Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow (2005)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Directors:

Michael W. Dean
Kenneth Shiffrin

Writer:

Michael W. Dean (narration)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography

Tagline:

Sometimes to really live... you have to die a few times.

Plot:

An exploration into the life and art of the renowned author of "Last Exit To Brooklyn" and "Requiem For A Dream." Hubert Selby Jr....

Plot Keywords:

Selby | Tuberculosis | Author | Novelist | Requiem For A Dream

Cast

Darren Aronofsky	...	Himself
Alexis Arquette	...	Himself
Amiri Baraka	...	Himself
Arthur Boyars	...	Himself
Bill Buell	...	(archive footage)
Ellen Burstyn	...	Herself
John Calder	...	Himself
Jem Cohen	...	Himself
Susan Compo	...	Herself
Luke Davies	...	Himself
Carmine 'Tony' DeFeo	...	Himself
Anthony Di Novi	...	Himself
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Narrator
Uli Edel	...	Himself
Cameron Johann	...	(archive footage)
Anthony Kiedis	...	Himself (archive footage)
Michael David Lally	...	Himself
Stephen Lang	...	(archive footage)
Kaytie Lee	...	Herself
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	(archive footage)
Jared Leto	...	Himself
Desmond Nakano	...	Himself
Matt Polish	...	Himself
Richard Price	...	Himself
James Ragan	...	Himself
Lou Reed	...	Himself
James Remar	...	Himself
Henry Rollins	...	Himself (archive footage)
Hubert Selby Jr.	...	Himself
Kenneth Shiffrin	...	Himself
Michael Silverblatt	...	Himself
Gilbert Sorrentino	...	Himself
Jerry Stahl	...	Himself
Nick Tosches	...	Himself
John Turturro	...	(archive footage)
Marlon Wayans	...	(archive footage)
Jimmie Ray Weeks	...	(archive footage)
Nicolas Winding Refn	...	Himself
Burt Young	...	(archive footage)
Bernard Zette	...	(archive footage)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Filming Locations:

Bondi Beach, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Squitten Pix LLC

Trivia:

The title is taken from page 103 of Selby's novel "The Demon". The slash is included in Selby's typography.

Quotes:

Hubert Selby Jr.: The writer has no right to be there in the work. I don't have any right to impose myself between the people I'm creating on the page and the reader... and that, the responsibility of the artist is to transcend the human ego.

A Moving Tribute to an Important Artist.

Hubert Selby is the author of "Last Exit to Brooklyn" and "Requiem for a Dream". Michael W. Dean and Kenneth Shiffrin have done a great service by shedding illumination on the history of this author and the importance of his work.

Dean and Shiffrin create a documentary that allows Hubert Selby's story to unfold in heart- breaking and fascinating detail, using a combination of interviews, historical footage, and video of Hubert Selby himself during the final period of his life.

The author is shown in an emaciated state, struggling for breath, near death. It seems both ironic and remarkable, then, that the film is able to present Hubert Selby as a true survivor. Selby survived childhood tuberculosis, (according to the film, he was the only one in his hospital ward who DID survive). He survived a stint in the military. He survived heroin addiction. He survived mental illness. He survived an obscenity trial for his writing. At age 40, he found himself alive, sober, and impoverished. At the end of his life, at age 75, he found himself in the position of a revered author, influence, and inspiration to several generations of creative individuals. He had gone from being the subject of a witch-hunt to the subject of academia. He himself had become a university professor, teaching almost until the time of his death.

The film is narrated in a low-key manner by Robert Downey Jr, who may have found something to relate to in Selby's personal struggles.

Selby emerges as a true genius; bending, modifying, and creating his own systems of language to more appropriately and precisely express himself. It's satisfying and just to have his life and work documented by this thoughtful and well-crafted film, at the time of his passing. I hope "HUBERT SELBY JR: IT/LL BE BETTER TOMORROW" serves as a catalyst to create further interest in this fascinating artist.