Actor James Franco and local filmmaker Gus Van Sant screened My Own Private River at Northeast Portland’s Hollywood Theatre Sunday. The film is comprised of excess footage of actor River Phoenix from Van Sant’s 1991 film, My Own Private Idaho.
Actor James Franco and local filmmaker Gus Van Sant screened My Own Private River at Northeast Portland’s Hollywood Theatre Sunday. The film is comprised of excess footage of actor River Phoenix from Van Sant’s 1991 film, My Own Private Idaho.
River Phoenix shot to fame roles during the late 1980s and early 1990s. His role in Running on Empty earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and he won a Volpi Cup at the 1991 Venice Film Festival as well as a Best Actor award from the National Society of Film Critics for his role as a gay teenage street hustler in My Own Private Idaho.
When people speak of the enormous acting talent of River Phoenix the conversation inevitably leads to his sudden and tragic death due to a drug overdose in 1993. In fact, the circumstances surrounding his sudden death too often overshadow his performances.
With My Own Private River, Franco brings the focus on River Phoenix back to his unquestionable skill as an actor.
Franco openly admits that he is “just obsessed with My Own Private Idaho.” After seeing it as a teenager, the film continued to resonate with him, not from an acting standpoint but from “something more essential.”
The idea for making his own version of the movie didn’t come to Franco until after Van Sant lured him to Portland for the Milk film premiere, promising the actor a tour of locations and a screening of unused footage from My Own Private Idaho. Although Van Sant said the idea of Franco making his own version of the movie was “a little scary,” he agreed to allow his footage to be used.
Franco put the film together “out of love” for the 20-year-old cutting-room-floor material. He said that the film was not made to compete with Van Sant’s version but was intended as an exploration, as almost a ghost or memory of a film that was never made.
After the picture’s scenic opening shots, you’re immediately brought into an intimate scene featuring several close-up takes of Phoenix as his character Mike reaches climax while being fellated by a client. It’s a testament to the acting abilities that the late Phoenix possessed. The scene is uncomfortable—as if you’ve stumbled upon someone’s private home movies. The movie continues, cutting from one set of scenes to the next with no coherency, but each scene seems important.
Along with a lack of plot structure, Franco also chose to forego background music for most of the film, using it sparingly. Without music to distract from or add to the scenes, the characters’ emotions are conveyed solely by the actor’s performances.
Many of the scenes that make up the film focus on River Phoenix’s portrayal of Mike, with a few of them featuring the actor caught on camera out of character. These are the gems that provide the truly private aspect of My Own Private River. Watching the 20-something actor as he makes background-eating noises while casually flicking cigarette ash into a water pitcher on the table makes you feel like you’re having an intimate moment with him, as if you’re somehow getting to see the “real” River Phoenix.
The film closes with a haunting scene, one in which it’s hard to tell if Phoenix was acting or just messing about on camera. As he walks down the sidewalk, Phoenix suddenly collapses, a look of anguish on his face, as he curls into a fetal position and ceases to move.
It’s obvious that My Own Private River wasn’t made for a commercial market. It is, according to Franco, best saved for small venues or a gallery setting. The focus is not on any narrative, except for that of an artist in the midst of his creation.
The film invites the viewer to see their own private River Phoenix.
