152 George Washington

[jorencain]

George Washington

[img]http://criterion_production.s3.amazonaws.com/release_images/1663/152_georgewashington_w128.jpg[/img]

Over the course of one hot summer, a group of children in the rural south are forced to confront a tangle of difficult choices in a decaying world. An ambitiously constructed, sensuously photographed meditation on adolescence, the first feature film by director David Gordon Green features breakout performances from an award-winning ensemble cast.

Original DVD Special Features

- New digital transfer, enhanced for 16×9 televisions
- Commentary by director David Gordon Green, cinematographer Tim Orr, and actor Paul Schneider
- Deleted scene with commentary
- Original theatrical trailer
-David Gordon Green’s short films, made while he was a student at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Pleasant Grove (with commentary) and Physical Pinball
- Charlie Rose interview with David Gordon Green
- Exclusive new video interviews with the cast
- Clu Gulager’s 1969 short film A Day with the Boys, an influence on George Washington
- English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired

2014 Dual-Format Special Features

- Restored high-definition digital transfer, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
- Commentary by director David Gordon Green, cinematographer Tim Orr, and actor Paul Schneider
- Deleted scene, with commentary by Green, Orr, and Schneider
- Two student shorts by Green: Pleasant Grove (1997), with commentary by Green, Orr, and Schneider; and Physical Pinball (1998)
- Charlie Rose interview with Green from 2001
- Interviews with cast members
- Clu Gulager’s 1969 short film A Day with the Boys, an influence on George Washington
- Trailer
- One Blu-ray and one DVD, with all content available in both formats
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Armond White and a director’s statement

Criterionforum.org user rating averages

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I don't remember too many comments about this film on the old forum, and I put off watching because I was not sure what to expect. I finally watched it the other night and really fell in love with. I loved the tranquility of it (I thought I was watching "The Thin Red Line" during the opening), the pacing, the setting, and the use of music; all of which gives it a distinct flavor (despite the Malick influence).

I also really enjoyed the fact that race and age issues never came up in this film. These are people living in the same environment, black or white, young or old, and it gives the film an odd, almost utopian view of this group of people. I'm not sure what else to say right now because I'm still digesting it, but I hoped to get some kind of discussion going about it.

[anvilscepe]

I too, loved George Washington. Perhaps one of my top favorite Criterions. I thought, however, that All The Real Girls was much more realized and much more trance-inducing both through its cinematography and tonality. Although, the naturalistic, almost amaturish acting really lends itself well to George Washington it does wear thin. This does not happen with ATRG; a bigger budget means bigger name actors.

I have not seen "Undertow" but i've read mixed reviews. I will probably netflix it.

saludos.

[analoguezombie]

I have not seen "Undertow" but i've read mixed reviews. I will probably netflix it.

.

Don't believe the anti-hype. Undertow is David Gordon Green's best film yet. I saw it when he came to UGA right before the Savannah Film Fest. He was very easy tot alk to and the q&a was great.

[colinr0380]

BBC Radio 4's Film Programme last night ran a piece on independent film with a focus on the preparations for the 2005 Sundance festival and the critics were asked to give their verdict on a couple of the most recent independent films. The critics on the piece were asked for their recommendations for independent film and there was the usual selection of Sex, Lies and Videotape and Donnie Darko, but the final critic chose George Washington for the way it portrayed a group in society that is underrepresented in even current independent film, and said that she really admired his work and it was very telling that even after George Washington he was still two films away from a Hollywood breakthrough (although I'm not sure whether that would be one of his aims?). She attributed this to his making very quiet films that are very against the grain of modern filmmaking.

[Narshty]

Oh God, how I hate that programme. Every time one of their "experts" makes an insight, a little bit of sick comes up into my mouth.

[colinr0380]

Could be worse - could be Newsnight or Saturday Review! Isn't the little bit of sick just the urge to argue with the opinions?

[Narshty]

No, I assure you, it's a purely homicidal urge.

[colinr0380]

I can't argue with a man with a gun!

[Narshty]

I can't argue with a man with a gun!

By jove, you're right! I always thought it was a male prostitute with a dildo.

[Martha]

All the Real Girls thread is now here.

[colinr0380]

By jove, you're right! I always thought it was a male prostitute with a dildo.

Well each to their own! It seems a very over analysed, Marian Keane point of view on things though!

