Gus Van Sant: An Unauthorized Biography [Hardcover]

James Robert Parish (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1560253371 | ISBN-13: 978-1560253372 | Publication Date: October 10, 2001

Enigmatic, retiring, and openly gay, Gus Van Sant is one of the best-known independent filmmakers. An active and honored director for two decades, noted for his rapport with actors, Van Sant nevertheless remains aloof from Hollywood, preferring to live and write in Portland, OR. Extensively researched and based on interviews with the director, Gus Van Sant examines his career from the inauspicious debut Mala Noche to the haunting Drugstore Cowboy; from the angst-ridden My Own Private Idaho and the mainstream black comedy To Die For to the Oscar-nominated Good Will Hunting and the high-profile Finding Forrester. Van Sant remains committed to exploring themes of the outsider and presenting an idiosyncratic vision in an unobtrusive but compelling style. Equally important, under Van Sant's guidance many actors (Matt Dillon, River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, Nicole Kidman, Matt Damon, and acclaimed newcomer Robert Brown, whom Van Sant discovered) have done their best work. The first full-length biography of the Oscar nominated director, author Parish has interviewed Van Sant exclusively for this book.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This biography of director Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho; Good Will Hunting) is so crammed with details that it's a veritable encyclopedia of everything you ever wanted to know about the artist's life and career. Van Sant grew up in an upper-middle-class family in Connecticut and Portland, Ore., and attended Rhode Island School of Design. After working in smalltime filmmaking, songwriting, advertising and the garment business, he hit it big on the indie film circuit with Male Noche, a film about Portland's demimode of male hustling. Unlike most independent filmmakers, Van Sant landed gigs in Hollywood, first with Drugstore Cowboy and then with studio films like To Die For and Finding Forester, making him one of today's more successful directors. Drawing on published interviews with Van Sant, film reviews and interviews with his subject's family and friends, Parish charts Van Sant's life in particulars ranging from the mundane (his home address while growing up) to the spicy (rumors that he was sexually interested in River Phoenix while shooting My Own Private Idaho). While there is very little new material or in-depth analysis, Parish does document fascinating tidbits such as Van Sant's views on how gay directors have an artistic edge in filming heterosexual love scenes and the Village Voice's comment that Van Sant's loving camera angles of Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting nearly amounted to "boy porn." Certainly not the last critical word on Van Sant, this biography is a good introduction and will be the basis for future work. Agent, Stuart Bernstein.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The author of many books on film and the performing arts, Parish here covers the life and creations of painter, musician, and independent iconoclastic filmmaker Gus Van Sant, best known for films like Drugstore Cowboy and Good Will Hunting. Parish exercises a rhythmic pacing throughout the book, which begins with Van Sant's childhood in an affluent yet nomadic family. He goes on to offer insight into why the director chooses to examine those who have no role in the American dream and what artistic contributions he has made to each film. Writing chronologically, with the freedom of backstitching, Parish describes the filmmaker's experiences with the motion picture industry its critics and actors; the stories behind casting; the shooting, editing, and marketing; and the garnered awards. Parish's writing clearly reflects Van Sant's nonconformist inspirations and determination to live and work outside of Hollywood's perimeters by offering the reader a voyeuristic familiarity with Van Sant's professional and personal life from birth to the present. Based on research and interviews with family members, this first biography of an important director is recommended to aspiring filmmakers, lovers of biographies, and those interested in the entertainment industry at both public and academic libraries. Elizabeth Stifter, Brooklyn, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (October 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560253371
• ISBN-13: 978-1560253372
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,213,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have the privilege of doing work (i.e., writing books) that I thoroughly enjoy, so it is no real chore to be active on my book projects seven days a week. Doing research is much like being a detective, bringing as many elements of the subject's life to light and assessing how each piece fits into the puzzle of a celebrity's biography.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Parish, February 4, 2002

By 

Dave Weiner (Germantown, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gus Van Sant: An Unauthorized Biography (Hardcover)

Parish does it again.
I've been a big fan of Jim Parish's cinematic oeuvre of literature for 20 years. He has tackled film genres, biographies and anything with his name on it I will buy. His "Van Sant" bio is terrific and covers a career that hasn't had much coverage to date.
If you can find Mr. Parish's incredible "The Swashbucklers" you have a great weekend read in store. After 100 books, you would think Parish would be tired but his two recent works proves he is as fresh as ever and on the top of his game.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not as well researched as it could have been, November 17, 2003

By 

Brenna C. Sage "brennasage" (Astoria, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gus Van Sant: An Unauthorized Biography (Hardcover)

There are a couple inaccuracies which could have been corrected had the author spoken with anyone in the alternative music scene in Portland (to which Mr. Van Sant is connected). The gender of the sound engineer of Male Noche is incorrect (Pat Baum is a woman, drummer of early punk band the NeoBoys, and former dj on KBOO radio), and Chris Monlux and Mike Quinn's collaboration is called MonQui Productions, not Monique Productions.

I was really enjoying this book, until the inaccuracies noted made me suspicious of what other errors might exist. I didn't finish it.

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Overview of Gus Van Sant's Life and Work, October 20, 2003

By 

Deborah L. Alpi "Deborah Lazaroff" (Aliso Viejo, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gus Van Sant: An Unauthorized Biography (Hardcover)

This comprehensive examination of Gus Van Sant's life and work is a valuable resource for both scholars and admirers. Highly recommended!