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Monte Hellman: American B-Legend

Two-Lane Blacktop

Monte HELLMAN

USA1971103min 35mm color

Synopsis

As Jack Nicholson became a star through Easy Rider and left, his place in Hellman's movies was replaced by Hellman's persona Warren Oates, folk singer James Taylor and Dennis Wilson, a member of the Beach Boys. Their characters have no names. A man driving a 1955 Chevy and a man taking care of vehicle maintenance. A man driving a 1970 Pontiac. A hitchhiker around them. The four characters are called 'driver,' 'mechanic,' 'GTO' and 'girl,' respectively. The director said that this reflected the hippie spirit free from possession. Driver and GTO make a bet that the one who gets to Washington first takes the other's car. On the way across the entire country, they get drunk, swear, tell lies and make love. Then, they part from each other. They never arrive in the city and likewise their love is not fulfilled. is a portrait of lonely people who live on the road even though they are lost. Burning films at the end of the movie is nothing but a metaphor for the hopeless and joyless America. Out of jealousy over the success of produced by Columbia Pictures, Universal Studios gathered new figures such as Monte Hellman, Henry Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Milos Forman and decided to distribute their movies all together. , however, almost became forgotten along with other films because of the changes in the company's position. However, the movie has survived as a cult movie revered by enthusiastic fans. As with other great works, the fate of the movie was harsh until it was positioned as a movie representing the American New Cinema. (LEE Yong Cheol)

Diretor

Monte HELLMAN

Born in 1932, he is an American film director, producer, and film editor. Monte is widely credited as the man who discovered Quentin Tarantino, as Monte brought Quentin to Sundance to workshop RESERVOIR DOGS, which Monte executive produced. In 2006, he directed Stanley's Girlfriend, a section of the omnibus horror film Trapped Ashes. Hellman's section of the film was presented by the Cannes Film Festival as an 'Official Selection' and Hellman was named president of the Festival's 'Un Certain Regard' jury. Road to Nowhere were a compete work for the Golden Lion and he was awarded with a Special Lion Award for Overall Work at the 67th Venice International Film Festival. He currently teaches in the Film Directing Program at the California Institute of the Arts.