When people usually think about the filmmakers of New Hollywood, the first name that comes to mind certainly isn't John Milius. The most commonly remembered names of that period are "The Big Four:" Spielberg, Lucas, Coppola, and Scorsese. Even Brian De Palma may come to mind. But almost nobody thinks of Milius. Which is a shame, because he seems to be one helluva talent.
This documentary covers most aspects of John Milius's life from his childhood to his stroke and continuing recovery (at that time). His whole career from his writing efforts to his few directorial projects have quite a bit of focus as well. He is probably best known as one of the screenwriters for Apocalypse Now, for which he got an Oscar nomination. Some may not even realize that he helped come up with dialogue like Dirty Harry's "'Do I feel lucky'" speech, or the Indianapolis monologue in Jaws. To know that he did both is bound to increase one's respect for his talent. What makes this documentary even more fun is that it feels like quite the party with all sorts of directors who knew him and were inspired by him participating, as well as many famous actors. I mean, you have guys like Spielberg, Lucas, Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Arnie, Stallone, and Harrison Ford all giving their thoughts on the man. And I'm just getting warmed up. You hardly ever see this much major talent participating in a documentary like this. It makes you feel like you're a new friend to all these guys and by the end, you really feel like their buddy.
Prior to this documentary, I've only seen one Milius film: Conan the Barbarian (1982), and it's a film I've loved more over time. Now that I've seen this documentary, I want to seek out more of his work, since he has specialized in big budget epics and one of the most common things that the interviewees in this documentary have cited him for is the way he writes dialogue. Knowing now about his efforts on Dirty Harry and Jaws, as well as Apocalypse Now, I believe it. Milius may not have a personality that is comfortable with everyone: George Lucas remembers a story of how Milius punched his film professor, he's been accused of being right-wing in a system that veers more towards the left, he's pro-war, and he seemed to love pushing people's buttons, but the more you understand Milius, the more you respect him. I may not agree with everything he believes in, but I won't deny what he's contributed to the film industry.
Before Milius suffered his stroke, he was working on a movie based on the life of Genghis Khan. However, it's been a while and the project doesn't seem to be reaching the daylight. Given how much work he put into Conan, a similar film, I hope that he can still make the film, given how much he seems to believe in it. You can do it, John. I know you can.
This documentary covers most aspects of John Milius's life from his childhood to his stroke and continuing recovery (at that time). His whole career from his writing efforts to his few directorial projects have quite a bit of focus as well. He is probably best known as one of the screenwriters for Apocalypse Now, for which he got an Oscar nomination. Some may not even realize that he helped come up with dialogue like Dirty Harry's "'Do I feel lucky'" speech, or the Indianapolis monologue in Jaws. To know that he did both is bound to increase one's respect for his talent. What makes this documentary even more fun is that it feels like quite the party with all sorts of directors who knew him and were inspired by him participating, as well as many famous actors. I mean, you have guys like Spielberg, Lucas, Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Arnie, Stallone, and Harrison Ford all giving their thoughts on the man. And I'm just getting warmed up. You hardly ever see this much major talent participating in a documentary like this. It makes you feel like you're a new friend to all these guys and by the end, you really feel like their buddy.
Prior to this documentary, I've only seen one Milius film: Conan the Barbarian (1982), and it's a film I've loved more over time. Now that I've seen this documentary, I want to seek out more of his work, since he has specialized in big budget epics and one of the most common things that the interviewees in this documentary have cited him for is the way he writes dialogue. Knowing now about his efforts on Dirty Harry and Jaws, as well as Apocalypse Now, I believe it. Milius may not have a personality that is comfortable with everyone: George Lucas remembers a story of how Milius punched his film professor, he's been accused of being right-wing in a system that veers more towards the left, he's pro-war, and he seemed to love pushing people's buttons, but the more you understand Milius, the more you respect him. I may not agree with everything he believes in, but I won't deny what he's contributed to the film industry.
Before Milius suffered his stroke, he was working on a movie based on the life of Genghis Khan. However, it's been a while and the project doesn't seem to be reaching the daylight. Given how much work he put into Conan, a similar film, I hope that he can still make the film, given how much he seems to believe in it. You can do it, John. I know you can.