Among all the various documentaries that premiered at this year’s Telluride Film Festival, Chris Smith’s film Boss stands out as one of the most original and emotional. The film is, on one level, a portrait of independent film pioneer Robert Downey Sr., who was part of the American New Wave that launched cinema in the late 1960s. But the film is also a loving tribute to his father on the part of from his very famous son, Robert Downey Jr., who co-starred with his wife and co-producer, Susan Downey.
While the film chronicles the career of Downey Sr. and sometimes tumultuous personal life, is also a moving, though necessarily incomplete, chronicle of father and son. Downey died of Parkinson’s disease last year and was sick through much of filming, which adds an element of pathos that is never overdone.
“Senior”.
A moving tribute to the cinematography family.
Event: Telluride Film Festival
Director: Chris Smith
1 hour 29 minutes
It must be said that the reaction to Father Downey’s films has always been terribly mixed. Your first resource, helmet elbowsMade in 1966, it was shot on 16mm and managed to attract a modest audience with surprisingly positive reviews. The New York Times newspaper. your debut film, putney exchangeA satire of the advertising business with a large black cast, it premiered in 1969, the same year it was released. easy rider, midnight cowboy, wild bunchHaskell Wexler kinda coldand Francis Ford Coppola rain people. These films were often linked putney exchange A testament to the exciting new wave of American cinema. Despite having a much smaller budget than other films, it was part of the conversation about cinematic renaissance.
His later films – Girvanka s Oiler’s Palace “It had a bigger budget, but it wasn’t very well received and Downey’s career stagnated. (His son made his acting debut at the age of 5 Girvanka.) He was also the victim of some excesses that infuriated other members of his generation. He became addicted to cocaine and spiraled into self-destruction, and he talks about it quite frankly in the documentary. At one point he moved to Los Angeles but filmed movies there: above the gym, a lot of sun s Hugo’s pool – He did little to restore his career. He did occasional acting work in films like William Friedkin. Live and die in Los Angeles and Paul Thomas Anderson dance nights.
Family has always been important to him. When his second wife, Laura Ernst, was diagnosed with ALS, he lovingly supported and cared for her. And he stayed close to his son. This is a part of the movie, although it seems incomplete. There are indications that the excesses of Downey Sr. had a detrimental effect on his son, but we wonder if Downey Jr’s known drug problems. had to do with his father’s bad influence. This is a topic that needs to be addressed, but is often avoided in the document.
Eventually, the elderly Downey returned to New York, where he always felt better. Towards the end of his life, he made a well-received documentary, Rittenhouse Squareand spent time with his family. Some of the film’s best scenes capture her tender relationship with her son and grandchildren, initially via Zoom at the height of the COVID pandemic, but later with some final and meaningful personal conversations.
The documentary is sensibly shot in black and white, in keeping with the mood of Downey Sr.’s early films, though of course there are bursts of color when his later films are removed. Old Downey’s friends, including Norman Lear, Alan Arkin and even Paul Thomas Anderson, help create vivid memories. Perhaps inevitably, the film comes to a deeply moving conclusion, but there are enough turbulent and slightly confusing moments to create a clear and complete portrait.
Source: Hollywood Reporter

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