A couple years back, The Criterion Collection issued "Up All Night With Robert Downey Sr.," a box set compiling the most oddball of the filmmaker’s already wildly out there and experimental oeuvre. He’s a fairly obscure talent, but one longtime fan has been Paul Thomas Anderson, who participated in a series of video segments with Downey Sr. about the films in the Criterion set. But as we wrote at the time, one movie we were really bummed about not making the cut was the religious parody/western "Greaser’s Palace." And while that movie is still hard to find, PTA has given it a little more shine.
Last year, the filmmaker and Jonathan Demme hit the Austin Film Festival to co-host a screening of "Greaser’s Palace" and talk a little bit about the film. For whatever reason, it’s taken a while to make its way online, but you’ll want to check it out. The two directors really dive into what they love about Downey Sr.’s work, the fearlessness of his approach, the ingredients of his films, and his willingness not to cater to commercial demands. They are both eloquent and excited to be discussing "Greaser’s Palace," so watch it at On Story—their embed doesn’t seem to be working so we’ll add it when we can.
