Indeed, a fine artist, not just as an actor either, but as a photographer and painter as well. Such a unique and uncompromising soul. Sad to see him go.
Yeah his photography is really great: his photos of LA especially are poetry.
I’ll never forget being a kid and watching Apocalypse Now with my parents and when Hopper first appears my mother leaned over in the middle of the scene to tell me, “That actor is crazy, you know. That’s really the way he is.”
I was probably in middle school at the time, so my mind just raced at the thought, and of course sped me to discover everything else he’d ever done.
Irreplaceable as an actor. Unquestionably singular.
he’s not gone yet but he’ll be praised and honoured by me for years to follow…unforgettable in the American Friend, River’s edge, and of course as archetypal villain Frank Booth. He ACTUALLY inhaled Nitrous for his first scene on his own reccomendation to Lynch and had never even met Rosselini before that scene! in a nutshell that’s the kind of actor he is.
no he’s not gone yet. let’s celebrate his life and work now. no morbidity.
seriously. Im going to find some early or harder to get titles in my week off next week…I DO have a copy of Out of the Blue that I haven’t even watched yet!
Hopper was a madman for sure – when I was 17-18 I carried a picture of him in my wallet as if I was a member of his family.
I feel suddenly….old.
let’s celebrate his life and work now. no morbidity.
^ What T says.
Dennis Hopper is a great one. His role in Out of the Blue is one of my favorites.
YES. Out of the Blue_. Seriously under-acknowledged work.
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He’s a very very good (maybe great) director, eliciting seriously powerful performances from his actors: I’ve always considered this to be one of the most complete approaches to making a film: the diving bell, perfect immersion, to be within and without the frame simultaneously: extremely demanding. Not many can do it. Behind that crazy man mask is a profound artistic and theatrical intelligence.
While I haven’t seen Chasers, Out of the Blue, Last Movie, and Colors are all quite interesting and well worth watching, and even The Hot Spot and Backtrack were worthy of note, if not quite as exciting or strong as the other films. I was planning on adding Colors to the database soon, perhaps Hot Spot and Backtrack as well.
A strange and talented man, I wish him the best.
Talented and a Real Piece of Work.
I was trying to be polite, but, yes, I’ve heard some of the stories…
Do you think you could refrain from using the past tense before the man’s dead. It’s very very bad luck.
Very sad news. I recently saw Mad Dog Morgan and it’s a great performance. I know awards are bullshit but it’s sad he never won an Oscar. I never could understand why or how he ended up a Republican.
More terrible news. Hopper’s an immensely talented man. Protean. I wish him well.
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What I admire most about Hopper is his knowledge about the beats and his knowledge of art.
Years ago, I was invited to the Kerouac school and later saw Dennis Hopper at a gallery and used that as an opening for conversation. He is very knowledgable (having met most of them) about the beats and art in general. He knew how to live
and out of the blue is classic
True Romance was the first film that I really saw him in; the scene with he and Walken is something of an absolute treasure to behold. It is very sad to hear that he’s leaving us.
Savvy
Very sad news. Love his photography, the man is brilliant.
I am a big fan of Dennis Hopper’s work as a performer (from his early appearance in Rebel without a Cause ) and (occasional) work as a director. His little-seen Last Movie was a real challenge to make at the time — a highly self-reflexive meditation on movie-making, cultural imperialism, and genre deconstruction — a European art film with a distinctly American flair.
I agree with Zachary Phillip Brailsford who mentioned that great scene in True Romance between Hopper and Chris Walken. I often show it to illustrate the epitome of screen acting. It is really well written but the actors’ timing and line readings are just spot on, building to the finale beat-by-beat.
Hopper once said that he learned his acting craft early on from observing two actors: Montgomery Clift, whose subtext was always “Help me,” and Marlon Brando, whose subtext was always “Fuck you!”
The latest Huffington post article say that he’s divorcing his wife to get her out of the will.
“A long time friend of the couple said, “It’s truly a tragedy, and sadly its all about the money and who inherits what. This is about getting Victoria out of the will, nothing more, nothing less.”
This sounds really sad.
Easy Rider wow, I’ve been a big fan of his since. And from that point was surprised to see his work prior to that. A great talent, and I’ll forever remember his character in Apocalyspe now, “and he meant it”
Dennis Hopper is one of the best actors to have ever lived. The divorce story is tragic.
anyone see Carried Away a great understated performace from Hopper
Even on his death bed, Dennis is stirring shit up.
There won’t be another Dennis Hooper, that much I can assure you.
is anyone else alive who has worked on 2 of James Dean’s flicks
T
Dennis Hopper is on his deathbed. I feel utterly sick. Obviously it’s not entirely unexpected: the man could not go on battling cancer forever, although for a long time it has seemed like that.
Huffington Post are amongst the first to jump on his bones with this Divorce Shocker tagline ( here ). The rest of the vultures will be here soon enough. So, I say this now: I will cry when he dies, because he’s one of my guiding lights. He’s also one of the best damn actors that has ever lived: truly unique, sometimes difficult, always charming: the savage oddball, embodying the very archetype of ‘outsider’.
I chose this film ( The American Friend ) and not Easy Rider or Blue Velvet or Apocalypse for a requiem. I guess because he elevates it, effortlessly, with as little as the blink of an eye.
The hours are sad.
There’s ice on the inside of the windows.