The Writer with No Hands is a 2017 British documentary feature film, which follows unemployed academic Matthew Alford as he tries to establish that the accidental death of Hollywood screenwriter Gary DeVore was, in fact, an assassination by the United States government.
The film was screened at venues on 27 June 2017 to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of DeVore's fate and a television edit subsequently shown on VGTV, Rialto Channel, and Means TV.
On Friday 27 June 1997, Gary DeVore had been driving home after completing a new film script. He was last seen at a Denny's diner in the Mojave Desert around 1am on the 28th. The subsequent manhunt remained unsuccessful until July 1998 when an amateur detective located fragments of DeVore's car next to the California Aqueduct near Palmdale.
The California Highway Patrol's investigation concluded that DeVore must have driven against oncoming traffic along the highway, crashed into the water and drowned in his vehicle.[1]
Productionedit
In 2016, director William Westaway raised £4,769 through a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund completion of technical aspects to the production.[2]
An alternative 86 minute cut feature had premiered at Hot Docs in 2014 but was pulled from the festival circuit at the end of that year, heavily re-worked, and never distributed.[3] Although Alford produced the 2014 version of the documentary, he characterised the filmmaking process as highly erratic and was not similarly accredited on the final film.[4]
Receptionedit
Critical responseedit
The 2014 cut prompted concerns about taste. Cineinstyle called the documentary "riveting" but added "I wouldn't want to be Westaway's friend - or enemy".[5] It was also dubbed a "sour" and "dubious" product that "borders on unethical".[6]
The Morning Star called the final film "unmissable" and "as tense and telling as any Hollywood fiction".[7] We Are Cult called it “an engrossing and spookily conceived [film] that certainly raises the pulse and offers up some lingering questions about this utterly bizarre story [and] becomes an even more interesting and layered piece of filmmaking”.[8]
The documentary portrayed Alford as abruptly abandoning his research project in favour of an entertainment career. In 2020, he presented a comical version of The Writer with No Hands at the online Edinburgh Fringe and played himself as a "mediocre stand-up comedian" in a docufiction short called Eagle Kill in which he is recruited by Jeremy Corbyn to kidnap the US President.[14] Alford went on to co-produce the documentary Theaters of War about the role of the CIA and Department of Defence in rewriting Hollywood and network TV scripts.
Referencesedit
^Glover, Scott (10 October 1998). . Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
^"Follywood: A conspiracy documentary like no other". Kickstarter. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
^"Writer With No Hands". Hot Docs. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
^"'The Writer With No Hands' - An Interview With Matthew Alford". Standing Stone's Blog. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
^Petrov, Dana (6 June 2014). . Cine in Style. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
^Brown, Phil (21 April 2014). . Dork Shelf. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
"The Writer with No Hands: Final Cut (2017)". IMDb.
"The Writer with No Hands". Facebook.
January 01, 1970
writer, with, hands, 2017, british, documentary, feature, film, which, follows, unemployed, academic, matthew, alford, tries, establish, that, accidental, death, hollywood, screenwriter, gary, devore, fact, assassination, united, states, government, directed, . The Writer with No Hands is a 2017 British documentary feature film which follows unemployed academic Matthew Alford as he tries to establish that the accidental death of Hollywood screenwriter Gary DeVore was in fact an assassination by the United States government The Writer with No HandsDirected byWilliam WestawayStarringClaudia Christian John Irvin Haskell WexlerMusic byLorenzo TomioProductioncompanyDrum Roll FilmsRelease date27 June 2017 2017 06 27 Running time71 minutes 55 minutes TV The film was screened at venues on 27 June 2017 to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of DeVore s fate and a television edit subsequently shown on VGTV Rialto Channel and Means TV Contents 1 Background 2 Production 3 Reception 3 1 Critical response 3 2 Awards and nominations 4 Related work 5 References 6 External linksBackground editOn Friday 27 June 1997 Gary DeVore had been driving home after completing a new film script He was last seen at a Denny s diner in the Mojave Desert around 1am on the 28th The subsequent manhunt remained unsuccessful until July 1998 when an amateur detective located fragments of DeVore s car next to the California Aqueduct near Palmdale The California Highway Patrol s investigation concluded that DeVore must have driven against oncoming traffic along the highway crashed into the water and drowned in his vehicle 1 Production editIn 2016 director William Westaway raised 4 769 through a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund completion of technical aspects to the production 2 An alternative 86 minute cut feature had premiered at Hot Docs in 2014 but was pulled from the festival circuit at the end of that year heavily re worked and never distributed 3 Although Alford produced the 2014 version of the documentary he characterised the filmmaking process as highly erratic and was not similarly accredited on the final film 4 Reception editCritical response edit The 2014 cut prompted concerns about taste Cineinstyle called the documentary riveting but added I wouldn t want to be Westaway s friend or enemy 5 It was also dubbed a sour and dubious product that borders on unethical 6 The Morning Star called the final film unmissable and as tense and telling as any Hollywood fiction 7 We Are Cult called it an engrossing and spookily conceived film that certainly raises the pulse and offers up some lingering questions about this utterly bizarre story and becomes an even more interesting and layered piece of filmmaking 8 Awards and nominations edit The 2014 cut premiered in the Future Cult Classics strand at Hot Docs It was awarded the Golden Lantern at the 2014 Ammar International Popular Film Festival 9 In 2017 2018 the film won Best Documentary at the Vienna Independent Film Festival 10 and the Creation International Film Festival 11 and was runner up in the same category at the Beloit International Film Festival 12 13 Related work editThe documentary portrayed Alford as abruptly abandoning his research project in favour of an entertainment career In 2020 he presented a comical version of The Writer with No Hands at the online Edinburgh Fringe and played himself as a mediocre stand up comedian in a docufiction short called Eagle Kill in which he is recruited by Jeremy Corbyn to kidnap the US President 14 Alford went on to co produce the documentary Theaters of War about the role of the CIA and Department of Defence in rewriting Hollywood and network TV scripts References edit Glover Scott 10 October 1998 CHP Pieces Together Writer s Final Hours Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on 23 April 2017 Retrieved 20 May 2019 Follywood A conspiracy documentary like no other Kickstarter Retrieved 20 May 2019 Writer With No Hands Hot Docs Retrieved 20 May 2019 The Writer With No Hands An Interview With Matthew Alford Standing Stone s Blog 10 October 2014 Retrieved 20 May 2019 Petrov Dana 6 June 2014 The Writer With No Hands Cine in Style Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 4 May 2019 Brown Phil 21 April 2014 Hot Docs 2014 The Writer with No Hands Review Dork Shelf Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 Retrieved 20 May 2019 Film round up April 3 2020 April 2020 The Writer with No Hands reviewed We Are Cult 25 February 2021 AIPFF 2015 Ammar International Popular Film Festival Retrieved 20 May 2019 VIFF 2017 Winners Vienna Independent Film Festival Retrieved 20 May 2019 Creation International Film Festival Facebook 2 September 2017 Retrieved 20 May 2019 The BIFFY Award Winners for 2018 Beloit International Film Festival Retrieved 20 May 2019 Fabrique Awards Svelati tutti i finalisti 7 December 2017 The Feelgood Film of the Apocalypse An Interview with Derek Swannson External links edit The Writer with No Hands 2014 IMDb The Writer with No Hands Final Cut 2017 IMDb The Writer with No Hands Facebook Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Writer with No Hands amp oldid 1190837877, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
