Alan Rudolph's SONGWRITER + Kurt Walker's I THOUGHT THE WORLD OF YOU
Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson star in this warmly funny and laid-back country-music satire, paired with an elegiac ode to outsider musician Lewis.
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Jul 12, 2023, 7:30 PM
Brain Dead Studios, 611 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036, USA
Songwriter
directed by Alan Rudolph
1984, 94m, U.S., 35mm
35mm print!
One of the great ensemble filmmakers of his era, director Alan Rudolph (Choose Me) provided a deft touch to this inviting, warmly funny and laid-back country-music satire, starring two of the era’s most iconoclastic musicians playing versions of themselves. Willie Nelson plays a top country singer whose former partner (a swaggering Kris Kristofferson, who did the film’s Oscar-nominated soundtrack) helps him hit back at an industry executive (played by Vanishing Point director Richard C. Sarafian) trying to steal his songs and pass them off to an up-and-coming chanteuse (Lesley Ann Warren). Featuring the indelible Rip Torn as a concert promoter and Melinda Dillon as Nelson’s estranged wife, Songwriter is a lightly melancholic ode to authorship and authenticity, a top-tier hangout picture, and a rollicking good time.
preceded by:
I Thought the World of You
directed by Kurt Walker
2022, 17m, Canada, DCP
L.A. premiere!
The speculative tale of Canadian outsider musician Lewis, his 1983 album L’Amour, and its belated discovery. A love story composed in myth and song.
Official Selection: Toronto International Film Festival (Wavelengths), 2022
"Astounding... Walker captures the mystique of [Lewis's] saga and his music. A perfect ode to an enigmatic artist." -Joshua Minsoo Kim, Tone Glow
Please note: this screening is taking place at Brain Dead Studios and seating is reserved.