The Biopic of Legendary Filmmaker Oskar Knight
/Lenny Von Dohlen portrays "Oskar Knight" (Photo Courtesy of "Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story")
By Deborah Smith Ford | @DebsFord
On Oct. 23, 2015, award-winning screenwriter Scott Fivelson spoke with Examiner.com about his new film, a unique Hollywood biopic about the director, Oskar Knight. It is called, "Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story." Fivelson, who resides in L.A., and writes for film and stage, right now would like to reintroduce memories of days gone by, starring and played by Lenny von Dohlen in the life and times of legendary filmmaker, Oskar Knight.
"Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story" is a unique Hollywood biopic that chronicles the man who Fivelson calls "one of our greatest directors." Fivelson feels that Oscar Knight's work, well-known in his time, has been overlooked in recent years with the advent of the Marvel blockbusters.
Lenny von Dohlen ("Twin Peaks," "Tender Mercies," "American Playhouse") portrays Knight in this brilliant biopic. Through his character he is able to bring back memories among true movie buffs of the iconic auteur.
The film retells the history of American, and world, cinema with a light touch, true nostalgia, and even poignance. Fivelson reveals that, in the film, one can hear from a cavalcade of Hollywood stars in interviews about the director. Such celebs include Academy Award winner Margaret O'Brien, international Emmy winner David Suchet, Portugese Golden Globe winner Joaquim de Almeida, Kristina Anapau, Julianna Guill, Rudolf Martin, Lawrence Pressman, Noel Neill, and many more.
"Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story" also includes numerous "period scenes" featuring bright, fresh talent like Anthony Dilio, Tannon Bleu, and Eric Richardson. According to Fivelson, Richardson is spot-on channeling Gregory Peck from "To Kill A Mockingbird." He says of Richardson's recreation of Peck: "It's a thing to behold."
Fivelson, as writer and director of "Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story," is obviously one of the foremost film scholars on Knight and his movies. He hopes that this film will inspire audiences to go back and look at Knight and his body of work, beginning with seeing this film.
In addition to this rare feature film remembering Oskar Knight, Scott Fivelson has also written the multi-festival-award-winning "3 Holes and a Smoking Gun," plus one of David Carradine's best pictures, "American Reel" (co-scripted with Junior Burke). Fivelson is also the author of the frequently produced plays, "Dial L for Latch-Key" and "Leading the Witness" (both Hen House Press), as well as a novel -- the satirical rich-family saga called "Tuxes" (Beach Side Press) -- among other works.
Fivelson would like to credit the enormous team that worked on the film. Every department is thanked for their steadfast belief in the Oskar Knight legacy. A special thanks goes out to David Polcino, the DP/editor/producing partner, who made the five years it took to make "Oskar Knight" just fly by.
In keeping with the different eras in cinema history, Fivelson's film utilizes color plus black and white. One of the goals is to represent the changes in movie technology. That has been achieved. The movie is a lovely blend of the past and the present. And it even conveys a heartfelt hopefulness about the future of the movies.
Awards earned by Scott Fivelson include 2014 Best Screenwriter Award, Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles for "Three Holes, Two Brads, and a Smoking Gun." The same film won Best Lead Actor for James Wilder, and the Red Dirt Award Grand Jury Prize at the 2014 Red Dirt International Film Festival. Weeks later the film won Best U.S. Narrative Feature Film at the Laughlin International Film Festival.
