Crispin Hellion Glover as he bills himself these days has developed a reputation as being a truly strange individual. An infamous 1987 interview had David Letterman fleeing the stage from his presence.
At Sundance 2005, Crispin premiered his first directorial effort, What is It? which might well be the first thing you would have heard from anyone attending (or walking out from) the screening.
Crispin Glover has returned to Sundance 2007 with his latest opus entitled It is Fine! Everything is Fine!
It is Fine! was a script written by the film's star Steven C. Stewart who has suffered the ravages of cerebral palsy and has subsequently lead to his death.
Crispin Glover chose to introduce his feature and volunteered to return after it was over to answer questions arising.
The Crispin of today is a far cry from his earlier personae, cutting a dashing figure he took the stage. He tours with his earlier film, What is It?, answering questions. His comment regarding the new film was: "People may like it, people may hate it, but I am genuinely proud to have made it". Aware of the earlier reception he noted that he wouldn't be affronted by people walking out of the show.
I don't know whether he be pleased to know that only 11 souls walked out in the course of things. The survivors seemed more enthused. Although the film is an assault on the sensibilities of the average filmgoer, more hardened cinephiles will find he has crafted a considerably more linear film. Although riddled with ludicrous situations and outrageous moments the movie is true to itself and has the redeeming feature of a gut-punch of an ending.
At the end of the film Crispin returned to answer questions and ask a few himself, such as: "Did you like it?" The surviving audience seemed generally positive. Crispin said the film was rushed because of Steven Stewart's failing health and shot while Glover was still working on What Is It? The director added that his main contribution was adding the wraparound sequence with his co-director David Brothers (who sat through the screening). Crispin addressed his films by saying that he was out to capture on film narratives that would never be addressed by mainstream cinema - he's certainly achieved that!
