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Directed by: Jeff Feuerzeig Starring: N/A The Devil and Daniel Johnston, released in 2005, is an overlooked documentary that does not have the recognition I believe it deserves. It is definitely one of the best documentaries I have seen, and it tackles a difficult subject with mostly success. Daniel Johnston is a musician from Texas who became, without a doubt, completely insane. He became devoutly religious, obsessing over "demons" and went in and out of asylums constantly. One memorable moment in his insanity was when, during his stay in an institution, he became obsessed with Mountain Dew, writing a theme song for it. Daniel was a fairly famous musician and artist in his own right. Kurt Cobain wore his t-shirt, and he is a cult figure in Austin, Texas. His music is characterized by high pitched vocals and badly recorded keyboards. He doesn't really seem to know how to play instruments, but his lyrics, though naive, are often profound. Regardless, most viewers would find it odd that he is hailed as a flawed genius by almost all of the interviewees. One even asserts that he was better than the Beatles. There is a striking amount of authentic footage of Daniel's life. Most of which includes home videos he took himself and video diaries which are very revealing. The documentary then becomes a study of insanity as well as one man. The viewer is immediately drawn in as well by original footage taken for the film including sessions with Dan and other musicians and ambient shots to underscore the stories told about Dan. See this film. RATING: 5 PROS: Great interviews and organization of original footage. The additional footage is well done too, for the most part. CONS: Many will feel alienated by the fact that most interviewees consider Daniel a genius. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436231/ Red_Giant fucked around with this message at 04:10 on Dec 8, 2006 |
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Dec 6, 2006 07:34
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 06:31 |
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I pretty much agree with the OP. This was a fascinating documentary, and I really enjoyed it. Like most people, I had never heard of Daniel Johnston before this came out, and while I think the "genius" statements are dubious, he is definitely a good songwriter who could have had a much better career if he hadn't gone completely bonkers.
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Dec 16, 2006 07:46
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Absolutely incredible story and a great showcase of his music and art.
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Dec 29, 2006 21:29
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The film was really well made, as mentioned before. The use of his music and videos shot when he was younger really filled in a lot about his psyche, etc. Unfortunately, I've never been a huge fan of his music and think the film turned out to be a bit of a hagiography. A large part of me thinks if he wasn't crazy, people wouldn't be treating him like the return of the Beatles. Still, a good movie. 3.5/5
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Jan 2, 2007 21:26
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I got into Daniel Johnston maybe 5 or 6 years ago, when I'd hear certain songs by bands that sounded nothing like their usual tunes, and found that these songs had such great melodies and lyrics because they were written by Daniel Johnston. Then I got into his music, and the low-key, home-basement outsider aspect of it took a little while to appeal to me. When I saw this documentary, I actually knew absolutely nothing about Daniel Johnston other than that he was a truly great songwriter, so it was quite illuminating and shocking at times to see. The film made excellent use of the stock footage, and the interviews seemed fairly well utilized. I thought the perspective offered by his longtime manager, whom Daniel abandoned, was particularly interesting and worthwhile. Great usage of live footage, and I'm amazed at how much of it they had. I understand that it's difficult to rationalize why Daniel's music is so well-liked if you don't like it yourself, because it does sound sloppy, abrasive at times even. The only thing I can say is that there's a stripped-down beauty to his music, and something about this guy pounding away at his keyboard in his garage while singing his heart out sounds more emotionally resonant and real than any mass-produced record. The documentary did a fairly good job of getting this point across while telling his story. 4.5/5
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Jan 7, 2007 23:11
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I thought it was brilliantly sad and well done. It turned me onto his music too, which I actually like a lot. Also, apparently they DVD has an extra where the modern-day Daniel Johnston and the latter-day Lori have a conversation. I really wish I had watched that when I rented it. But yeah, check it out, it's a great film. 4.5/5
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Jan 11, 2007 02:24
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I just got this DVD yesterday - I'm still kicking myself because I missed the opportunity to see it in an actual theatre.  (But, I did see Jandek on Corwood in a theatre, so I guess that almost makes up for it)The "OMG!!!11!! This guy's a GEE-NEE-YUS!!!" fawning could get a little tiresome at times, but overall, this movie was a fascinating look at a fascinating character. 4 chainsaws out of 5. 
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Jan 28, 2007 03:59
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 06:31 |
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After reading the OP and a quick google search, I found the entire movie uploaded on youtube. I started watching intending to just see a little bit to get an idea about whether I wanted to get a copy to watch with friends. After starting it, it was really easy to just watch all the way through. I found it to be a very interesting movie with unique music and art and a moving story. Though I don't find really any redeemable qualities about the music or art other than being atypical, this didn't detract from the movie. There is an easy comparison between this movie and a documentary like Crumb, though I find The Devil and Daniel Johnston to be a bit more uplifting. For the genre, what the movie sets out to do and the the perspectives the story is told from, I think this easily gets a 5/5.
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May 4, 2009 21:05
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