Out of the Past 2015 / I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale / USA 2009
“Sure, that’s Fredo,” responds a random passerby after the director of the documentary shows him a photograph. John Cazale, one of the most intriguing character actors of the 1970s. Five roles, a premature death. The Godfather: Parts I and II, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon, The Deer Hunter. Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Francis Ford Coppola – these and more admire the human qualities and acting prowess of the man with a gloomy expression.
“Sure, that’s Fredo,” responds a random passerby after the director of this documentary portrait shows him a photograph of the conspicuously familiar face of an actor whose name he can’t quite remember. John Cazale (1935–1978), one of the most intriguing acting personalities of the 1970s, appeared in five famous films before his exceptionally promising career was cut short by a debilitating illness and premature death. The Godfather: Parts I and II, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter. All five movies were nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award, and that’s thanks in part to the unmistakable charisma of this multifaceted actor. Many admire the human qualities and acting prowess of the man with a gloomy expression and sometimes a thin mustache, including his close friend Al Pacino, onetime partner Meryl Streep, Francis Ford Coppola, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Sidney Lumet, and Brett Ratner.
Karel Och
40 min / Color, HD CAM
Director Richard Shepard
/ Screenplay Matt Austin, Michael Facciolo, Kari Hollend, Lenny Panzer
/ Dir. of Photography Jim Mullen, Kort Waddell
/ Music Adam Gorgoni
/ Editor Adam Lichtenstein
/ Producer Brett Ratner, Stacey Reiss, Richard Shepard
/ Production RatPac Documentary Films
/ Sales Kew Media Group
Richard Shepard (b. 1965, New York City), screenwriter, director, and producer, has won an Emmy and an award from the Directors Guild of America. He is known to viewers at home and abroad as the filmmaker behind Matador (2005) with Pierce Brosnan, The Hunting Party (2007) with Richard Gere, and Dom Hemingway (2013) with Jude Law. He attended NYU’s film school but didn’t graduate because he failed a required science class. He is still awaiting his honorary degree.
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Phone: +44 207 851 6500
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