This So-Called Disaster: Sam Shepard Directs the Late Henry Moss (2003)
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90% of critics liked it
(29 reviews) -
52% of users liked it
(834 ratings)
In 2000, director Michael Almereyda brought his film crew to San Francisco to document the rehearsal process for the Magic Theater's production of Sam Shepard's play The Late Henry Moss, as directed by the playwright himself. The resulting film, This So-Called Disaster, is partly a study of… More In 2000, director Michael Almereyda brought his film crew to San Francisco to document the rehearsal process for the Magic Theater's production of Sam Shepard's play The Late Henry Moss, as directed by the playwright himself. The resulting film, This So-Called Disaster, is partly a study of the magic of theater, as well as a study of the fascinating Shepard, who is nearly universally considered one of the most influential American dramatists of the past century. Shepard and Almereyda's first collaboration came via the former's adaptation of Hamlet, in which Shepard played the part of the Ghost of Hamlet's father. Shepard, in turn, invited Almereyda to film the rehearsal process for his latest play, The Late Henry Moss, a 16-year labor of love for Shepard that relates a fictional recounting of the playwright's own relationship with his late father. Following the cast -- which includes such luminaries as Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Cheech Marin, and Woody Harrelson -- and the crew until the production's opening night, Almereyda observes the minutiae involved in leading up to the first curtain, as well as some private moments with Shepard as he recounts some of his personal history as related to The Late Henry Moss. This So-Called Disaster was included in the programs for the 2003 Rotterdam International Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
- Directed By
- Michael Almereyda
- Genres
- Musical & Performing Arts, Documentary
R,
- In Theaters
- Apr 21, 2004 Wide
- On DVD
- Dec 14, 2004
- Studio
- IFC Films
Critic Reviews
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Ty Burr, Boston Globe
One of the finer peeks into the creative process of staging a play.
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Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times
In its vision of the push-and-pull of rehearsal and the revelation of how a play comes to breathing, snorting life onstage, Almereyda's video brings us close to the act of creation.
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Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
Ultimately, you leave This So-Called Disaster with renewed respect for Shepard, who comes off as a kind of quiet hero: a man of words, confronting his past with little fuss, and from it creating a legacy.
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Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
Theater lovers are likely to find the film interesting even when it zigs and zags.
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David Edelstein, Slate
It's fun to see actors doing what they do and to see them through the eyes of a director.
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