39 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
interesting material about a fascinating actor, June 1, 2003
This review is from: David Lynch presents... I Don't Know Jack (DVD)
Jack Nance, the iconic figure of Eraserhead and the emotionally fragile sheriff of Twin Peaks, worked often with David Lynch and made many loyal friends in Hollywood. This documentary interviews friends and family members, and shows excerpts from well-known and lesser known works in which he acted. Interviewees include Lynch, Dennis Hopper, Nance's ex-wife and the homicide detective who worked on his case (on the accompanying featurette). One gets the impression that Jack was quite a bright man who was thoughtful and eccentric, and who attracted admiration and friendship despite his alcoholism. After an odd career, Jack was beat up outside a donut shop and received injuries that resulted in his death.
This is the first feature from director Chris Leavens, and he does a nice job. Editing is good though the movie starts very abruptly -- I thought there was a problem with the disk at first. Lighting and sound between interviews is uneven but the content is fascinating, and a vivid portrait of Nance is developed. The dvd interface is clunky. There is an accompanying web site.
Extras are just as interesting as the feature. There is a lovely photo montage set to music, crew credits, trailers, and a 21-minute featurette about questions revolving around Jack's death called 'Unsolved Homicide'. The production notes relate a strange story about how the tapes of the feature were kidnapped and held for ransom by an actress friend of Nance's.
One gets the feeling that Jack would be pleased by the continuing bizarreness of it all.
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