James Franco re-cut a bunch of the dallies and other unused footage from My Own Private Idaho into two new films. One is more of a behind the scenes doc, Gus Van Sant at work, interviews with street hustlers ect, and the other a portrait of River Phoenix.
Despite the chatter about Franco’s absurd multi-tasking these are two films I would be very interested in seeing. Good “behind the scenes” films are so rare as they often end up being nothing more than PR fodder. However, the few that take a more vérité approach to actually showing the process of filmmaking from the exciting to the mundane are fascinating. The making of documentary on Magnolia comes to mind as one.
Plus River Phoenix is incredible, so any extended chance to see him improvise and settle into his character is quite welcome.
