Amy Scott’s biographical portrait of director Hal Ashby (1929-1988) centers on the string of remarkable films he made in the so-called "New Hollywood" of the 1970s—The Landlord, Harold and Maude, The Last Detail, Shampoo, Bound for Glory, Coming Home and Being There—before he lost his way in the following decade, producing a string of flops. Without overlooking the reasons for his sharp decline—especially a destructive cocaine habit—Hal is primarily a celebration of Ashby’s humane and generous spirit, emphasizing his hippie inclinations in the "peace and love" era, compassion in depicting unusual and troubled characters, and genuinely collaborative attitude toward actors and crew (although that did not extend to the studio executives he blasted for interfering with his creative independence). Scott touches briefly on Ashby’s difficult childhood (his father committed suicide) before proceeding to his work first as an editor and then as a director, essentially offering a film-by-film overview, with clips and behind-the-scenes footage from each accompanied by admiring comments from actors (Jon Voight, Jane Fonda, Beau and Jeff Bridges), writers (Robert Towne), cinematographers (Haskell Wexler), and fellow directors (Norman Jewison, Judd Apatow, Lisa Cholodenko). An autobiographical element is added through audio recordings made by Ashby himself, as well as excerpts from his letters that are read in voiceover, and comments from Ashby’s daughter. Although it could have dug deeper, Hal is an affectionate tribute to one of the most notable American filmmakers of the ‘70s. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Hal
Oscilloscope, 90 min., not rated, DVD: $34.99, Blu-ray: $39.99 Volume 34, Issue 5
Hal
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