The Devil and Daniel Johnston
by Jeff Feuerzeig
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bill Johnston, Brian Beattie, Daniel Johnston, Laurie Allen, Mabel JohnstonDirector: Jeff Feuerzeig
Brand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
Cinematographer: Fortunato Procopio
Writer: Jeff Feuerzeig
Editor: Tyler Hubby
Producer: David Donaldson
Producer: Henry S. Rosenthal
Producer: Ted Hope
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 110 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-09-19
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Movie Review: Condescending Freak Show
Summary: 2 Stars
Daniel Johnston is both a beneficiary and a victim of the cult of hip. On the one hand, it has given him a somewhat viable career in both music and art when by almost any standard he has no talent for either. It has apparently also pushed him from being a disturbed individual in need of help to a broken down, full tilt lunatic. There's no profound wisdom or understanding involved in delusions of ghosts, devils, and numerological conspiracies; it doesn't somehow make kitschy drawings of superheroes high art or mediocre guitar ballads the second coming of Dylan. Much like Wesley Willis, Daniel Johnston's cultural momentum is a big joke that people forgot that they were being ironic about. Maybe they felt guilty for sniggering at the black schizophrenic bum singing about beating up superman, or the white schizophrenic religious fundie singing 1,000 songs about the same girl he sort of knew in college. As perhaps they should, but it seems a better reaction is to simply stop telling the joke, not claiming that the joke is a true story. This documentary shows the bizarre trajectory of Johnston's career, showing two main threads that persist throughout his life;
1) utter and complete solipsism; Johnston is obsessed with documenting the minutiae of his own existence, whether by song, video, or drawing. Johnston believes Johnston is the most fascinating person ever, as do
2) the celebrities who laud Johnston's work, hang out with him, and bring him on tour, and are only too obviously "in" on the joke. Would Sonic Youth haul around a fast-food obsessed fundamentalist Christian folk singer if he wasn't dangerously unstable? Would the Butthole Surfers? I'm thinking no. If a sane, normal guy started bashing his guitar wailing about Casper, would he be opening for The Minutemen? It's an absurd idea.
The documentary goes from baffling to cruelly exploitative as it shows live footage of Johnston's shows, and also details that he deliberately goes off his meds at times to create a better show. People watch as he publicly breaks down, and I couldn't shake the feeling that people are there for the same reason they used to go see GG Allin. As when people were giving the obviously insane Johnston LSD on early tours, now people are goading him into a public freakout. It's grotesque on its own, but it becomes especially so as people insist throughout that Johnston is really one of the great songwriting geniuses. I'd heard some of Johnston's music before the movie and thought it unremarkable, but the stuff they used here is actually just bad. It's bizarre; they really could have done a better job of trying to prove their thesis in that regard.
The documentary is technically well made and to its credit doesn't shy away from documenting some of the horrible things Johnston has done in his various mental states. But it still left a pretty bad taste in my mouth. Daniel Johnston is a sick man who needs help, not hipster enablers.
Summary of The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston is a manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist, revealed in this portrait of madness, creativity and love. The Devil and Daniel Johnston is a stunning portrait of a musical and artistic genius who nearly slipped away. Director Jeff Feurzeig exquisitely depicts a perfect example of brilliance and madness going hand in hand with subject Daniel Johnston. As an artist suffering from manic depression with delusions of grandeur, Daniel Johnston's wild fluctuations, numerous downward spirals, and periodic respites are exposed in this deeply moving documentary.Documentary DVD Video
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