[jorencain]

I watched "Undertow" the other day and enjoyed it thoroughly. It did make me cry a little at the end, which Green's other films haven't done, but I still would say that "George Washington" is my favorite of his. The only other thing I have to say about "Undertow" (besides how it actually made me yell "damn!" when the nail went through his foot) is that I thought the Phillip Glass score was a real disappointment. It just did not work for me at all, which made me sad It's as if he didn't watch the scenes that he was scoring for; the music did not really underscore what was happening onscreen most of the time, I thought.

[analoguezombie]

I watched "Undertow" the other day and enjoyed it thoroughly. It did make me cry a little at the end, which Green's other films haven't done, but I still would say that "George Washington" is my favorite of his. The only other thing I have to say about "Undertow" (besides how it actually made me yell "damn!" when the nail went through his foot) is that I thought the Phillip Glass score was a real disappointment. It just did not work for me at all, which made me sad It's as if he didn't watch the scenes that he was scoring for; the music did not really underscore what was happening onscreen most of the time, I thought.

Just think of it as an episode of The Dukes of Hazzard directed by Terrence Malick. The score works much better in that context.

[Mysterypez]

.... I thought the Phillip Glass score was a real disappointment. It just did not work for me at all, which made me sad It's as if he didn't watch the scenes that he was scoring for; the music did not really underscore what was happening onscreen most of the time, I thought.

I was at a screening where Mr. Green was speaking about the movie. The subject of the score did come up. Mr. Green related that Mr. Glass... from time to time.... takes on a film that would otherwise not be able to afford his services and scores the film gratis. Mr. Green gave every indication that Mr. Glass had seen the film. I don't want to sully Mr. Glass's reputation, however, perhaps this is just a case of you get what you pay for.

Secondarily.... to further highjack this thread..... I have heard the Mr. Green, a New Orleans resident, apparently lost everything in the Hurricane. Sad and depressing. I hope he makes a new film soon.

[LightBulbFilm]

David Gordon Green is definitely one of the more unique directors in American today. His films express emotions of all kinds, it lets the viewer experience the emotions as well as the actors on screen. The only problem I have is that I think he tries to be TOO much like other independent film makers, namely Harmony Korine seeing as how D.G.G. puts a child with some kind of disease or disfunction in his movies. In George Washington it was George, in All the Real Girls it was the little boy with down syndrom, in Undertow the brother couldn't eat food or something along those line (I can't remember exactly what the disease was.). But past that I love Green, great director, I just think he needs to quit with the sick kids. I f he's trying get sympathy as an emotion or sorrow out of the viewer, he doesn't need it... Because they are emotional films enough...

[chaddoli]

I think David Gordon Green has much more to do with Terrence Malick than Harmony Korine. That comparison isn't very solid, imo.

[solaris72]

I agree with chaddoli, it's kind of unfair to cite Harmony Korine as having the patent on diseased/dysfunctional children. Definitely a larger Malick influence (which Malick seems to appreciate, as he gave Green the premise behind and also acted as producer on Undertow) and also some shades of Tarkovsky.

[davida2]

I also really enjoyed the fact that race and age issues never came up in this film. These are people living in the same environment, black or white, young or old, and it gives the film an odd, almost utopian view of this group of people. I'm not sure what else to say right now because I'm still digesting it, but I hoped to get some kind of discussion going about it.

Perhaps utopian, though I wouldn't have thought of it in this way. Contrary to some stereotype, I think the film really nails the feeling of the South, or at least much of North Carolina, like no film I've ever seen. I've lived in NC my entire life, and when I first saw this film, there was something of a shock of recognition - no overbaked Southernisms to be found, and the cast of amateurs, while not hamming it up 'Steel Magnolias'-style, are from the area and basically sound the way people sound here. That he was able to create such a tranquil feeling in Winston-Salem is something of an accomplishment; it's no small town.

Like you I liked that race and age didn't come up in this film - it's very much a film of investigating the small moments of everyday life; bits of tragedy, randomness, and a bit of magic realism. The big issues that could be identified with the region in which the film takes place do fade into the background at times (at least), and this film's concern is - among other things - what goes on in the lives of ordinary people during those times.

Though 'regional literature' generally includes more bad than good, there is a great tradition of outstanding American writing that is tied to region or place in specific ways (Raymond Chandler, or William Faulkner), and I would've hoped that something similar would've emerged in independent film, at least on a larger scale than we've seen up until this point. The fact that this film's protagonists are so ill-represented onscreen is tragic - we've all seen a zillion insular-but-well-made films built around college-radio-reject types, and there is so much more to the world.

