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Gonzo: The Life and Works of Dr. Hunter Thompson
Gonzo: The Life and Works of Dr. Hunter Thompson
is a documentary film directed by Alex Gibney. Gibney foraged through
hundreds of hours of footage, journals, books and audio tapes to present
a complete picture of the notorious inventor of gonzo journalism. The
film chronicles many of the important aspects of Thompson’s life, from
his stay with the Hells Angels, the journey which eventually became
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, his time on the McGovern campaign
trail, and even his time running for Sheriff in Aspen.
Gibney obviously had quite a passion for the man, as
there is lots of care and effort put into the feature. Gibney has
interviewed many people close to Thompson including his two wives, his
son, George McGovern, Tom Wolfe, and good friend and illustrator Ralph
Steadman. These were all sought out after Thompson’s death and so many
of the tales are highly reverential, it is clear that the man left a
mark on all of them. In fact, if there was a complaint to be made about
the film it would perhaps be that it was too reverential. Thompsons
famous dark side, his mood swings and outbursts, his drug use, and
obsession with guns, are all documented at some point in the film, yet
are never really gone into as deep as they could be. It seems that the
film would rather paint Thompson as an American hero, with a few
eccentricities, than deeply study his darker moments.
However this feature never states that its purpose is
to study the darkness inside of Hunter Thompson. Instead it wishes to
celebrate the life of the man, and embrace his contribution to the field
of journalism. Gibney has also presented never before heard audio tapes
of the man, taken from phone messages, and his own tape recorder. These
give an interesting insight into the way Thompson worked, his disregard
for rules, and his sometimes harsh temperament. The movie is also
bolstered by effective narration by Johnny Depp, who portrayed Thompson
in the film version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Depp is
usually reading lines from Thompsons works, but instead of just going
over them, he delivers a performance of his own that makes the words
come to life. Extracts from the film and Depp’s performance in it are
also used, and sometimes contrasted with the actual footage of Thompson
in his search for the American dream. The fantastic soundtrack, which
covers many famous counter culture bands of the period, also gives the
film more punch, and lends itself well to the various milestones that
occurred during Thompson’s life and career.
The disc comes with a good array of special features.
Leading the pack is a commentary by writer and director Alex Gibney.
Gibney talks about his research process and his experiences making the
film. He also tells us his own opinions of Hunter S Thompson. There are
also several extended interviews that were cut from the movie for time
that are worth a browse. An interesting feature is the Gonzo Tape audio
excerpts, which show Hunters persona well. There is also a gallery of
Ralph Steadman’s illustrations, a photo gallery, and a music video.
Gonzo: The Life and Works of Dr Hunter S Thompson
is an interesting overview of the man’s life that perhaps could have
gone deeper into his inner workings. His depression and rage,
culminating in his eventual suicide are never fully examined. As a look
at Thompson’s life and career, it is an interesting start point for
people to get acquainted with the man. For people hoping for a more
interesting psychological look, there isn’t much to be found here that
people didn’t already know. However Gibney has put together a nice
celebration of one of America’s greatest journalistic figures.
DVD Special Features
Commentary by director Alex Gibney
Music video
Audio excerpts
Extended interviews
Deleted scenes
"gonzo" art
Photo Gallery |
