A chance meeting in a parking lot in 1979 between filmmaker trent harris and a young man from beaver, utah, inspired the creation of an underground film that is now known as beaver trilogy. Department of film and media arts, university of utah. The second piece, beaver kid 2 is a dramatic work based on the documentary. Theres nothing exceptional about this opening scene, only the kids competent impressions of john wayne, sylvester. Groovin larry segment beaver kid 2 archive footage. In addition to high profile feature films such as rubin and ed 1992 and plan 10 from outer space, harris had written, directed and produced numerous documentary and narrative films which have screened and won awards at film festivals around the world.
Harris experiences with groovin gary inspired three different short subjects, and the beaver trilogy collects harris three groovin gary films. In the 1970s, an ambitious filmmaker visits the small town of utah to film a talent. An underground film series that was inspired by a chance meeting in 1979 in beaver, utah, continues. Filmmaker trent harris jumps the remake gun with his project beaver trilogy. To optimize your experience with your screen reading software, please use our website, which has the same tickets as our fandango. This film was also listed by the london guardian as one of fifty lost masterpieces and hit the top ten list of art forum magazine. A shaggydog documentary made on a shoestring, the ironically titled beaver trilogy part iv examines how seductive and destructive the desire. The beaver trilogy 2001 is a documentary film directed by trent harris, featuring groovin gary, sean penn, crispin glover and costarring courtney gains and elizabeth daily the beaver trilogy combines three separate vignettes that were filmed at different times, in 1979, 1981, and 1985. A cult classic finally gets its ending in beaver trilogy. Leave it to beaver is a 1997 american comedy film adapted from the television series of the same name. Watch the full beaver kid underground cult documentary online, about groovin gary, his love for beaver, utah and dressing up olivia newton. The beaver is a 2011 dark comedy film directed by jodie foster and written by kyle killen.
Aug 11, 2009 from part 1 of the beaver trilogy, the beaver kid starring groovin gary. This is the 10th post in a series covering the most outrageous moments in underground film history. Watch bill hader to narrate cult film doc beaver trilogy. May 12, 2008 the beaver trilogy begins in a setting of incontestable banality, a parking lot in salt lake city, utah, in which a young man deemed the beaver kid in the first of a triumvirate of scenarios is encountered by chance. Completed the blood trilogy, a tale of vampires, shape shifters and mortals with an element of bdsm. These two films became the basis of one of harris best know works, the beaver trilogy 2000. A coproduction of united states and united arab emirates, it stars mel gibson, foster, anton yelchin, and jennifer lawrence. The beaver, starring mel gibson and directed by jodie foster, explores a variation on the defense mechanism known as splitting, where it is the good rather than the bad that is split off and. The beaver trilogy 2001, trent harris the stop button. Jul 23, 2000 trent harris beaver trilogy is by far the most exciting and heartbreaking piece of cinema this critic has seen in years.
Trent harriss the beaver trilogy 19801999 is a oneofakind video which, among its many treats, unburies, from the 80s, some amazingly off the charts thespian performances by young sean penn and young crispin glover. Beaver trilogy part iv 2015 stream and watch online. The beaver trilogy is a 2001 documentary directed by trent harris rubin and ed and focused on groovin gary, an olivia newtonjohn impersonator in beaver, utah the film is divided into three vignettes. Any worry about ruining beaver trilogy by investigating it fades quickly here, as a look at the films maker proves resonant with the pursuit of its obscure star. The filmvideo hybrid on display at the opening of the new york.
Marking gibsons and fosters second collaboration since 1994s maverick, it follows walter black, a depressed executive, who hits rockbottom when his wife kicks him out of the house. The beaver trilogy 2001 is a documentary film directed by trent harris, featuring groovin gary, sean penn, crispin glover and costarring courtney gains and elizabeth daily. Beaver trilogy part iv has another sundance connection. The beaver is almost successful, despite the premise of its screenplay, which i was simply unable to accept. Independent film and video magazine called harris one of americas premier cult directors. Trent harris shot the first section of this video in 1979, but the trilogy wasnt completed until 2000. I concede it is possible that a man in depression might be able to heal himself by projecting his personality into a hand puppet.
