Flannery oconnor novel, benedict fitzgerald screenplay 1 more credit. Brad dourif on wise blood m presented here is a 2009 interview with brad dourif, who has acted in over one hundred feature films, including lord of the rings. What i give you the other day was the look of indignation for what i seen you do. He decides that the best way to do that is to become a preacher and start up his own church. Brad dourif in wise blood brad dourif did not receive an oscar nomination for portraying hazel motes in wise blood. He is the son of joan mavis felton bradford and jean henri dourif, a frenchborn art collector who owned and operated a.
The two towers, blue velvet, and mississippi burning. Linking up with a fraudulent hustler from hellfireandbrimstone preaching circuit. A southern gothis masterpiece, darkly comic and wonderfully sinister, wise blood is one of john hustons lesser known gems that has built a loyal cult following and is finally available on dvd uk region 2 edition will play in the uk and europe. A southerner brad dourif young, poor, ambitious but uneducated determines to become something in the world. Dan albright, ned beatty, joe dorsey, brad dourif, william hickey, gladys hill, jerry rushing, mary nell santacroce, dan shor, harry dean stanton, amy wright, john. The lamentably overlooked amy wright is absolutely brilliant as lily sabbath hawkes. Rodney dangerfield at his best on the tonight show starring johnny carson 1983 duration.
Hustons wise blood takes on the new faith of a nonbeliever. This film stayed pretty close to the book and to author oconnors intent. Adapting flannery oconnors 1952 novel, huston visits an. The superb, offbeat cast of brad dourif, huston, ned beatty, amy wright, and harry dean stanton created no buzz at the box office, but wise blood ranks as. In the opening scenes of john hustons 1979 film wise blood, brad dourif is. Dourifs other film roles include wise blood 1979, dune 1984, mississippi burning. Set in the american deep south during the postwar era, wise blood stars brad dourif as hazel motes, an unhinged and aimless warveteran, who decides to become a biblethumping preacher for a quasireligious cult called the church without christ. The superb, offbeat cast of brad dourif, huston, ned beatty, amy wright, and harry dean stanton created no buzz at the box office, but wise blood ranks as one of hustons neglected gems. Brad dourif, who starred in the 1979 film version of wise blood, had this to say about the screenplay. Wise blood is a 1979 american drama film directed by john huston and starring brad dourif, dan shor, amy wright, harry dean stanton, and ned beatty. Legendary film director john huston creates one of his most cerebral films that will stay with the viewer for a long time.
Brad dourif, in an impassioned performance, is hazel motes, who, fresh out of the army, attempts to open the first church without christ in the small town of taulkinham. He was nominated for an academy award for his portrayal of billy bibbit in one flew over the cuckoos nest. Gaunt character actor brad dourif was born bradford claude dourif on march 18, 1950 in huntington, west virginia. Wise blood follows the spiritual crisis of one hazel motes brad dourif.
Dan albright, ned beatty, joe dorsey, brad dourif, william hickey, gladys hill, jerry rushing, mary nell santacroce, dan shor, harry dean. Wise blood new pal classic dvd john huston brad dourif ebay. Watching wise blood, hustons adaptation of oconnors first novel, i knew immediately that, whether an auteur or not, the director clearly envisioned the source material in his own way. I thought it was the weirdest, strangest, coolest thing that i had ever readwhich could serve as a pretty good blurb for the book as well. Shot mostly in macon, georgia, it is a fairly literal filming of the novel. Details about wise blood new pal classic dvd john huston brad dourif. Wise blood is a rambling, ambling film about a young soldier who returns from the war and embarks on a career as an antireligious street preacher. Clip from 1979 johm huston film wise blood starring brad dourif base on novel written by flannery oconner. Hustons wise blood is an incisive portrait of spirituality and evangelicalism, and. Set in the deep south during the postwar era, wise blood stars brad dourif as an aimless veteran, who decides to become a biblethumping preacher for a questionable concern called. Brad dourif and harry dean stanton in wise blood dir. Dourif s other film roles include wise blood 1979, dune 1984, blue velvet 1986, mississippi burning 1988, the exorcist iii 1990 and alien resurrection 1997.
New line cinemaphotofest new line cinemaphotofest flannery oconnors first novel, wise blood, presents an almost irresistible temptation for a movie director, and an almost insurmountable challenge to go with it. It is based on the 1952 novel wise blood by flannery oconnor. Wise blood new pal classic dvd john huston brad dourif. This is a haunting and affecting story and it has been respectfully handled by huston.
Brad dourif in wise blood 1979 brad dourif and dan shor in wise blood. What great lost films, like john hustons wise blood, should be. Gaunt character actor brad dourif was born bradford claude dourif on march 18, 1950 in huntington. The supporting cast turns in noteperfect portrayals of these odd and compelling characters. Brad dourif s performance as hazel motes is terrific. Wise blood would be the first film i have seen that was directed by john huston. The plot of wise blood is fairly simple, and since the movie has been out for decades, i trust nobody will complain about spoilers.
On his first day in taulkinham really macon, georgia hazel motes brad dourif, with new sidekick enoch dan shor, confronts preacher hawks harry dean stanton and daughter lily amy wright, in john hustons wise blood, 1979. The story has a certain violent momentum, but most of the action takes place inside the mind of its variously mad and damaged characters, obsessing over redemption, suffering and the spiritual world. Millie, who takes care of him, tells him falsely that they were secretly in love before his accident. With julian glover, michelle fairley, bouli lanners. Lean and uncompromising, wise blood is the hilarious and disturbing story of hazel motes a perfectlycast brad dourif, a young man who is obsessed with god. I thought if your girl give me so much fast eye back there i just might return some of it. I say that because wise blood, the novel, is actually my favorite work of fiction. Wise blood touches on many of the same themes as evelyn waughs the loved one, which is my alltime favorite comedy. Phil, a robust middleaged man suffers a stroke, causing him to lose his memory. The hero is 22yearold hazel motes, played by brad dourif. Feeling that distance from her native georgia would give the blackly satirical work some muchneeded perspective, the then 23yearold writer accepted an invitation to complete the book as a guest of robert stewart fitzgerald. Dan albright, ned beatty, joe dorsey, brad dourif, william. Brad dourif, in an impassioned performance, is hazel motes, who, fresh out of the. Brad dourifs performance as hazel motes is terrific.
Wise blood is an extremely difficult catholic novel. Brad dourif, john huston, harry dean stanton, ned beatty. A film was made of wise blood in 1979, directed by john huston, and starring brad dourif as hazel motes and john huston himself as the evangelist grandfather. The abiding concern before meeting brad dourif, one of americas most complex and creepy character actors, is that he will turn out to be welladjusted, perhaps even plain.
Sadly i was left disappointed, and has possibly lowered my expectations for the next film that i would be seeing from huston. Wise blood is an odd but intriguing film about a man who gets involved in the preaching game in the south. A tribute to the film wise blood, based on the novel by flannery oconnor. The film makers did an excellent job of transforming her novel into this. Wise blood by flannery oconnor no strings attached. Brad dourif, john huston, harry dean stanton, ned beatty, dan shor, amy wright, mary nell santacroce, william hickey, j. Set in the american deep south during the postwar era, wise blood stars brad dourif as hazel motes, an unhinged and aimless warveteran, who decides to become a biblethumping preacher for a.
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