Raising Buchanan
Raising Buchanan is a 2019 American comedy film produced by Amanda Melby, Joe Gruberman, Chadwick Struck and Cathy Shim, written and directed by Bruce Dellis. The film stars René Auberjonois in the role of the title character, James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States, and was his final role released in his lifetime. He died in December 2019. The film was Bruce Dellis' first full-length feature. Raising Buchanan was filmed in and near Phoenix, Arizona.
| Raising Buchanan | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Bruce Dellis |
| Written by | Bruce Dellis |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Bret Kalmbach |
| Music by | Steve Francois |
Production company | Cheese Board Productions |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot edit
Ruth Kiesling is a 39-year-old woman with anger issues and a history of making poor decisions. Ruth sees an opportunity to turn her life around by stealing the body of a dead president to hold for ransom. However, she quickly learns that no one is particularly interested in getting him back.
Cast edit
- René Auberjonois as U.S. president James Buchanan
- Amanda Melby as Ruth Kiesling
- Cathy Shim as Meg
- Terence Bernie Hines as Phillip Crosby
- M. Emmet Walsh as Larry Kiesling
- Robert Ben Garant as Lancaster Guy
- Jennifer Pfalzgraff as Holly
- Steve Briscoe as Errol
- Shannon Whirry as Parnella Monroe
- Lynnette Brown as Gretchen
- Max Bullis as Dante
- Zoey Yeoman as Capt. Jarvis
- Shelly Boucher as Trina
- Laura Durant as Mrs. Warren
Production edit
Dellis shot the film on location in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Prescott and Paradise Valley, Arizona.[1][2] He used an Arizona-based crew and nearly all of the actors were based in Arizona, with the exception of some key talent.
Originally, actor/comedian Andy Dick was slated to play the part of Lancaster Guy, but performance issues and allegations of sexual improprieties caused his firing the day after his scene was shot.[3] The scene was subsequently re-shot using Robert Ben Garant in the role of Lancaster Guy.
Soundtrack edit
Several songs on the soundtrack concern mining disasters.[4]
- "All This Could Be Yours" (written and performed by Jennifer Trynin)
- "Game of Pricks" (written by Robert Pollard; performed by Guided By Voices)
- "Timothy" (written by Rupert Holmes; performed by The Buoys)
- "Last Day in the Mine" (written by Jimmy Key; performed by Dave Dudley)
- "Explosion in the Fairmont Mine" (written and performed by Blind Alfred Reed)
- "McBeth Mine Explosion" (performed by Cap, Andy, and Flip)
- "Close the Coalhouse Door" (written and performed by Alex Glasgow)
- "Bow Wow" (written by Benjamin Darvill and J. Hogarth; performed by Son of Dave)
- "Cello Sonata No. 1, Op 38" (written by Johannes Brahms; performed by Amanda Melby)
- "Sonata Amanda, 3. Andante" (written by Douglas Durant; performed by Amanda Melby)
Accolades edit
| List of Accolades | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| 2019 Phoenix Film Festival | Best Arizona Feature Film | Amanda Melby, Joe Gruberman, Bruce Dellis | Won | [5] |
| Filmmaker of the Year | Joe Gruberman | Won | ||
| 2019 Manhattan Film Festival | Best Dramedy | Amanda Melby, Joe Gruberman, Bruce Dellis | Won | [6] |
| 2019 Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards | Talent-Performer or Narrator (trailer) | Amanda Melby | Nominated | [7] |
| Writer-Short Form (trailer) | Bruce Dellis | Won | ||
| 2020 Garden State Film Festival | Best Supporting Actor | René Auberjonois | Nominated | [2] |
| 2020 WorldFest Houston Int'l Film Festival | Best Feature Film-Comedy (Special Jury Award) | Amanda Melby, Joe Gruberman, Bruce Dellis | Won | [8] |
| Best Actress | Amanda Melby | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Cathy Shim | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | René Auberjonois | Nominated | ||
| Best Editor | Bruce Dellis | Won | ||
References edit
- ^ "'Raising Buchanan' starts film production in Valley this week". AZ Big Media. October 16, 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Meet Amanda Melby of Raising Buchanan (and Verve Studios) in Scottsdale". Voyage Phoenix. May 21, 2020.
- ^ "Andy Dick Fired From Movie Over Sexual Harassment Claims". The Hollywood Reporter. 2017-10-31. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
- ^ "Raising Buchanan soundtrack". Ringostrack.com. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
- ^ "2019 Phoenix Film Festival Award Winners". Phoenix Film Festival. April 7, 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ . Manhattan Film Festival. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ (PDF). Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 25, 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
- ^ "Direct Chat - Amanda Melby and Bruce Dellis". IFP Phoenix. April 28, 2020. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
External links edit
- Raising Buchanan at IMDb
- Raising Buchanan at Rotten Tomatoes