Although Hal Ashby directed a remarkable string of accIaimed, wideIy admired classics throughout the 1970s-HAROLD AND MAUDE, THE LAST DETAlL, SHAMPOO, COMlNG HOME, BElNG THERE-he is often overIooked amid the crowd of luminaries from his generation. Amy Scott's exuberant portrait explores that curious oversight, using rare archivaI materials, interviews, personal Ietters, and audio recordings to reveaI a passionate, obsessive artist. Ashby was a HolIywood director who constantIy clashed with Hollywood, but aIso a unique soul with an unprecedented insight into the human condition and an unmatched capacity for good. His films were an eIusive blend of honesty, irreverence, humor, and humanity. Through the heartrending and inspiring HAL, you feel buoyed by Ashby's love of people and of cinema, a little Iike walking on water. |