Actress turned filmmaker, Sophie Huber, has been a good friend of Harry Dean Stanton for over two decades. He’s the subject of her latest project, documentary Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction. Huber says she didn’t want to make a biography about the legendary actor, instead react to what it is he wants to say. As a tribute to an old Hollywood star, singer (which he’s not as well-known for) and flower-child philosopher, Huber captures on screen an intimate portrait of a mesmerizing voice and face that has lived awhile.
Harry Dean Stanton is quite the big shot, he’s appeared in over 250 films. He has played all sorts of roles in all sorts of films, including indie and cult classics, Paris, Texas, Escape from New York, and Repo Man to mainstream productions such as Alien and Pretty in Pink. And, in the film he’ll tell you how Debbie Harry left him for Tom Cruise and broke his heart and what it was like to flat with mate Jack Nicholson during filming of Easy Rider.
Actress turned filmmaker, Sophie Huber, has been a good friend of Harry Dean Stanton for over two decades. He’s the subject of her latest project, documentary Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction. Huber says she didn’t want to make a biography about the legendary actor, instead react to what it is he wants to say. As a tribute to an old Hollywood star, singer (which he’s not as well-known for) and flower-child philosopher, Huber captures on screen an intimate portrait of a mesmerizing voice and face that has lived awhile.
Harry Dean Stanton is quite the big shot, he’s appeared in over 250 films. He has played all sorts of roles in all sorts of films, including indie and cult classics, Paris, Texas, Escape from New York, and Repo Man to mainstream productions such as Alien and Pretty in Pink. And, in the film he’ll tell you how Debbie Harry left him for Tom Cruise and broke his heart and what it was like to flat with mate Jack Nicholson during filming of Easy Rider.
Today Harry is 88 and reflects on his upbringing in Kentucky to how he stumbled upon a career as an actor where he could be himself. He studied journalism and radio arts saying he came from a musical background and that he was always singing, though decided to become an actor, his explanation “I thought if I could be an actor, I could do all of it." Some say he could’ve been a Willie Nelson or Bob Dylan and Partly Fiction gives us a rare glimpse into the idea.
Filmmaker, Huber presents Partly Fiction in black and white film - to create the illusion of what it would be like to spend a day with Harry or a night, rather, in real time - as well as interweaving past clips, interviews with fellow collaborators and friends and songs he sings to camera. Harry has an arresting voice. The songs, Huber says and she uses them to curate Harry’s story “he chose himself and they tell a lot about his emotional life.” The lyrically poetic and politics behind the songs give way to his fragility and vulnerability.
Like the lyrics in his friend Kris Kristofferson’s song, Harry has a devised persona that’s ‘partly truth and partly fiction’. He has a spaced-out demeanor that trickles out bits of information that are both ‘everything and nothing’ - I guess his own Eastern influenced pearls of wisdom. Partly Fiction then continues on Harry’s journey and explores his approach and philosophy about life. A Buddhist belief he goes by – ‘Everything is transient, fleeting, passing and ultimately not important.’ He continues, “to think you’re an individual person with an identity and an individual soul is not only an illusion, it’s insane.”
Why this film is so profound and an interesting watch is that it encompasses everything that makes documentary strong as a genre. Harry is a compelling character who challenges ideology, explores spirituality and the human experience – essentially he gives us his take on life.
Screening Times:
08/01/2015 08:30pm
11/01/2015 05:20pm
10/02/2015 10:25am
20/02/2015 11:00am