Jan 20, 2015 beaver trilogy part iv has another sundance connection. Harris along to the undertakers where hes getting his makeup done. Besser volunteered at the festival last year partially so i could get shots for this film i figured id have a little bit less red. The first, entitled the beaver kid, is a short documentary about the exploits of groovin gary, a. From part 1 of the beaver trilogy, the beaver kid starring groovin gary. The first piece, the beaver kid is a docmumentary about dick griffiths groovin gary and his oliva fascination. The beaver is a 2011 comedydrama film directed by jodie foster and written by kyle killen. The beaver trilogy combines three separate vignettes that were filmed at different times, in 1979, 1981, and 1985. The beaver trilogy part iv brad bessers search for the beaver kid uncovers more than anyone wanted to know about the elusive subject of the underground short film trilogy. Theres nothing exceptional about this opening scene, only the kids competent impressions of john wayne, sylvester stallone, and barry manilow, yet theres a. Aug 22, 2019 trent harris shot the first section of this video in 1979, but the trilogy wasnt completed until 2000.
Many injokes and subplots relating to the series are adapted for the film. With trent harris, groovin gary, bill hader, jared hess. Details can be found on the films official site, including the trailer, but im also embedding that below. The beaver trilogy 2000 letterboxd social film discovery. Jan 25, 2010 but, in 2000, he took his original groovin gary footage, combined it with the incomplete sean penn footage and the completed orkly kid, and sent it out onto the festival circuit in a full package called the beaver trilogy. The beaver trilogy 2001 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. The first part is documentary footage, which may or may not be for a salt lake city tv show, about a guy from beaver, ut who does impersonations. The beaver trilogy 2001 is a documentary film directed by trent harris, featuring richard. A chance meeting in a parking lot in 1979 between filmmaker trent harris and a young man from beaver, utah inspired the creation of an underground film that is now known as beaver trilogy but the film itself is only part of the story. The second vignette recreates the first vignette with sean penn as groovin gary. Perhaps one of the cornerstones of the comedy cult canon, the beaver trilogy is a series of three shorts about a man named groovin gary. Adapting a novel maxwell older, from the las vegas film festival award winning short film script.
Begun in 1978 and completed in 1985 and therefore in a sense predigital trent harriss film, in which three treatments of a happenstance encounter are sandwiched into a single work, presents a continuum unique. But, in 2000, he took his original groovin gary footage, combined it with the incomplete sean penn footage and the completed orkly kid, and sent it out onto the festival circuit in a full package called the beaver trilogy. While the beaver trilogy was a huge hit at places like the 2001 sundance film festival, it never received a proper. A bittersweet documentary about trent harris and his legendary film the beaver trilogy. Harris was in the parking lot of his workplace, testing out a color. Trent harriss the beaver trilogy 19801999 is a oneofakind video which, among its many treats, unburies, from the 80s, some amazingly offthecharts thespian performances by young sean penn and young crispin glover. The beaver was the worst debut for a film directed by foster. The second film, the beaver kid 2 1981, is a lowbudget dramatic reenactment of the story behind the filming of the original documentary, shot in black and white and starring sean penn as groovin larry. Beaver trilogy part iv 2015 directed by brad besser. Directed by brad besser, narrated by bill hader available on vod april 5th. Oct 28, 2008 trent harris, the genius behind one of the greatest films of all time the beaver trilogy is back with a new underground feature film. He does john wayne, a good sylvester stallone, barry manilow, and olivia newton johnin drag. With groovin gary, sean penn, crispin glover, stefan arngrim.
