TDADJ Thoughts

[dwillems]

Saw TDADJ this weekend.  An incredible documentary, and Jeff Feurzig (sp?)deserves all the awards he's gotten and more for getting this made and out to the public.  (Also check out his Half Japanese documentary "The Band That Would Be King" if you haven't already).  I feel he apprached Daniel with incredible sensitivity, not denying his troublesome mental condition, but not reveling in it either and putting him out there like a freak show.  He balanced the song choices well (though clearly favoring his older songs over his new ones) and got some incredible interviews.  As with Scorsese's Dylan documentary it was incredible to me to see how much I'd read and heard about over the years was all captured on video and audio.  The 1990 album's live songs were all pulled from video performances and it was fascinating to see it all up there (I hope the DVD puts a lot of performances as bonuses).  I hope this reaches audiences beyond his fans as it deals well with issues of mental illness and the incredible responsibilty and burden it places on friends and family. 

I do wish there had been more recent interviews with Daniel, and I would also like to know what his parents' plans are for after his passing as he will need full time care, and an open allowance for him to continue working on his art and music.

Definately one of the most heart wrenching documentaries I've ever seen.  It's very powerful.  It reminded me of last year's "Tarnation" with almost the roles reversed, being the story of a child dealing with a mentally ill parent.  Also worth checking out.

Anyways, my $.02

- David

[lonelyloner]

Thanks for that, d.  I want to see it!

[KRAN]

I saw this last night.  I agree what you said about Feuerzeig, I feel he did an amazing balancing act in portraying Daniel's mental condition in conjunction with his art.  What struck me the most was how well David documented himself!  That is luck, and must have made Jeff's job so much more enjoyable!

[Disfranchise]

 
dan
iel

[birds_cant_smile]

i thought it was amazing.  i've seen it 3 times already!  my only gripe is that i wish there were interviews with dan.. it seemed more like a documentary that was made about a person after they passed away.

[lonelyloner]

I just got back from seeing it. I arrived a bit late, and started to watch it as Daniel was holding the camcorder up to a mirror and talking. How much of it did I miss? Did I miss anything good?? That was bugging me since I started watching. I found myself laughing more than feeling bad for Daniel. The man is brilliant, raw emotion at it's core. More interviews with Daniel would be great. Maybe even a few more live performances here and there. It's fantastic!!

[KRAN]

I'm pretty sure that was the frist scene!

[lonelyloner]

I'm pretty sure that was the frist scene!

Great!! I walked in right as he said "My name is Daniel, and I'm going to tell you about my disease" or something like that. THANKS!

[Marquis of Sadness]

I just got back from seeing it. I arrived a bit late, and started to watch it as Daniel was holding the camcorder up to a mirror and talking. How much of it did I miss? Did I miss anything good?? That was bugging me since I started watching. I found myself laughing more than feeling bad for Daniel. The man is brilliant, raw emotion at it's core. More interviews with Daniel would be great. Maybe even a few more live performances here and there. It's fantastic!!

Aaaarrrrghh... I wanna see this movie! But I'm on the wrong coast, won't be here for some time.

[Stress Records]

Marquis - is Philadelphia this Saturday close enough and soon enough? It might be a tough ticket to get but wanted to let you know.

http://bside.phillyfests.com/?_view=_filmdetails&_template=phillyfests&filmId=310766&

[Sonic Elderly]

I saw the movie last year when it was showing as part of a film festival. I was one of the few people in attendance that were already familiar with Daniel's music, and even then, I still knew very little. After the film I resolved to find out more about Daniel's music and art. People in the audience began applauding at the end, which marked the film as the highlight of the festival. There were only two screenings, and due to word-of-mouth and a positive review in the local newspaper, the second screening was sold out.