[scalesojustice]

i just wanted to heap some more praise upon washington's sholders. this film, single handedly, re-kindled the importances of contemporary filmmaking for me. so much crap, both hollywood and indie alike, is forced down our throats every weekend, but there are still new filmmakers out there who have the talent and drive to capture emotion and a slice of life and serve it in a fresh way. sure, the bergmans and fellinis of the old film world paved the way, but it's films like george washington that slap you in the face and say, "cinema is alive and well."

although that borders on extremist love, i have not experienced such a powerful film in a long time. the film's climactic scene (which i suppose happens in the 40 minute range) is gut-wrenching. but not in disgust or in an obscene way, the pure emotion of it actually churned my stomach. in fact, i had to turn the film off at that point because it was too much for my girlfriend. she was loving every minute and power of it, and then this one event was just too over-power, too real. a part of me was happy to turn it off, i was able to calm myself down and say to myself "it's only a movie," though all i wanted to do was to keep watching.

the cinematography is amazing, but there is something more, perhaps the correlation of images. he pits images of people with run-down american landscapes that echo the sadness and futility of his characters' lives. yet, if you just catch a piece of this movie here and there, you might get the impression that is drenched in pretention. children non-actors woodenly delivering lines that, these days, someone twice their age would be saying. and yet, i believed every single word of it.

[kaujot]

I just finished watching A Day with the Boys (after having owned the George Washington DVD for about three years), and I found it to be one of the best short film inclusions on a Criterion DVD, with the exception of a few things.

The various (though few) shots that he ran through some filters made the film briefly feel very amateurish. Like a budding young kid who pirates a copy of Photoshop and spends all his time going through photos and embossing or solarizing them. It was also like he was trying to imitate Kubrick in 2001, but without a real need or reason for it. It took me out of the otherwise naturalistic and wholly REAL environment that permeated the rest of the film.

My other gripe contains spoilers:

SpoilerShow

The music cues at the end, when we are shown all the graves of the people the boys have killed, are out of place. The music is upbeat and innocent. It gives an exceptionally sinister feeling to the slow pan across the graves. But as each "headstone" is revealed, it cuts to this "DUH DUNNNNN" shriek before going back to the innocent melody. A real mood breaker. No shit, Clu, we see the headstones.

Other than those two things, a really beautiful (and thoroughly creepy) short film.

(Also, the opening credit sequence is a very cool riff on the opening credit sequence of The Wild Bunch)

[Antoine Doinel]

You can watch Physical Pinball here.

[dad1153]

Caught this on a library-loaned DVD (after missing a daytime showing a few weeks ago on Showtime). First off, Tim Orr's cinematography and Michael Linnen & David Wingo's etheral music are outstanding. This is obviously a low-budget movie but it doesn't look or sound cheap. These are key elements in helping establish the realistic-but-dreamlike cinematic tone and trance-like effectiveness for the audience to buy that the kid characters in the movie engage in situations and use dialogue that's far too high-minded and borderline pretentious for their age. Combining Malick's eye for composition and Sofia Coppola's laconic pace (minus the extra beat that Sofia lets her scenes last) Green lets his movie breath a deceivingly relaxed air of authenticity in its depiction of a Southern lifestyle (physical structures as well as the people in it) that's decaying but also used to dealing with adversity. Even George's uncle Damascus, which appears at first to be a one-dimensional adult figure with which to contrast our mostly-youthful cast, gets a scene toward the end that goes a long way to explaining (though not redeem) his behavior. I didn't know the surprise twist at the halfway mark and, after THAT happened, I was floored at how the movie I thought I was watching made a complete 180 degree twist yet remained pretty faithful to its vision. Loved the interaction between Vernon and little Sonya. When she finally spoke Sonya actually tore me at the heart with her view of herself (which was pretty accurate). That final shot of Vernon and Sonya walking away by the railroad (and knowing what was driving them) was just masterful, especially since it's such an open-ended final look at these characters. I'm a little surprised Nasia gets top billing and is the voice-over narrator, but I guess it makes sense since she's the one that knew all the characters without actually involving herself in too deep with any of them (even ex-boyfriend George). A pleasant discovery.

[karmajuice]

So.

I found this video on youtube a while back. I don't know where it comes from. I can't even remember how I found it. But it feels like something that needs to be shared.

Let me be clear -- this has nothing to do with George Washington. It's an interview with Clu Gulager. Given the discussion of A Day with the Boys, I figured this was the best place for it.

I don't want to say anything else; just know that this merits watching. However, it should NOT be watched in one's workplace.

Gulager Interview

[Matt]

Announced for Blu-ray release, March 2014.

[Oedipax]

Green's best and perhaps only great film. This should look fantastic in HD.