Bob Rafelson, a well-known figure in American culture, has died at his home in Aspen, Colorado, at the age of 89.
Double Oscar nominee (writing and directing) in 1971 for
Five Easy Pieces
, a
road movie
about a pianist that established Jack Nicholson as a star, Rafelson gained prominence thanks to other participations in different projects from the sixties.
Monkees
, a popular television series about a musical quartet inspired by the Beatles, is the other great creative reference of his at the time.
In 1967 he won an Emmy.
Singer Mike Dolenz, one of the four protagonists of that production, has mourned Rafelson's death on his social networks.
2) Needless-to-say, I got the part and it completely altered my life.
Regrettably, Bob passed away last night but I did get a chance to send him a message telling him how eternally grateful I was that he saw something in me.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart my friend.
pic.twitter.com/Lhzi15BhMi
— Micky Dolenz (@TheMickyDolenz1) July 24, 2022
Although
Five Easy Pieces
was the film that catapulted him, his debut came in 1968 with the subversive
Head
.
In 1965, together with another partner, he set up the production company Raybert, which would later be behind the success of
Easy Ryder
(1969.) Raybert completed eight projects in seven years of existence, but his mark left the feeling that things could be done in Hollywood another way.
In 1981 he directed
The Postman Always Rings Twice
, from the original screenplay by David Mamet and, again, with Nicholson as the lead.
The film also meant the relaunch of Jessica Lange's career, in the doldrums since her impressive debut in
King Kong
.
Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange in 'The Postman Always Rings Twice'.
“I'd rather do other things with my life than stay in Hollywood.
There are also other reasons, and that is that most of my films are independent productions and it is very difficult to find financing.
I wouldn't mind if the big studios commissioned me for projects, but I don't succeed, perhaps because I'm a bit of a problem”, he confessed at the San Sebastián festival, which he opened in 1996 to explain his scant production as a director and the fact that he was almost Always under the radar.
There he presented
Blood and Wine
, a
thriller
again with Nicholson in front of the cameras and with his great themes present (the American man, social and family conditions, desire...).
His last film was
No Good Deed
(2002), a
neo noir
based on a short story by Dashiell Hammett.
But Rafelson had already fulfilled his role many years before, demonstrating with his partners that another Hollywood was possible.