Henry Fool

  • 137'
  • USA
  • 1998
The story of Henry Fool is instantly recognisable as a narrative by Hal Hartley (honoured in 1992 with a retrospective in Rotterdam), but this is the first epic variation on the theme. That is enough to make the film unique. A shy refuse collector, Simon Grimm (Urbaniak), who always seems to be a laughing stock, is universally despised and pestered by locals. Neither his mother nor his sister (Posey) offer any comfort. The first to believe in him is Henry Fool (Ryan), a chain-smoking barfly who regards himself as a writing genius and is apparently brimming with self-confidence. Fool moves into the cellar flat of the Grimmfamily and encourages Simon to start writing too. The unexpected result is an enormous poem that makes Simon world-famous. Fool's life work is meanwhile written off as pretentious rubbish. That is quite a trial for their friendship. Thus Henry Fool tells a story of artistic originality and genius, and about the influence of fame on relationships with family, friends and the world we know.The enormous number of ideas, ingenious inventions and philosophical jokes make Henry Fool a typical Hartley. The director: 'When people ask me: "Is this comedy or is this drama?" I don't really have an easy time answering. I don't consider myself a writer of comedies or a writer of dramas. Writing, I try to work out some sort of reconciliation of the incongruities I see in life. Sometimes they make me laugh, sometimes they make me cry.'
  • 137'
  • USA
  • 1998
Director
Hal Hartley
Country of production
USA
Year
1998
Festival Edition
IFFR 1999
Length
137'
Medium
35mm
Language
English
Producers
Shooting Gallery Films, True Fiction Pictures (Studio)
Sales
Celluloid Dreams, E1 Entertainment Benelux
Screenplay
Hal Hartley
Editor
Steve Hamilton
Music
Hal Hartley
Cast
Chuck Montgomery, Chuck Montgomery
Local Distributor
E1 Entertainment Benelux
Director
Hal Hartley
Country of production
USA
Year
1998
Festival Edition
IFFR 1999
Length
137'
Medium
35mm
Language
English
Producers
Shooting Gallery Films, True Fiction Pictures (Studio)
Sales
Celluloid Dreams, E1 Entertainment Benelux
Screenplay
Hal Hartley
Editor
Steve Hamilton
Music
Hal Hartley
Cast
Chuck Montgomery, Chuck Montgomery
Local Distributor
E1 Entertainment Benelux