George Washington [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: David Gordon Green David Gordon Green

Overview

David Gordon directs this bleak drama about a gang of rural teens going astray. The title character is 13-year-old boy who lives in an impoverished corner of North Carolina. While wandering around with his rag-tag band of mates, one boy gets inadvertently killed. Fearing parental retribution, the gang hides the body. Later, matters comes to a head when guilt and anxiety starts to take its toll.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/29/2021
UPC:	0715515261012
Original Release:	2000
Rating:	NR
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:30:00
Sales rank:	982

Special Features

Restored high-definition digital transfer, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack: Audio Commentary by Director David Gordon Green, Cinematographer Tim Orr, and actor Paul Schneider: Deleted Scene, with Commentary by Green, Orr, and Schneider: Two student shorts by Green: Pleasant Grove (1997), with Commentary by Green, Orr, and Schneider, and Physical Pinball (1998): Charlie Rose interview with Green from 2001: Interviews with cast members from a 2001 reunion: Clu Gulager's 1969 short film A Day with the Boys, which influenced George Washington: Trailer: Plus: An essay by critic Armond White and a Director's statement

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Donald Holden	George
Candace Evanofski	Nasia
Curtis Cotton III	Buddy
Eddie Rouse	Damascus
Paul Schneider	Rico Rice
Damian Jewan Lee	Vernon
Rachael Handy	Sonya
Jonathan L. Davidson	Euless
Janet Taylor	Ruth
Scott Clackum	Augie
Jason Shirley	Lancaster
Christian Gustoitis	Tyler
Michael Linnen	Composer
David Wingo	Composer
Andrew Gillis	Composer
Brian McBride	Composer
Mazinga Phaser	Composer

Technical Credits

David Gordon Green

David Gordon Green	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Sam Froelich	Executive Producer
Sacha W. Mueller	Producer
Lisa Muskat	Producer
Erin Aldridge	Producer
R. Craig Zobel	Producer
Christof Gebert	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

A bold, ambitious first feature by David Gordon Green, this fiercely independent effort chronicles young slum life in a more experimental vein than modern viewers usually use. Recalling the work of filmmakers as diverse as Terrence Malick and Harmony Korine in its unconventional tactics, the film eventually wears out its welcome, especially after its crucial turning point is revealed. However, it retains significant dignity throughout, and Green's surprising grasp of visual storytelling is highly in evidence here. The film was created using non-professional actors (a device that is terrific in theory, but its execution is suspect), and filmed using natural light, which gives it a rich, documentary-like feel. Unlike the recent Dogma 95 movement, however, its roots in conventional filmmaking techniques are strongly apparent, as its evocative Cinemascope 35mm implementation indicates. An easier picture to admire than to genuinely "like," George Washington nonetheless stands out amidst a sea of impersonal, crudely made independent collection of late. Jason Clark

All Movie Guide

A bold, ambitious first feature by David Gordon Green, this fiercely independent effort chronicles young slum life in a more experimental vein than most modern movies. Recalling the work of filmmakers as diverse as Terrence Malick and Harmony Korine in its unconventional tactics, the film eventually wears out its welcome, especially after its crucial turning point is revealed. However, it retains significant dignity throughout, and Green's surprising grasp of visual storytelling is highly in evidence here. The film was created using non-professional actors (a device that is terrific in theory, but its execution is suspect), and filmed using natural light, which gives it a rich, documentary-like feel. Unlike the recent Dogma 95 movement, however, its roots in conventional filmmaking techniques are strongly apparent, as its evocative Cinemascope 35mm implementation indicates. An easier picture to admire than to genuinely "like," George Washington nonetheless stands out amidst a sea of impersonal, crudely made independent films.

All Movie Guide - Jason Clark

...the year's most fascinating American indie...

Village Voice - J. Hoberman

The mood and feel of the film have been compared to the work of Terence Malick...But this is not a copy of Malick; it is simply in the same key. Like Malick's "Days of Heaven," it is not about plot, but about memory and regret. It remembers a summer that was not a happy summer, but there will never again be a summer so intensely felt, so alive, so valuable.

Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert

...so refreshingly distinctive in its bold lyricism that you can easily get carried away by it.... George Washinton is one of the most striking and affecting American independent films of the year, heralding the arrival of a formidable young talent in Green. Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times