DENNIS HOPPER: CREATE (OR DIE)

Directed by Henning Lohner & Ariane Riecker, 2003.

Date: Sep 16th, 2005. Format: Television broadcast. Surrounding: Tampere.

The first time I saw Dennis Hopper he played a part in Rebel without a Cause, but didn't get much notion from me then; we all know there's a reason for that. He really stucked into my mind as Frank Booth - the man, who "fucks anything that moves" - in Blue Velvet. It's obvious that the previous generation got the same effect from his "free like a bird" role in Easy Rider. This is quite ok documentary about this ultracool cult actor, overlooked director, manic art collector and unknown golf player. The start is actually quite striking. Hopper, expressing himself as powerfully as in his roles, divides people to those who create and those who just live. The simple question, which solves the group you belong to, is: Would you die if you didn't have the possibility to create? We understand immediately in which group Hopper belongs to, but then we have to think really hard about our own destiny as his life starts to roll in the film. Hopper has made his way without compromises or caring what other people think about him. The man himself enjoys his role as the subject of portrait, but there are other talking heads too. Wim Wenders has a nice memory from the shooting of Der Amerikanische Freund. Hopper arrives at Germany straight from the jungle of Apocalypse. Now, and is still living deep there in Coppola's vision of war. For example, he is still lugging those three cameras... I don't know what is the connection between Hopper and Bryan Adams, but the presence of this conventional Canadian pop star seems quite crazy in an honorable portrait of an artist who has broken all the conventions we might think. ****