The second piece, beaver kid 2 is a drama based on the documentary with sean penn playing the part of dick griffiths. The distributor summit entertainment had originally planned for a wide release of the beaver for the weekend of may 20. The first film ends here with a final performance by larry nolonger in olivia form and his band. Both the beaver kid and the beaver kid 2 were produced on color video the latter on a reported budget of only one hundred bucks, while the orkly kid was filmed in 16 mm, with the support of the american film institute. The first vignette documents groovin garys character and performance. The first, entitled the beaver kid, is a short documentary about the exploits of groovin gary, a performer that filmmaker harris happened upon while filming for a. After making the film, the director had decided to remake the.
Sundance film festival beaver trilogy is a series of three pieces about the same subject, a young man from the small town of beaver, utah who is obsessed with olivia newton john. The first, entitled the beaver kid, is a short documentary about the exploits of groovin gary, a performer that filmmaker harris happened upon while filming for a salt lake city, utah news station. One of the highlights of this years inside out film festival in toronto is the beaver trilogy which screens tonight at 10pm at cinecycle 129 spadina avenue. The trilogy is completed with the orkly kid, in which crispin glover reprises penns role, this time referring to his onstage persona as olivia neutron. This web site contains the most comprehensive collection of trent harris unique films and videos. The beaver trilogy was an early entry in the destabilized interplay between art, self, and media that characterizes our era. The comedic oddities of trent harris spectacle theater. A chance meeting in a parking lot in 1979 between filmmaker trent harris and a young man from beaver, utah inspired the creation of an underground film that. It features many of the original regular characters, most played by new actors, with some cameos by the original tv cast. A shaggydog documentary made on a shoestring, the ironically titled beaver trilogy part iv examines. Is this a condescending exploitation of complete outsider artistry. In the 1970s, an ambitious filmmaker visits the small town of utah to film a talent show.
Though i can see where some people with small attention spans andor a complete lack of taste. The first, titled the beaver kid, is a short documentary about the exploits of groovin gary, a performer that filmmaker harris happened upon while filming for a salt lake city, utah news station. My next immediate project is living in the age of airplanes, i was the films editor. Read the the beaver trilogy movie synopsis, view the movie trailer, get cast and crew information, see movie photos, and more on. Trent harris beaver trilogy is by far the most exciting and heartbreaking piece of cinema this critic has seen in years. This is from part 2 of beaver trilogy, beaver kid 2 starring sean penn. Beaver trilogy v, the final installment in the beaver trilogy trilogy. The first part, entitled the beaver kid, features richard lavon griffiths aka groovin gary, a goofy and animated young man that filmmaker, trent harris, happens upon while testing his camera for a utah television station. A chance meeting in a parking lot in 1979 between filmmaker trent harris and a young man from beaver, utah inspired the creation of an underground film that is now known as beaver trilogy. Critics have called the films of trent harris absurd, pointless, hysterical, brilliant, and one of a kind. The beaver trilogy begins in a setting of incontestable banality, a parking lot in salt lake city, utah, in which a young man deemed the beaver kid in the first of a triumvirate of scenarios is encountered by chance. The beaver trilogy, completed in 2001, combines three vignettes filmed at different times. Three short films revolve around a young man with a penchant for impersonating celebrities.
Butch cassidy does not make an appearance in this film. We go through the movie with mel gibson wearing a toothy beaver on his. Beaver trilogy is a series of three pieces about the same subject, a young man from the small town of beaver, utah who is obsessed with olivia newton john. The beaver trilogy is a 2001 documentary directed by trent harris rubin and ed and focused on groovin gary, an olivia newtonjohn impersonator in beaver, utah. Dec 31, 2000 the beaver trilogy combines three separate vignettes that were filmed at different times, in 1979, 1981, and 1985. Marking gibson and fosters second collaboration since 1994s maverick, it follows walter black, a depressed executive, who hits rockbottom when his wife kicks him out of the house. May 15, 2009 the beaver trilogy, completed in 2001, combines three vignettes filmed at different times.