Also Has Another Film In The Can With A Score By Michael Stipe
Does James Franco sleep? It seems this guy spends every waking moment being productive and at the rate of his output, he’ll have enough work to start filling his own museum and frankly, we wouldn’t be surprised if he built one. The James Franco Museum Of James Franco Stuff. Yeah, we could dig that.
Anyway, the folks over at Cinematical have come across the actor’s latest artistic endeavor, a show at the Gagosian Gallery that he’s exhibiting along with Gus Van Sant. His work is essentially two films constructed out of footage from “My Own Private Idaho.”
First up is “My Own Private River” which, as the title suggests, “consists largely of shots of River Phoenix‘s character, Mike, woven into a compelling portrait.” The film features a score by R.E.M.‘s Michael Stipe, who is hilariously described as an “art school drop out” in the description of the piece. However, it’s the second film that is grabbing the most attention.
For “Endless Idaho,” Franco used outtakes, deleted scenes, alternate takes and behind-the-scenes footage to create a 12-hour film about the “workaday process of making a movie, from location scouting to repeated takes.” We guess it’ll be like watching a bunch of people work on a movie set (ie. dullsville). But if you’re a diehard fan of “My Own Private Idaho,” this is pretty much your goldmine, and it should be noted that the film also features “interviews with actual hustlers who played secondary characters in ‘My Own Private Idaho’ are intercut with shots of River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves improvising and refining their performances under the direction of Van Sant and his crew.” Hey Criterion, if you ever want to re-release “My Own Private Idaho,” your special features material is right here.
The exhibit will be on display from February 26-April 9th. And oh yeah, Van Sant also has eight works on paper in the show as well. Hit the gallery site for details on screening times and more.