We’ve had some sad departures from the world of filmmaking recently, but most of the deaths have been people who reached healthy old ages. Which makesthe death of writer/director George Hickenlooper, at the age of 47, all the more tragic. Hickenlooper died suddenly on Friday night, as he was in Colorado, supporting his cousin’s political campaign.
Hickenlooper had also been kicking off the press rounds for his latest film, the drama Casino Jack, which saw Kevin Spacey playing real-life disgraced American lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is currently languishing in prison.
But the filmmaker was probably best known for something he controversially didn’t always get credit for – making Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, which he worked on with Fax Bahr and Eleanor Coppola, and which chronicled the infamously tough production process for Apocalypse Now. He made his fictional directing debut with** Grey Knight**, which saw a voodoo spirit possessing dead soldiers during the US Civil War. Other movies on his resume included Persons Unknown, Factory Girl and the documentaries Mayor of the Sunset Strip and ‘Hick’ Town.
"As a storyteller I want my films to entertain – what is it Louis B. Mayer said, 'if you want to send a message, call Western Union?' – but I do want them to be worldly and relevant. I'm fascinated by failure, and I'm fascinated by finality,” he told the LA Times recently. “Shakespeare's historical plays are more universal than his comedies because they relate to the finality of life. Without finality, life would not be beautiful."
He’s survived by his wife and son. Paying tribute to him, Kevin Spacey told Deadline, “It is with great sadness that I have to even think about writing about George in this way, when I was looking forward to seeing him next week in Los Angeles. We had been due to take our film on the road toward its release in December. I can’t believe he's gone because George was so alive, bubbling with energy, drive, commitment, an open heart and a brilliant sense of humour. He was one of a kind. Tonight I raise a glass in his honour. Rest in peace, my friend."