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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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| # ¿ May 7, 2024 01:54 |
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