A few days ago, I got a mysterious package from cult filmmaker William Richert (Winter Kills). It contained a homemade dub of his director's cut of a film he made with River Phoenix that played in theaters as A Night In The Life Of Jimmy Reardon but that Richert had re-re-titled Aren't You Even Gonna Kiss Me Goodbye? after the semiautobiographical novel he wrote as a 19-year-old....
...Goodbye isn't a lost masterpiece, but it's a nifty little sleeper - funny, sad, heartfelt and true, with an adolescent angst that lingers. Richert plans to show it on his website (williamrichert.com) beginning December 15th and is apparently looking to book it in theaters as well. In his letter, Richert asks that critics review it as a brand new film, so I'm going to admonish everyone to check out this swell new film and keep an eye out for this Phoenix kid.
A Night In The Life Of Jimmy Reardon (William Richert, 1988)
- colinr0380
- Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
- Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK
An interesting article from The Onion AV Club's My Year Of Flops:
Last edited by colinr0380 on Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Richert has recut his films after an initial release before. The American Success Company became Success.
He's quite an interesting filmmaker (Winter Kills is some sort of masterpiece) and actor (memorably playing Falstaff to Keanu's Prince Hal in My Own Private Idaho ) But the industry has never liked mavericks in the past -- and less so now.
He's quite an interesting filmmaker (Winter Kills is some sort of masterpiece) and actor (memorably playing Falstaff to Keanu's Prince Hal in My Own Private Idaho ) But the industry has never liked mavericks in the past -- and less so now.
- Dylan
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:28 pm
This director's cut also has an orchestral score by the late Elmer Bernstein that the studio tossed out at the time for being "too old fashioned." Gotta love Elmer - I'm sure it's lovely music.
Last edited by Dylan on Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:53 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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- Dylan
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:28 pm
Indeed it is; I wonder if Varese Sarabande or Intrada (or one of those great composer labels) is considering a release of the director's cut soundtrack?
From WilliamRichert.com:
By the way, I remember seeing the released version years and years ago on TV (which, as I look it up now, had a score by Rocky composer Bill Conti). Don't remember too much, but the scene early on with River and the girl in the fields is rather vivid in my mind. Wouldn't mind seeing this film again, especially with a "new" Bernstein score.
From WilliamRichert.com:
According to Richert on his site, Elmer's score is romantic and jazzy, performed by the London Philharmonic.featuring a new song by Johnnie Mathis a score by the legendary Elmer Bernstein and the song that River Phoenix wrote just for the movie's end credit sequence.
By the way, I remember seeing the released version years and years ago on TV (which, as I look it up now, had a score by Rocky composer Bill Conti). Don't remember too much, but the scene early on with River and the girl in the fields is rather vivid in my mind. Wouldn't mind seeing this film again, especially with a "new" Bernstein score.
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- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:27 pm
- Location: London, UK
- Fletch F. Fletch
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:54 pm
- Location: Provo, Utah
I've seen this new cut and let me tell ya, the inclusion of Mathis' song and Bernstein's score changes the tone of the film COMPLETELY. It really is almost like watching an entirely different film and is a good argument for how music can affect the mood and meaning of a scene/entire film.Dylan wrote:According to Richert on his site, Elmer's score is romantic and jazzy, performed by the London Philharmonic.
By the way, I remember seeing the released version years and years ago on TV (which, as I look it up now, had a score by Rocky composer Bill Conti). Don't remember too much, but the scene early on with River and the girl in the fields is rather vivid in my mind. Wouldn't mind seeing this film again, especially with a "new" Bernstein score.