Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4837 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-04-13
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 120 minutes

Synopsis
In GONZO - THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON, director Alex Gibney (TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE) creates a portrait of one of journalism's most controversial and talented superstars. Famous in the 1960s for his wild, self-coined "gonzo" style of reporting, Thompson's most famous adventures include riding with the Hell's Angels, chasing the American dream in Las Vegas, and covering the volatile George McGovern political campaign. The fact that Thompson did most of his reporting while throwing back large quantities of Wild Turkey and illegal drugs led to some of the most bizarre and imaginative journalism the writing world had ever seen.


Gibney pieces Thompson's life together using archival footage and recordings and interviews with those closest to him, including his former wives and son, and the artist Ralph Steadman. There are also appearances and commentary from the likes of Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner, as well as conservative heavyweight Pat Buchanan. Johnny Depp, who played Thompson in the film version of FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, provides the voice of Thompson, reading excerpts of his writings. The result is an engaging, lively biography that paints a life that was as tragic as it was passion-filled. Thompson's suicide in 2005 officially cemented his place in history as one of literature's wildest, most enigmatic hell-raisers.

Customer Reviews

A Gonzo of a film !
Superb documentry of the life of the late great Hunter S Thompson.If you are a fan of the good Doctor's hard hitting prose and savage humour then this film is definitely for you.It gives a superb oversight into the life and work of the self confessed "Dr of journalism" with fascinating footage of Thompson at home,at work,on the road and on some of his rather primitive shooting expeditions.It covers his campaign to be sheriff of his home town in Colorado and shows him taking questions at political rallies.It goes into detail of his coverage of the 1972 US presidential campaign and how a stunt of his virtually ruined an up and coming senator's campaign.Also included is film footage of probably his best loved work "fear and loathing in Las Vegas" and an interview with johnny Depp.Depp also, throughout the film reads excerpts from some of Hunter's work breathing life into the lengthy footage of Thompson at work and play.The film is wrapped up with some genuine heartfelt tributes to one of lifes real characters and a very fine writer to boot.
A real must if you are a fan of Hunter S Thompson and will probably interest and engross those who perhaps only have a passing interest.
Essential viewing.

A welcome retrospective on the life of the unique and missed Hunter S Thompson.
If you already have "Breakfast with Hunter" prepare for a slightly more serious documentary!

B.W.H. tended to be more light hearted and comedic due, in part I feel, to the fact that Thompson was still alive at the time of its making. After his passing "Gonzo" lets us into the thoughts and feelings of his family and friends. Understandably, they have some regrets about the way he lived his life - not to mention his untimely demise at his own hands. Gonzo also mourns the death of Thompson the writer who (in the opinion of most contributors) burned out far too quickly.

These are areas that have been less explored in the past; the emphasis used to be on the vicarious thrill of being witness to the life of a super-intelligent, gifted literary mainiac; who blazed through life always seemingly intersecting the avenues of madness, absurdity, politics, drugs, quixotic liberty and firearms. That "Gonzo" has its fair share of all the above is certain. But the necessity of this film is in its willingness to present the private truths of a life lived with such itensity.

There are some highly amusing and tantalising moments watching his good friend (and possibly soul-mate) Johnny Depp reading aloud his correspondence from around the time of the making of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". Ralph Steadman is also interviewed and, along with the views of his family, all of this, not before time, begins to dismantle the caricature that history had progressively assembled. Indeed, one of the central themes of the film is to show that Thompson had arguably become a caricature of himself (or was it Raul Duke?), as if sacrificing himself on the altar of Gonzo.

All in all this a film about Hunter S Thompson which will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Buy it!

Gonzo lives
This is real life story of Hunter S. Thompson. HST is "familiar" from the work of Johnny Depp in Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas [DVD] [1998] and Bill Murray in Where The Buffalo Roam [DVD] [1980] but in the DVD we meet the man himself. The life and times of HST are portrayed with brutal honesty. Fear, loathing, Nixom, 'Nam, hell and angels are all in here. Take the trip. I did.