Without Getting Killed Or Caught Doco
Without Getting Killed Or Caught
The Story of Guy Clark, Susanna Clark and Townes Van Zandt
A Film By Tamara Saviano and Paul Whitfield
Streaming November 6, 2021
Since we first posted about this documentary, we’ve had a number of questions directed to LTTL HQ about how to access the movie. News just to hand!
The award-winning documentary Without Getting Killed or Caught, produced and directed by longtime Americana music producer and executive Tamara Saviano and filmmaker Paul Whitfield, will be available November 6 for on-demand, streaming internationally on the film’s website , coinciding with what would have been Guy Clark’s 80th birthday.
The feature documentary, which premiered earlier this year and took home the Louis Black Lone Star award at the 2021 South-By-South-West (SXSW) Film Festival, toured the U.S. throughout its summer in twenty cities.
Guy Clark fans have waited a long time to see this film. We know not everyone had a chance to see it in theaters, and we are thrilled to unveil it with international on-demand access so people can enjoy the film from the comfort of home
writer/director Tamara Saviano
As well as the released film, the on-demand screenings of Without Getting Killed or Caught offers fans access to two and a half hours of additional bonus interviews and behind-the-scenes conversations with the filmmakers, artists and songwriters who have been influenced by Clark’s work and worked closely with him throughout his career. These in-depth conversations discuss some of the film’s most intimate moments in Clark’s life, revealing and discussing secrets left on Susanna Clark’s audio diaries, which were a key element in the making of the film and led to the decision of Susanna Clark’s voice as the narrator (Sissy Spacek).
The Without Getting Killed or Caught on-demand bonus interviews discuss impressions from the film and the influence Clark had on their artistry. Fans are promised intimate stories of Guy, Susanna, Townes and experience an insider’s glimpse into life with this incredible intersection of songwriters and artists.
Specifically, the bonus features include:
· thirty minute Behind the Scenes conversation with the filmmakers
· twenty minute interviews with: Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Kix Brooks, Sarah Jarosz, Andrew Combs, Brennen Leigh and Noel McKay.
SYNOPSIS: Without Getting Killed or Caught is the true story of Guy Clark, the dean of Texas songwriters, who struggles to write poetic, yet indelible songs while balancing a complicated marriage with wife Susanna, and a deep friendship with singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt, on whom Susanna forged a passionate dependence. Based on the personal diaries of Susanna Clark and narrated by Academy Award-winner Spacek, the film tells the saga from Susanna’s point of view and features acclaimed Americana artists Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Vince Gill, Verlon Thompson, and Terry & Jo Harvey Allen discussing the late musician.
The documentary is based on Saviano’s 2016 book of the same name and co-written by Saviano and Bart Knaggs and had the complete cooperation of Guy Clark, who sat for numerous interviews on and off-camera. Clark, who died in 2016, wrote and recorded unforgettable songs (“L.A. Freeway,” “Desperados Waiting for a Train”) for more than forty years. His lyrics and melodies paint indelible portraits of the people, places, and experiences that shaped him, and no one inspired Guy more than his wife, painter, and songwriter Susanna Talley Clark, and their best friend, fellow songwriter Townes Van Zandt.
A trailer for the film:
Saviano, a long-time figure on the Americana scene, as a journalist, artist manager and Grammy-winning producer, wrote the film with Bart Knaggs.
The film makes extensive use of Clark’s songs, family photographs and archives, vintage film footage, and radio talk shows on which Clark appeared solo and in tandem with Van Zandt. But reportedly, the real emotional zing comes from Susanna’s pained remembrances, culled from her private journals and secret audio diaries, as well as taped conversations that Susanna made of the trio and of the “salon” that regularly gathered around them—all serving as witnesses to this seemingly fated intersection of love, art, and tragedy.
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Without Getting Killed Or Caught Doco
September 30, 2021
I read the book and then watched one of the live streams that featured rodney crowell being interviewed at the end. I’d love to see the steve earle interview. I recommend this to anyone interested in Guy Clark and his enduring influence on singer/songwriters.
September 30, 2021
Hey Sara – I was totally absorbed by the book and have been patiently waiting to see the movie. As you say, the extras look fabulous. Any insight into this amazing story is welcomed! Rob