ABOUT THE FILM
Cooper & Hemingway: The True Gen examines the friendship between actor Gary Cooper and writer Ernest Hemingway. The two men were friends for more than twenty years despite major differences in temperament, politics and profession.
The documentary is narrated by Sam Waterston and is based on interviews, photographs, recollections and material related to both men.
Written and directed by John Mulholland and produced by Richard Zampella, the film was selected as a New York Times Critics’ Pick.
GARY COOPER AND ERNEST HEMINGWAY
Cooper became one of Hollywood’s leading actors during a career that included westerns, dramas and war films. Hemingway was one of the best-known American writers of the twentieth century.
Their friendship also intersected with film adaptations of Hemingway’s work. The documentary follows the personal relationship behind two public careers that were already closely identified with American ideas of courage and individualism.
INTERVIEWS
The production includes more than forty-five on-camera interviews with writers, actors and directors. Participants include Kirk Douglas, Charlton Heston, George Plimpton and Patricia Neal.
THE TITLE
“The true gen” is an expression associated with reliable or genuine information rather than rumor or speculation. Hemingway used the phrase, and it became the subtitle of the documentary.