Billy Bob Thornton's Sling Blade

[Obssessed_with_Orson]

My Webpage

just by the title alone. didn't read the rest.

[mteal]

Anytime anybody directs themselves in a successful picture they get compared to Orson Welles, for publicity purposes. Then they usually make a bunch of mediocre junk and fade away. If Thornton's Sling Blade is his Citizen Kane, then All The Pretty Horses must be his Ambersons. I guess it was mutilated by the studio, so...

I haven't seen either one so I can't judge.

[Harvey Chartrand]

Thornton's Ambersons and other Wellesian parallels:

According to the Internet Movie Data Base, the first cut of 'All the Pretty Horses' by director Billy Bob Thornton was about 4 hours long. It was later cut down to the 116 min. version released to theatres.

The difference being that the missing footage wasn't dumped in the Pacific Ocean or burned to a crisp, but is stored somewhere for future use in the Director's Edition DVD or the reconstructed TV mini-series version.

I haven't seen 'All the Pretty Horses', but I hear its reputation could soar and that it will be remembered long after current mega-hits are forgotten. In this way, it also resembles Welles' Ambersons. Like Ambersons, 'All the Pretty Horses' was a cherished, deeply personal project for its director.

Another Wellesian parallel -- Thornton's third film, Daddy and Them, is a sentimental comedy, a lightweight run-for-cover type picture. Like the amusing 1943 thriller Journey into Fear, jointly directed by Welles and Norman Foster. (However, there is one crucial difference to this parallel. 'Daddy and Them' was made in 1998 and sat on the shelf for years, so maybe Thornton now has a reputation for being difficult and his days as a director are numbered. Like Welles, he might have to make a living acting in movies directed by lesser talents.)

[Jeff Wilson]

I haven't seen either of Thornton's directorial efforts, but I did have the unfortunate pleasure of seeing him perform musically, as he recently was here opening for Elvis Costello. For a guy who appears to be a reasonably charismastic guy (judging by the number of women he's run through), he had no stage presence, standing stock still in front of the mike, only moving to walk away and take a drag on his cigarette during solos. As for the music? He should stick to his day job.

[mteal]

He's also a musician? I actually admire people that dabble in different media like Welles did (David Lynch is a good example), but you've got have something interesting to offer too. As for the women, Angelina Jolie is definitely a hot babe, although a little screwy. What's she gonna do with those Billy Bob tatoos reportedly on her private areas? Maybe she can do something like what Johnny Depp did with his 'Winona Forever' tattoo. Instead of having it removed he had it shortened to 'Wino Forever'. 'You have to keep a sense of humor about these things' he says.

If the elements for Thornton's complete version of 'Horses' are still available, the film cannot really be considered a 'film maudit', like Greed or Ambersons. True, the film was recut and a costly bomb at the box office, but as Harvey said, his full version can be given a second chance on home video, perhaps after widescreen TVs start dominating the market. I'm not saying it's some kind of martyrdom-by-design, but it wouldn't surprise me if they tried to market the complete 'Horses' as a lost masterpiece saved from the abyss.

[Jeff Wilson]

Yeah, he's a musician, doing a sort of rockabilly thing, but it's bland and uninspired stuff. I admire the guy for going through the process, touring and all that, but it's nothing that's going to open anyone's eyes. And I guess his split with Jolie means he'll quit doing the song "Angelina," lest he get smirks and chuckles from the audience. I'm told he knocked up a female roadie as well. Ah, the celebrity lifestyle...

[mteal]

Maybe they should leave Orson alone and start calling him 'The Hillbilly Elvis' instead. No, on second thought, they should leave Elvis alone too. Just call him 'The Hillbilly'.

[Obssessed_with_Orson]

mteal, i agree with you on that 100%

but think they should all

Leave Orson Alone.

bye now!