River Phoenix
River Phoenix was born on August 23, 1970. He, along with his siblings, were encouraged to persue careers in Hollywood from a very young age by their parents. Phoenix’s career took off with his role in Rob Reiner’s 1886 film Stand By Me.
Following this picture, Phoenix was looked at as one of twelve “promising new actors of 1986” by John Willis in his Screen World vol. 38 publication.
Phoenix’s career began in 1982 on a television show called “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”. He didn’t make the jump to film for another 3 years. Phoenix managed to appear in many films before his death in 1993 at the age of 23. His death not only put an abrupt end to his career but also to the production on Dark Blood, a George Sluizer film that was just 11 days shy of completion. Geoffrey Macnab speaks of the film in one of his articles from “The Independent”:
“Although most of Dark Blood was already in the can before Phoenix died, Sluizer realized he would never be able to finish it. Not only were there several crucial scenes that couldn't be shot without the star; if he had attempted to cobble together a new version of the film, he would have been stepping into a legal minefield. The negative is locked away in a safe somewhere. "Until everything is settled between the lawyers and bankers, nobody will see it." Sluizer originally wanted to use the film as part of a documentary about River: "About his acting; the way he changed from take to take. That, I think, would be of interest to all the acting schools of the world, quite apart from its historic and archival value. Who knows, maybe some day it will happen."
With these crucial scenes still missing, Sluizer chose not to do what many other filmmakers have done in similar situations by completing the film with doubles or altering the storyline.
Phoenix’s death was the result of a drug overdose due to a combination of a speedball (a mixture of heroin and cocaine) and Persian Brown (a methamphetamine mixed with opiates). This happened in the early morning of October 31st, 1993 at the Viper Room, a club partially owned by Johnny Depp. Phoenix’s siblings, girlfriend and some close friends, including Johnny Depp and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers were all present at the time of his death.
Phoenix’s life story after his death has taken on many new meanings for countless amounts of people. His death, of course, hit his family and friends the hardest. Johnny Depp closed the Viper Room every year on Halloween in memory of his deceased friend until he sold his share in 2004. The Red Hot Chili Peppers made a reference to Phoenix in their song “Give It Away”.
http://www.songlyrics.com/red-hot-chili-peppers/give-it-away-lyrics/
This is just one example of Phoenix’s name being tossed around still in American pop culture. It is this continuing reference to his life’s work that still sparks debate among fans and non-fans alike over his importance to the entertainment industry. Many young people, who had been born just a few short years before Phoenix’s death, can be found on forums seeking information on their new favorite actor.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/324917/thread/1107182182/last-1107854261/River+forever+%28im+new%29
Other debates can be found all over the internet of whether or not fans should praise an actor who cut his own life short due to a drug overdose.
The real message that can be seen from the current state of Dark Blood is this: The film represents his life and career in the sense that both were ended sooner than everyone expected and it is likely that we will never see how the film or his life was really supposed to turn out.
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