We Need to Talk About Kevin . He shot The Avengers for director Joss Whedon, and most recently for , for which he received his second Academy Award nomination. He is currently shooting Godzilla, to be released in 2014.

Editor / Angelo Corrao, ACE: Angelo Corrao is an award-winning film editor who has worked on both fiction and documentary features for over 40 years. He has been on the editorial team of some of the most successful films of our time, including Reds, Little Big Man, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, All that Jazz, Kramer vs. Kramer, Klute, Silkwood, Primary Colors and Saturday Night Fever. He was the editor and associate producer of the Academy Award nominated documentary The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story, as well as editor on some of the most lauded documentaries of recent years, including Let's Get Lost: Chet Baker, an Academy Award nominee and Venice Film Festival award winner, Chop Suey an A.C.E. (American Cinema Editors) Editing nominee, and Patti Smith: Dream of Life an Emmy nominee and Sundance award winner.

Editor / Russell Greene: Russell Greene is a New York film editor of seven feature films, four short films, as well as numerous national commercials and corporate films for Fortune 500 companies. He served as assistant editor on several additional films including the Academy Award-nominated and Emmy winning The Betrayal and the Sundance award-winning Patti Smith: Dream of Life. Russell wrote, directed and edited the short film Easy Street which has played in more than 40 US film festivals, winning eight awards. He is currently editing a feature on the legendary Coney Island restaurant Nathan’s Famous.

FILM CREDITS

CAST

Harry Dean Stanton (Himself) David Lynch (Himself) Wim Wenders (Himself) Sam Shepard (Himself) Kris Kristofferson (Himself) Deborah Harry (Herself)

CREW

Production Company Hugofilm Productions GmbH Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen SRG SSR In Association with Isotope Films, New York Director Sophie Huber Producers Christian Davi Chiemi Karasawa Christof Neracher Thomas Thümena Executive Producers Sophie Huber Seamus McGarvey Commissioning Editor SRF/ SRG Urs Augstburger Sven Wälti Director of Photography Seamus McGarvey, ASC/BSC Edited By Angelo Corrao, ACE Russell Greene Financially Supported by Bundesamt für Kultur (EDI), Schweiz Zürcher Filmstiftung Berner Filmförderung / Pro Cinéma Berne SUISSIMAGE Migros Kulturprozent Succès Cinéma Succès Passage Antenne SWISS FILMS Music Performed by Harry Dean Stanton Jamie James Associate Editor Jason Brandenberg Music Supervisor Chris Robertson Production Coordinator Ginalola Lowry Tami Berkovits Brigitte Zimmermann Production Sound Eric A. Bautista

Additional Photography Ellen Kuras Hilton Goring Peter Hastings David Clair Kjerstin Rossi Additional Location Sound Thomas Thümena Scott Harber Lisa Pinero Alejo Ramos Andy Day John Steadwell Assistant Editor Peter Maugeri Music Editor Roland Widmer Titles and Graphics Lucien Yang Supervisor H.C. Vogel HD Conform Editor Martin Burga Assistant Conform Editor Rainer Flury Digital Intermediate Colorist Steven Bodner Digital Intermediate Producer Molle DeBartolo Digital Intermediate Supervising Producer Darrell R. Smith Digital Opticals Chris Mackenzie Conform Editor Matt Breitenbach Sales Manager Anne Neczypor Technical Supervisor Christoph Menzi Post Production Services Provided by PlanB Deluxe New York Rotor Film Babelsberg Hugofilm Productions Zentralton Supervising Sound Editor Roland Widmer Re-Recording Mixer Matthias Schwab Sound Editor Stefan Willenegger Mix Technician Eric Horstmann

MUSIC CREDITS

“BLUE MOON” WRITTEN BY LORENZ HART & RICHARD RODGERS PERFORMED BY HARRY DEAN STANTON

“BLUE BAYOU” WRITTEN BY ROY ORBISON & JOE MELSON PERFORMED BY HARRY DEAN STANTON & JAMIE JAMES

"PARIS, TEXAS" WRITTEN BY PERFORMED BY RY COODER

"CANCION MIXTECA" WRITTEN BY JOSÉ LÓPEZ ALAVÉS PERFORMED BY HARRY DEAN STANTON & JAMIE JAMES

“JUST A CLOSER WALK WITH THEE” TRADITIONAL PERFORMED BY HARRY DEAN STANTON

“EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’” WRITTEN BY FRED NEIL PERFORMED BY HARRY DEAN STANTON & JAMIE JAMES

“WHEN I GET MY REWARDS” WRITTEN BY PAUL KENNERLEY PERFORMED BY HARRY DEAN STANTON & JAMIE JAMES

“BLUE EYES CRYING IN THE RAIN” WRITTEN BY FRED ROSE PERFORMED BY HARRY DEAN STANTON & JAMIE JAMES

“TENNESSEE WHISKEY” WRITTEN BY DEAN DILLON & LINDA HARGROVE PERFORMED BY HARRY DEAN STANTON & JAMIE JAMES

"BREAKDOWN (A LONG WAY FROM HOME)" WRITTEN BY KRIS KRISTOFFERSON PERFORMED BY KRIS KRISTOFFERSON

“PILGRIM, CHAPTER 33” WRITTEN BY KRIS KRISTOFFERSON PERFORMED BY KRIS KRISTOFFERSON

“HANDS ON THE WHEEL” WRITTEN BY WILLIAM CALLERY PERFORMED BY HARRY DEAN STANTON & JAMIE JAMES

“DANNY BOY” WRITTEN BY FREDERIC WEATHERLY PERFORMED BY HARRY DEAN STANTON & JAMIE JAMES

FILM CLIPS

“PARIS, TEXAS” COURTESY OF HANWAY FILMS LTD.

“ALIEN” COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX.

“INLAND EMPIRE” COURTESY OF RHINO ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY, A WARNER MUSIC GROUP COMPANY.

“THE STRAIGHT STORY” COURTESY OF WALT DISNEY PICTURES

“THE MISSOURI BREAKS” COURTESY OF MGM MEDIA LICENSING

“REPO MAN” COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL STUDIOS LICENSING LLC

“COOL HAND LUKE” & “PAT GARRETT & BILLY THE KID” COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC & TURNER ENTERTAINMENT CO.

“” COURTESY OF

PHOTOGRAPHS & IMAGES COURTESY OF

HARRY DEAN STANTON EVERETT COLLECTION PHOTOFEST GETTY IMAGES THE CARTOON BANK/CONDE NAST PUBLICATIONS INC. JAYNE KAMIN-ONCEA COPYRIGHT © 1999. . REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION PETER LINDBERGH GEOFF CORDNER ROBERT SEBREE THICH NHAT HANH HARRELL GRAHAM MAX M. FEIBELMAN RICHARD NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY MUSEUM, NARA