Rating: R
Genre:
Theater [nf]
Release Date: 12/14/2004
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD1
Run Time: 89 Minutes
Distributor/Studio: MGM
In 2000, director
Michael Almereyda brought his film crew to San Francisco to document the rehearsal process for the Magic Theater's production of
Sam Shepard's play
The Late Henry Moss, as directed by the playwright himself. The resulting film,
This So-Called Disaster, is partly a study of the magic of theater, as well as a study of the fascinating
Shepard, who is nearly universally considered one of the most influential American dramatists of the past century.
Shepard and
Almereyda's first collaboration came via the former's adaptation of
Hamlet, in which
Shepard played the part of the
Ghost of
Hamlet's father.
Shepard, in turn, invited
Almereyda to film the rehearsal process for his latest play,
The Late Henry Moss, a 16-year labor of love for
Shepard that relates a fictional recounting of the playwright's own relationship with his late father. Following the cast -- which includes such luminaries as
Sean Penn,
Nick Nolte,
Cheech Marin, and
Woody Harrelson -- and the crew until the production's opening night,
Almereyda observes the minutiae involved in leading up to the first curtain, as well as some private moments with
Shepard as he recounts some of his personal history as related to
The Late Henry Moss.
This So-Called Disaster was included in the programs for the
2003 Rotterdam International Film Festival and the
Tribeca Film Festival.
~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
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