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Cooper & Hemingway: The True Gen

In many ways it was the perfect match: Ernest Hemingway whose heroes personified his definition of courage - "grace under pressure" - and Gary Cooper, the man who often portrayed those characters on screen. Yet in other ways-politically, intellectually, and personally- Hemingway and Cooper were a study in contradictions. The story of this extraordinary 20+ year friendship is the focus of this documentary, the film narrated by Sam Waterson, features interviews with such Hollywood luminaries as Kirk Douglas, Charlton Heston, George Plimpton, and Patricia Neal.

The film was reviewed by The New York Times film critic Andy Webster and was named an NY Times Critics’ Pic by Manohla Dargis, A. O. Scott and Stephen Holden. Webster said the picture was proof that the work of these two men "endures and so does what they stood for".

  • John Mulholland
    Director
    Sergeant York: Of God & Country, Inside High Noon
  • John Mulholland
    Writer
    Casablanca: The Children Remember, Reflections on Gaslight
  • Richard Zampella
    Producer
    Elmore Leonard: But Don't Try to Write, Sergeant York: Of God & Country
  • Sam Waterston
    Narrated by
  • Byron Janis
    Original Music
  • Susan Beegle
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Bill Blass
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Rosemarie Burwell
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Nancy Comely
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Kirk Douglas
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Peter Duchin
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Anthony Duke
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Jonathan Foreman
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Brian Garfield
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • C.Z. Guest
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Jim Harrison
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Patrick Hemingway
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Mrs. Jack Hemingway
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Sean Hemingway
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • A.E. Hotchner
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Donald Hyatt
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Maria Cooper Janis
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Stuary Kaminsky
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Elmore Leonard
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Pia Lindstrom
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • A.C. Lyles
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Forest "Duke" Macmullen
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Peter McCrea
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Lee Clark Mitchell
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Peder Munsen
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Patricia Neal
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Robert Osborne
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Father Gene Phillips
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • George Plimpton
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Stephen Prince
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Dean Rehberger
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Richard Schickel
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Richard Shepherd
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Budd Schulberg
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Richard Smitten
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Larry Swindell
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Robert Stack
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Rene Villarreal
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Tim Zinnemann
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Charlton Heston
    Key Cast
    "On Camera Interview"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    2 hours 18 minutes 7 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 10, 2013
  • Production Budget:
    250,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • The Quad
    New York, NY
    United States
    October 10, 13
    North American Premiere
    NY Times Critics' Pic
  • JFK Presidential LIbrary
    Boston
    United States
    April 7, 2007
    Special Screening
  • Sedona Film Festival
    Sedona, AZ
    United States
    April 14, 2014
    Official Selection
  • Sun Valley Opera House
    Sun Valley, ID
    United States
    September 20, 2006
    Advanced Screening
  • LAEMMLE PLAYHOUSE 7
    United States
    December 6, 13
    West Coast Premiere
Distribution Information
  • Chip Taylor Communications
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights, Internet, Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Airline, Theatrical, Video / Disc
Director Biography - John Mulholland

JOHN MULHOLLAND is a filmmaker, writer and film historian. His latest documentaries, Elmore Leonard: But don’t try to write (narrated by Campbell Scott) and Inside High Noon (narrated by Matthew Rhys), aired on PBS Nationwide. Mulholland is also the author of Classic Film Chatter, a book series about notable film genres published by Cine Monde Classique. Politics in Film will be the first released. Colossal New York is publishing several of Mulholland’s graphic novels; among which: Tenderloin, which takes place during the Gilded Age of New York; Checkmate, a battle of the sexes thriller; and High Riviera, a romantic chase through the South of France. In addition,

Among some of Mulholland’s other documentaries: Cooper & Hemingway: The True Gen, narrated by Sam Waterston, which explores the 20-year friendship between Gary Cooper and Ernest Hemingway; Sergeant York: Of God And Country, narrated by Liam Neeson; The Letters Of Vincent and Theo Van Gogh; On Macbeth; Eastern European Composers; and Liza Minnelli Reflecting. He has worked with such award-winning actors as Liam Neeson, Angela Lansbury, Morgan Freeman, Kirk Douglas, Frank Langella, Len Cariou, Leonard Nimoy, Estelle Parsons, Sam Waterston, Patricia Neal, and Charlton Heston; and such authors as Jim Harrison, George Plimpton, Elmore Leonard, Bridgett Davis, Stephen Prince, Jim Born, Rachel Howzell Hall, and Otto Penzler. Mulholland also served as host for the popular podcast, Icons Radio Hour, which covered Classic Hollywood.

Along with such notables as Ian McKellen, Mark Rylance, Derek Jacobi, Sandra Day O’Connor, John Paul Stevens, and a host of others, Mulholland is a signatory to the Declaration of Reasonable Doubt, which questions that the man known as William Shakespeare actually wrote the plays attributed to him.

Mulholland lives in New York City. He is in the early stages of research for his next documentary, on author Graham Greene.

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