R.I.P. GEORGE HICKENLOOPER

I never imagined that my blog would be filled with so many obituaries and tributes, but, when a filmmaker, who’s inspired me, passes away, I can’t help but write .  The first time I was exposed to the work of George Hickenlooper was when I caught “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse,” the documentary he co-directed with Fax Bahr, on Showtime back when it first aired in 1991.  For those of you who haven’t seen it, the documentary chronicles the drama that unfolded behind-the-scenes of Francis Ford Coppola’s film, “Apocalypse Now.”  The first ten minutes of the documentary can be seen below:Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gweYa8ZpPV4&feature=related

The documentary blew me away and, ironically, in the years since, I’ve seen it more times than I’ve seen the film it’s about – many more times, in fact.  In 1994, Hickenlooper directed the short film, “Some Folks Call It A Sling Blade,” which was written by and starred relative unknown Billy Bob Thornton.  Two years later, Thornton wrote and directed “Sling Blade,” a feature based on that very short – and the rest, as they say, is history.  In 2001, Hickenlooper directed “The Man From Elysian Fields,” which, to me, is a little-seen gem.  (Fortunately, it’s been playing on cable a lot lately and I hope it finally finds the audience it deserves.)  Most recently, Hickenlooper directed “Casino Jack” with Kevin Spacey and was in the midst of promoting it when he passed away, quite unexpectedly, on Saturday morning.  He was 47-years-old.  

-Dax