The Telluride Film Festival, presented by the National Film Preserve, has announced the official program selections for the festival’s 40th anniversary. Among the films being presented is MILIUS, Directed by Zak Knutson and Joey Figueroa.
MILIUS is a documentary about the career of one of the most legendary, influential, and controversial directors in Hollywood: John Milius. If there was ever a man who could write it to the page and blow it up onto the silver screen, it was Milius. One of the first Hollywood professionals to be a film school graduate, he was a contemporary of the likes of Spielberg and Lucas. He co-wrote the first two Dirty Harry films. He has written by credits for Apocalypse Now, Big Wednesday, Conan the Barbarian. Story by credits for Magnum Force, 1941, Extreme Prejudice, Geronimo. And he wrote the screenplays for Red Dawn, Farewell to the King, Jeremiah Johnson, Clear and Present Danger, and more. He directed Dillinger, the Wind and the Lion, Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn, and more. He has produced six titles – including the upcoming Genghis Khan.
He has created a persona so recognizable, so larger than life, that it influenced John Goodman’s character Walter Sobchak from the Big Lebowski.
This documentary has been well received at every screening, with rave reviews from SXSW reviewers including Film Threat and Dirk Sonniksen of Smells like Screen Spirit.
MILIUS is chock full o’ excellent interviews with the likes of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Oliver Stone, George Hamilton, Charlie Sheen, Robert Zemeckis, Sam Elliot and many, many more. They all tell not only the story of John Milius, but pull aside the curtain and let us see Hollywood through the eyes of those who were there. Those who can tell the story about the time Milius put a gun in the hand of Martin Sheen during his voice-over work for Apocalypse Now, or how he could spin a yarn over the phone to Steven Spielberg that became one of the most riveting moments in Jaws; Quint (Robert Shaw) telling the story of the USS Indianapolis.
As a screenwriter, I have always admired the dialogue Milius is associated with; lines like “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” and Dirty Harry’s “I know what you’re thinking, punk. You’re thinking ‘did he fire six shots or only five?’ Now to tell you the truth I forgot myself in all this excitement. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and will blow you head clean off, you’ve gotta ask yourself a question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?” The dude can write. His characters are glorious, larger than life, breathe Technicolor fire, and have a heft to them that you don’t find in just any darkened theater.
But there’s more than just lines of unforgettable dialogue and epic film attached to Milius. The man who calls himself a Zen Anarchist made himself a legend; he would request to be plied with women, guns, and motorcycles. He pulled a gun on a producer. He wasn’t easy, but he was great. He stuck to his guns (literally!) and he never sold out.
The story of Milius is spills out onto the screen in brilliant fashion – a tribute to the filmmaking talents of Zak and Joey. Joey Figueroa and Zak Knutson put together a huge collection of interviews to tell the story of this brilliant filmaker in a mesmerizing 95 minutes that you wish would never end. Every new face that comes on the screen – Richard Dreyfuss, Martin Scorsese, Bryan Singer, and more – brings another facet to the life of John Milius.
Sam Elliot says it best: “He doesn’t write for pussies and he doesn’t write for women. He writes for men, because he’s a man.”
MILIUS is a do-not-miss film, and it’s fitting that it is included in TFF’s 40th anniversary collection. The Telluride Film Festival always brings together filmmakers, artists, and those who appreciate cinema to celebrate artistic excellent. If you can get away to Telluride, Colorado this year, you should do it.
MILIUS will be screened at Backlot, TFF’s “intimate screening room.” Don’t miss it.