I Knew It Was You
Encyclopedia
I Knew It Was You is a 2009
American
documentary film
about actor John Cazale
, directed by Richard Shepard
and produced by Brett Ratner
, Stacey Reiss, and Richard Shepard.
directed toward Cazale's character of Fredo Corleone
, and acts as a retrospective of Cazale's distinguished acting career, which was cut short at age 42 when he died of bone cancer.
The film was produced with the cooperation of Meryl Streep
, who was engaged to Cazale at the time of his death. It features interviews with a number of his notable co-stars and directors.
, and had its television premiere in Spain on June 9, 2009.
felt that the film did not properly cover Cazale's early life, writing "From it’s awkward running time of 40 minutes to the way director Richard Shepard completely skims over the man’s life outside of acting, I just didn’t feel there was enough going on to make this doc truly special. That being said, I Knew it Was You is an excellent tribute piece to a fine actor and a great way to learn more about the roles and work ethic of Cazale".
2009 in film
The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about actor John Cazale
John Cazale
John Holland Cazale , was an American film and theater actor. During his six-year film career he appeared in five films, each of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter.From his...
, directed by Richard Shepard
Richard Shepard
Richard Shepard is an American film and television director and screenwriter. In 2007 Shepard received a Directors Guild of America Award and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for the television pilot Ugly Betty....
and produced by Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner is an American film director, film producer and music video director. He is best known for directing the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He was also a producer on the Fox drama series, Prison Break.- Early life :Ratner was...
, Stacey Reiss, and Richard Shepard.
Background
The film received its name from a famed line from The Godfather Part IIThe Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
directed toward Cazale's character of Fredo Corleone
Fredo Corleone
Frederico "Fredo" Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather. In the fictional universe of the novel and its film adaptation, he is the second son of Vito Corleone , head of a powerful Mafia family...
, and acts as a retrospective of Cazale's distinguished acting career, which was cut short at age 42 when he died of bone cancer.
The film was produced with the cooperation of Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
, who was engaged to Cazale at the time of his death. It features interviews with a number of his notable co-stars and directors.
Release & recognition
I Knew It Was You debuted at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival2009 Sundance Film Festival
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public...
, and had its television premiere in Spain on June 9, 2009.
It will be released on DVD in Fall 2010 by Oscilloscope Laboratories.
Critical response
Victoria Large wrote that "while I Knew it Was You works as a wonderful career retrospective for fans or a great primer for newcomers, the real power of the piece lies in the juxtaposition of the highlights of Cazale’s career with the warm remembrances of his friends and the biographical facts of his life". Don R. Lewis of Film ThreatFilm Threat
Film Threat is a former print magazine and, now, webzine which focuses primarily on independent film, although it also reviews DVDs of mainstream films and Hollywood movies in theaters. It first appeared as a photocopied zine in 1985, created by Wayne State University students Chris Gore and André...
felt that the film did not properly cover Cazale's early life, writing "From it’s awkward running time of 40 minutes to the way director Richard Shepard completely skims over the man’s life outside of acting, I just didn’t feel there was enough going on to make this doc truly special. That being said, I Knew it Was You is an excellent tribute piece to a fine actor and a great way to learn more about the roles and work ethic of Cazale".