Documentary: Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?*

EGG- ZACTLY!

 

I don't know anything, but maybe the producers are asking too much from the distributors in this case? It's a shame that this documentary may go unseen. There's a documentary about Rickie Lee Jones that has been in limbo for about ten years that I'd love to see too.

Steve

 

Looks like it's still having screenings. Man, I'd kill to go to this one tonight in Hollywood with Jimmy Webb and Micky Dolenz speaking afterwards!

http://www.modsandrockers.com/schedule.200707141800e.html

They're also showing SKIDOO tonight.

Wow, a lot of cool flicks at this festival...

http://www.modsandrockers.com/schedule.html

 

Finally, it's available for pre-order.

I got to see this several years ago and it's excellent - a must for any Nilsson fan!

http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Nilsson...reative=383837&linkCode=wss&tag=fothloofha-20

Jeff

 

Yes!...What wonderful news to wake up to!

 

OH YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

GIMME!!!!

 

I saw this twice at the Santa Barbara Film Fest a couple of years ago and it is very good.
The blurb on Amazon mentions an additional 90 minutes of bonus stuff. Which sounds great! Yet it only shows a running time of 116 minutes. I think usually bonus material is added into the total running time, but I could be wrong.
My dream version would have been to add the two Nilsson BBC specials as a bonus.
I also remember at the time being surprised to find Ringo not interviewed. But, he is mentioned as one of the interviews on the dvd. Does anyone know if this is the same version I saw, that hit the film fest circle a few years ago?
Whatever we get, I'm looking forward to.

 

Captain Groovy, thanks for the GREAT news about this, finally getting released. I've actually had this doc for about a year now and it's truly fabulous! I will be buying the new DVD for the added bonus material. Another great film that equally needs to see a release, is that wonderful documentary about The Wrecking Crew, that Tommy Tedesco's kid put together. You guys want to hear some stories, wait till you see THAT film.

Chris C

 

...AND, let's hope someone puts out that Neil Innes doc, "The Sixth Python", too!

 

Jeff,

Thanks for the heads up on the Harry documentary. Been waiting a long time for this one to come out.

I can't imagine why!

 

Funny you should mention that. The Seventh Python, according to a Neil Innes fan website "is coming to DVD, but I don’t know when yet."

Cross your fingers!

 

Thanks for letting us know about this. I'd about given up hope of ever seeing it. I want it the first day it's available.

 

Harry Nilsson Doc Lands Distributor
By Steve Pond
Published: August 02, 2010

Four years after making its debut at the Santa Barbara and Seattle film festivals, the documentary “Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)?” has finally secured a distributor.

Director John Scheinfeld’s look at the singer, songwriter and man-about-town responsible for the hits “Without You,” “Coconut” and “Everybody’s Talkin’” has been acquired by Lorber Films for theatrical distribution and DVD release before the end of the year.

The Brooklyn-born Nilsson was a respected songwriter and vocalist in the ‘60s and ‘70s, whose friends and admirers included some of the biggest stars of the era – including the Beatles, particularly John Lennon and Ringo Starr. But in his later years, Nilsson was as known for his reckless lifestyle – he was Lennon’s constant companion during the Beatle’s famous “lost weekend” in Los Angeles in the early- and mid-1970s – as for his music, despite a track record that included 17 gold records and two Grammy Awards.

The documentary features private and performance footage of Nilsson, as well as interviews with Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Micky Dolenz, Randy Newman, Yoko Ono, the Smothers Brothers, Robin Williams and many more.

“This is one of those rare docs that leaves no stone unturned,” said Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber in the press release announcing the acquisition. “Besides all the amazing and exclusive material Scheinfeld managed to uncover, what impressed me most about ‘Who is Harry Nilsson’ was the film’s capacity to make you fall in love with Nilsson’s work all over again.”

As befits a film about a musician more admired by aficionados than celebrated by the public, Scheinfeld’s documentary has been looking for distribution since it played at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and the Seattle International Film Festival in 2006. The following year, the film screened at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre as part of the American Cinematheque’s “Mods and Rockers” series, and in a post-screening Q&A the director spoke of his problems landing a distributor.

In general, critics have written favorably about the movie. The Hollywood Reporter said it “doesn’t exactly break any fresh docu ground, but its ability to richly evoke a highly tactile time and place should make it a viable theatrical and DVD release through the right distributor.”

“Who Is Harry Nilsson?” will open at New York’s Cinema Village on September 10. It will be released on DVD before the end of the year.

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/harry-nilsson-doc-lands-distributor-19802

 

I know I'm dreaming here, but wouldn't it be great to have Nilsson's final, unreleased album come out, too? Or even a fresh soundtrack album?

 

Any word of a Blu-Ray release?

 

I think the soundtrack album is a good idea. Nilsson is one of those people that needs more attention. He is certainly one of the most underrated artists of his period. His name is not well-known. I think by bringing out this DVD release and marketing it right, it could have a resurgence of Nilsson Pandemonium all over the world. Well, maybe not that big... but it would be good to get him in the public eye again. He certainly deserves it.

Then maybe a Nilsson box set with lots of rarities and the final unreleased album.

 

Also, I'm really looking forward to this release. Maybe the same distributer will pick up "The Seventh Python" too. (The documentary on Neil Innes).

And... how about a book? I have yet to see a book solely about Harry Nilsson in any form. Perhaps Nilsson's name will be in the consumer's mind again and we can get a book and some more lost musical gems.

 

Not that I know of. But I can dream, can't I?

 

I look forward to this, long overdue.

 

Woohoo! I've been waiting for this for ages

 

Can't wait to see this.

 

Hooray!

 

He couldn't even get a proper box set issued BEFORE his death. He compiled one, gave the track listing to RCA, and they said "nope" and forced the abbreviated 2CD compilation.

That said, RCA is now under the Sony umbrella, most/all of the names have changed on the doors, and maybe someone would green light the project.

Of course, in the dimming days of CD, nothing is assured.