Hal Ashby's obsessive genius led to an unprecedented string of Oscar®-winning classics, including Гарольд и Мод (1971), Shampoo and Being There. But as contemporaries Francis Ford Coppola, Scorsese and Spielberg rose to blockbuster stardom in the 1980s, Ashby's uncompromising nature played out as a cautionary tale of art versus commerce.
Amy Scott’s exuberant portrait explores that curious oversight, using rare archival materials, interviews, personal letters, and audio recordings to reveal a passionate, obsessive artist. Ashby was a Hollywood director who constantly clashed with Hollywood, but also a unique soul with an unprecedented insight into the human condition and an unmatched capacity for good. His films were an elusive blend of honesty, irreverence, humor, and humanity. Through the heartrending and inspiring HAL, you feel buoyed by Ashby’s love of people and of cinema, a little like walking on water.
“One of the comparatively unsung luminaries of 1970s American cinema receives a very fine tribute in HAL, an in-depth look at director Hal Ashby. A most welcome reassessment of one of the most important figures in 1970s Hollywood.”
Todd McCarthy, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“Sheds new light on a master filmmaker who occupies a place in the pantheon alongside Coppola, Scorsese, De Palma, and Spielberg.”
Jeremy Smith, BIRTH.MOVIES.DEATH
“A loving tribute to a filmmaker who doesn’t get anywhere near the recognition and respect he deserves. Former collaborators and actors gush over his generosity and dedication to the craft. His unfiltered and uncompromising vision arguably produced the clearest, most lucid depiction of the tumultuous ’70s.”
J.R. Kinnard, NONFICS
