It was Sundance that turned Alex Gibney into a household name— in the homes of documentary buffs, at least— after 2005 festival favorite Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room became a must-see doc. He returned in 2007 as executive producer of the Iraq War documentary No End in Sight, and, in 2008, he will be back on the Sundance beat with his new film, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, a narrative that combines archival materials, new interviews and staged re-enactments (Gibney calls them "movies" within his own movie) to chronicle the life and times of journalist Hunter S. Thompson.
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Alex Gibney and crew shooting the opening sequence for Gonzo on location in Half Moon Bay, CA (left); archival footage from Gonzo treated by Bigstar Graphics (above)
Stills from Taxi to the Dark Side: opening credits (third from bottom); Iraqui detainees (second from bottom); a mug shot of Dilawar taken in Bagram Prison (bottom)
Comments (1) for "Making Must-See Documentaries"
1.
You are certainly correct about a politically charged atmosphere.
Your article left me with one question in particular:
Now that things are turning around in Iraq, does Mr. Gibney anticipate a sequel to 'No End in Sight'?
Or is it just possible that film festival politics would make that unlikely?
Thank you.
Posted by Ken McNamara on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 @ 10:16 AM
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