Gus Van Sant, the Early Films: Style and Substance
February 6–9, 2003
On the occasion of the New York opening of Gus
Van Sant’s latest film, Gerry, the Department of
Film and Media is delighted to revive its favorite films from this
innovative filmmaker’s early repertoire. Van Sant’s
antiestablishment career has mostly existed outside of Hollywood,
his smaller-budgeted movies eschewing formalistic labeling and bearing
his unmistakable personal signature. As a young filmmaker in Portland,
he challenged audiences and critics from the outset of his cinematic
endeavors, producing several semiautobiographical shorts—mostly
on Super 8mm, now transferred to 35mm; quirky, dreamlike, and odd,
they are precursors to his feature films.
Organized by Jytte Jensen, Associate Curator,
Department of Film and Media. The Department thanks ThinkFilm, New
York.
.
1988. USA. 3 min. . 1988. USA.
2 min. . 1996. USA.
5 min. Written and directed by Gus Van Sant. . 1985. USA. Written and directed by Gus Van Sant. With
Tim Streeter, Doug Cooeyate, Ray Monge. Sexually explicit for its
time, this expressionistic black-and-white movie about a liquor
store clerk’s infatuation with a Mexican boy on the run from
immigration manages to deeply involve the audience in the clerk’s
libidinal desires. Set on the fringes of society, Van Sant’s
debut feature won him critical acclaim but wasn’t released
theatrically until
after the success of Drugstore Cowboy. 78 min.
Total running time 88 min.
Thursday, February 6, 6:15 (introduced by the filmmaker);
Saturday, February 8, 4:00
Four Boys in a Volvo.
1996. USA. 5 min.; Discipline of De. 1982. USA.
9 min.; DeWitt Clinton Choir. 2000. USA. 5 min.
Written and directed by Gus Van Sant.
Drugstore Cowboy. 1989. USA. Written and directed
by Gus Van Sant. With Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, William Burroughs.
A deadpan black comedy about a band of petty crooks constantly on
the run, robbing pharmacies and hospitals and shooting up for celebration.
The film paints a realistic, multifaceted picture of itinerant junkies
in their milieu, a powerful and disturbing portrayal that lends
the characters real shading and compassion. 100 min.
Total running time 119 min.
Thursday, February 6, 8:00; Sunday, February 9, 2:00
Thanksgiving Prayer.
1996. USA. Written and directed by Gus Van Sant. An amusing and
acerbic look at the procession of American history. With William
Burroughs. 2 min.
To Die For. 1995. USA. Directed by Gus Van Sant.
Screenplay by Buck Henry. With Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, Joaquin
Phoenix. A smart, cunning, and narcissistic weather-girl on a small-time
television news program, Suzanne Stone will do anything to become
famous—or, in light of the film’s narrative twist, infamous.
106 min.
Friday, February 7, 8:30 (introduced by Anne Morra,
Assistant Curator, Department of Film and Media); Sunday, February
9, 5:00
Flea Sings.
1991. USA. 2 min. Junior. 1988. USA. 3 min. Written
and directed by Gus Van Sant.
My Own Private Idaho. 1991. USA. Written and directed
by Gus Van Sant. With River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves. The unlikely
narrative basis for this evocative film about two male prostitute
drifters is Shakespeare’s Henry IV, from which the
characters quote in makeshift iambic pentameter. The film’s
main thematic thrust deals with sexual taboos; the open roads of
the Pacific Northwest, however, are the film’s key feature.
102 min. Total running time 107 min.
Saturday, February 8, 6:00; Sunday, February 9, 7:30
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