Festival Genius Community

Every now and again I imagine what it would be like to have a chat with Harry Crews. In my head I always envision it to be this incredible experience, but having said that, I also envision him busting my chops a little bit. I’m sure you have heard the saying or question…if you could have dinner, drink, etc…with one person who would it be? For me I can honestly say it would be with Harry Crews. I always had an infatuation with Harry Crews, that’s how I came across this film. Well thanks to Tyler Turkle’s film, “Harry Crews: Survival is Triumph Enough”, I finally got the opportunity to have that drink with him. Overall, I felt the movie was outstanding. Mr. Crews has lived quite a life...I could read through his filing cabinets everyday. The Childhood book is one of my classics of all time and the film reminded me of that book and how good the man can tell a story. I spent a few sleepless nights in my life with a dip in my mouth and a Crews book in my hand. The movie starts out by showing us the truth…Crews has addictions like everyone else. Some are good and some are bad. We all are addicted to many things (I have my after dinner chew in right now). We all have rituals that might seem a bit irregular. At some point in life adversity hits like a ton of bricks and sometimes we handle it well and other times not so much. Believe me…Harry has had his share of adversity. The difference between Crews and most of the rest of us is he’s able to take his addiction, rituals, and adversity and transform them into words that give so much pleasure to people like me. However, after watching the film I’m sure his writing is not about me. “In the face of boredom, a demon rises in me and screams: “Do something, anything, even if it’s wrong” I love this quote! This was the first quote in the movie and often Tyler used these quotes to set up Harry telling stories and giving thoughts about life. In my opinion, this was an effective way to edit the film because you get a real sense of what Harry Crews is all about. With any great writer they make you reflect on who you are with the powerful use of their words. I don’t how many times I read a sentence by Crews and said to myself, “I never thought of it that way!" Seeing him speak is almost just as powerful. Tyler did a great job in letting Harry tell the story. Another great aspect about this film is you feel like he is talking directly to you. By the end you’re wishing it wouldn’t end. You want to find out more about a man who thrives on anger and risk. Deep down most of us wish we can live our life like he does (maybe just me). From afar it seems romantic, but hearing and seeing him talk you know it’s not romantic…it is something that goes way deeper. I guess I can compare Crews to that good friend telling stories about anything-family, memories, life, or whatever and because he is such a good friend it means that much to you. Except he isn’t your good friend…there is just something about him that makes you feel that way. Ultimately, this movie is a real version of life coming from the unfiltered mouth of a true American icon. People who admire Harry Crews as a writer will appreciate the fact that Tyler was able to give us a small glimpse of Harry Crews the person. At the end of the movie you can see that being a writer is the thing he is addicted to most in life. The intensity in his face shows the pain and love he has for his craft …makes me want to read some more. Andrew Z