Film Showing: The Devil and Daniel Johnston (PG-13)
Suggested Donation $5.00
The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005), written and directed by Jeff Feuerzeig documents the life of Daniel Johnston - the manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist revealed in this portrait of madness, creativity and love. (IMDb)
"This documentary charts his life's journey in through an apparently inexhaustiblearchive of video and audio tapes. Jeff Feuerzeig, who won the best director award at Sundance 2005 for this film, has started with a subject who has filmed himself and been filmed by others for more than 20 years. That allows us to see Daniel Johnston as a bright young kid who 'lost all his confidence' in junior high school, who has had a romantic obsession with a classmate all of his life, who was briefly a star on MTV, whose songs have been covered by Beck and Pearl Jam, who Kurt Cobain called the "greatest living songwriter," whose friends included members of Sonic Youth and Half Japanese, and who still lives at home with his parents, who worry about what will happen to him when they are gone. His tapes are sold on the Web by an ex-manager, still a fan of his music, who he fired and attacked with a pipe." (Roger Ebert)
"The film artfully melds current footage, vintage performances, home movies, and dozens of recorded audiotapes from Johnston's life. Testimony from supportive friends and a deeply committed family adds a rich layer to Johnston's personal history, but Daniel Johnston's poetic songs tell their own passionate, haunting, and truly unforgettable story." (Rotten Tomatoes)
"A heartbreaking, yet strangely uplifting and inspirational, exploration of the fine line between genius and madness, and how sometimes, one becomes impossible to discern from the other." -Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
"Whatever one's opinion of Johnston's art, this is documentary filmmaking at its finest." -Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
Join us for this emotional documentary at The Packing House! This film showing is a part of The Packing House Film Series hosted by the Eastern Connecticut Center for History, Art, and Performance (EC-CHAP), focused on bringing art related independent films and documentaries to our local communities. Snacks and soft drinks available. "BYOB&F" (Beer and Wine ONLY - I.D. Required).
Call 518-791-9474 for information and table reservations.