Just watched this short film after having had a bit of a Trent Harris weekend, which started with Rubin & Ed and was followed by The Beaver Trilogy then The Orkly Kid (thankfully, all available on youtube, otherwise I would never have been able to see them due to their lack of availability. However, I believe Trent Harris does sell his films via his own website but at high prices due to the cost of self- distribution).
Out of the three, this short is the best. There are actually two versions of this film; This one, from 1985, and the version that is contained within The Beaver Trilogy documentary, which was shot in 1981 and stars Sean Penn in the main role. The original, with Penn, is badly made, badly directed and has shockingly bad acting from Penn. Trent must have learnt a lot from that trial run because the subsequent version is infinitely better on every count and Crispin Glover's performance is spot on. Without a doubt this is my favourite performance of Glover's that I've seen.
Poignancy was probably added to this film for me since I watched The Beaver Trilogy first (which is the documentary about Dick Griffiths, the guy from Beaver whom this short film is based on). Seeing that made me understand the character better. This film is a comedy and it is good fun to watch, but there is an underlying sadness running through it since the main character, Dick (aka 'Larry' as he is called in this film), is such an outsider in this small American town that is hostile towards anything strange or different. Larry being the eccentric that he is, is often ridiculed by his peers and when he performs as Olivia Newton John at the talent show that he organises, it results in everyone turning their backs on him in shame.
In the film (as in real life), Larry contacts a TV director he met previously by chance to come and film the talent show. The director agrees, seeing it as good material for the TV channel he works for. The show is a bit of a disaster, with the small-minded audience not expecting Larry to perform as a woman and it does not go down well. A scene near the end has Larry considering suicide after he contacts the director to ask him not to screen the documentary on TV, due to the reaction he has had from the townsfolk. The director refuses. In the film, Larry does not go through with the suicide and it ends on a more positive note. Real life was a bit different though and Dick did shoot himself but luckily he survived. This resulted in Trent Harris burying the documentary for years, which is why The Beaver Trilogy did not see the light of day until 2000 (and probably only after Dick had died from a heart attack). For an interesting insight into this and Trent Harris, the youtube video of 'The Beaver Trilogy Q&A' with Harris at the Raindance festival is worth a viewing too.
This is a sublime short film, perfectly written, directed, shot and acted. I really can't fault it and it's one of my instant favourites.
Out of the three, this short is the best. There are actually two versions of this film; This one, from 1985, and the version that is contained within The Beaver Trilogy documentary, which was shot in 1981 and stars Sean Penn in the main role. The original, with Penn, is badly made, badly directed and has shockingly bad acting from Penn. Trent must have learnt a lot from that trial run because the subsequent version is infinitely better on every count and Crispin Glover's performance is spot on. Without a doubt this is my favourite performance of Glover's that I've seen.
Poignancy was probably added to this film for me since I watched The Beaver Trilogy first (which is the documentary about Dick Griffiths, the guy from Beaver whom this short film is based on). Seeing that made me understand the character better. This film is a comedy and it is good fun to watch, but there is an underlying sadness running through it since the main character, Dick (aka 'Larry' as he is called in this film), is such an outsider in this small American town that is hostile towards anything strange or different. Larry being the eccentric that he is, is often ridiculed by his peers and when he performs as Olivia Newton John at the talent show that he organises, it results in everyone turning their backs on him in shame.
In the film (as in real life), Larry contacts a TV director he met previously by chance to come and film the talent show. The director agrees, seeing it as good material for the TV channel he works for. The show is a bit of a disaster, with the small-minded audience not expecting Larry to perform as a woman and it does not go down well. A scene near the end has Larry considering suicide after he contacts the director to ask him not to screen the documentary on TV, due to the reaction he has had from the townsfolk. The director refuses. In the film, Larry does not go through with the suicide and it ends on a more positive note. Real life was a bit different though and Dick did shoot himself but luckily he survived. This resulted in Trent Harris burying the documentary for years, which is why The Beaver Trilogy did not see the light of day until 2000 (and probably only after Dick had died from a heart attack). For an interesting insight into this and Trent Harris, the youtube video of 'The Beaver Trilogy Q&A' with Harris at the Raindance festival is worth a viewing too.
This is a sublime short film, perfectly written, directed, shot and acted. I really can't fault it and it's one of my instant favourites.