John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick

Though it goes by pretty quickly thanks to its segmentation into numerous thematic blocks (separated by statements by the narrator, Robert Mitchum), this uncritical, nostalgic documentary doesn’t offer anything of value other than basic information about John Huston’s life and filmography. Detailed charting of all of his marriages and the places where the celebrated filmmaker lived is given priority over his creative work, whether as a screenwriter, director, painter or actor. The description of the characteristic features of Huston’s work is limited to the statement that he loved risks and irony and placed strong emphasis on casting (so that he wouldn’t have to give the actors too many instructions during shooting). If you want to believe that Huston was every inch a nice guy who had no weaknesses other than workaholism, this documentary will support you in that view. Otherwise, I recommend looking into the other, darker side of the famous artist and hunter starting with, for example, Eastwood’s biographical drama White Hunter Black Heart, whose protagonist based on Huston is a self-centred misogynist. 60% (20/09/2014)