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The family of late actor River Phoenix is disputing a director’s claim in a trade paper report that they are on board for a proposed re-release of Dark Blood, the 1993 film that Phoenix was shooting when he died of a drug overdose at age 23 in front of the Viper Room nightclub in West Hollywood. In the report, director George Sluizer said that he was reediting the film, planned to ask Joaquin Phoenix to overdub the voice of his brother and that Sluizer had stayed in touch with the family. All this is news to the Phoenix clan, per a spokesperson. “Despite George Sluizer’s claim that he has been communicating with River Phoenix’s family in regard to releasing River’s last film, Joaquin Phoenix and his family have not been in communication with the director nor will they participate in any way.”
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Release it. Great cast in addition to the late great – Jonathan Pryce, Judy Davis and Karen Black. Sounds like an intriguing film from the pitch on imdb. Edward Lachman is a great DP too, I’m sure it looks good.
Come on Joaquin, cooperate. Give us one last chance to view the intense soulful acting of River, someone we lost too soon.
Release it, I’m in total agreement. If it’s a profit issue, then give a chunk to a charity in Phoenix’s name. I doubt this would make much money, anyway. But diehards like me who still throw “Running on Empty” in the DVD player ever so often would love to see this.
Who cares about his family? No one ever needs a family’s permission or blessing to release an actor’s movie, so why should his death require their cooperation.
One would think they would like to see this wonderful actor’s swan song.
“who cares about his family” I care CC for any & all parents who live every day of w/their worst imaginable nightmare. Your POS post travels far beyond cynicism.
Why hasn’t it been released before now?
I’d love River to have one last great performance, but at the time of his death, he really didn’t have it in him. If you have seen The Thing Called Love or footage from this movie on youtube, he looked very pail and skinny. A shadow of his youthful and energetic good looks. I really don’t think we need any further reminders of his tragic demise. I have a feeling his family agrees with me.
When River died they had three more weeks left of filming. Considering that the major dialogue scenes were all saved for the studio shoot in Los Angeles huge chunks of the story are missing. The location shoot in Utah was primarily exteriors which calls for looping. The film was basically a three person film so it would take a miracle to make it work with the footage they have. Somethings should just be left alone. Why tarnish a brillant actors career with and unfinished performance.
just for the record…
Jim Barton’s screenplay for Dark Blood, abandoned due to River’s death,
was given a memorial reading at the Script Factory at the National Film Theatre
in London on Dec 5, 1996.
River’s role of The Boy was played by an unknown 19 year old irish actor,
jonathan rhys meyers.
Richard Ross, admin of one of River’s websites said of the performance,
“Totally convincing…if you closed your eyes, you’d think River was onstage.”
“
that is really interesting. thank you for sharing this, i did not know that.
The original trade paper article mentioned has an additional huge factual error — nay…make that an outright LIE that hasn’t been mentioned yet.
The director claims he took the footage and has hidden it away. This is an insult to the intelligence of anyone who works in the industry. Pure publicity bullshit. The bond company owns the film and the negative. The reporter who bought that line and wrote it should be ashamed.
Definately release it. Fans want to see all his work. Hopefully Joaquin and family will get behind it and make it work. Would be great.
Come on jp give up the rap game and do some for your brother keep his memory alive
I would love to see this movie. Not for any other reason that to see River’s last work. He was so brilliant and so far ahead of most actors his age, that I want to see his portrayal of a character so unlike any other he had played. I respect his families decision not to want to have anything to do with it, maybe the pain is still far too great for them to bear. But I truly beleive that it should be released.
Leave the mans family alone. They have the right not to do it. As of next of kin, they have the right to grieve in peace.