Auto Focus (2002)

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writers (WGA):

Robert Graysmith (book)
Michael Gerbosi (written by)

Release Date:

8 November 2002 (Canada)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

A day without sex is a day wasted.

Plot:

A story about "Hogan's Heroes" star Bob Crane and his friendship with John Carpenter.

Plot Keywords:

Video | Sex | Friendship | Marriage | Motel

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Greg Kinnear	...	Bob Crane
Willem Dafoe	...	John Carpenter
Rita Wilson	...	Anne Crane
Maria Bello	...	Patricia Olson / Patrica Crane / Sigrid Valdis
Ron Leibman	...	Lenny
Bruce Solomon	...	Edward H. Feldman
Michael E. Rodgers	...	Richard Dawson (as Michael Rodgers)
Kurt Fuller	...	Werner Klemperer
Christopher Neiman	...	Robert Clary
Lyle Kanouse	...	John Banner
Donnamarie Recco	...	Melissa / Mistress Victoria
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Mel Rosen
Michael McKean	...	Video Executive
Cheryl Lynn Bowers	...	Cynthia Lynn
Don McManus	...	Priest

Also Known As:

Autofocus (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality, nudity, language, some drug use and violence.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:R21 | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) (2004) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) (2003) | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R (cut) | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:18A | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Japan:R-18 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | UK:18 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Iceland:16 | Philippines:R-18

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Focus Puller Inc.

Trivia:

The bald actor who plays a reporter interviewing Crane about midway through the film is Crane's real son, Bob Crane Jr. (Robert David Crane).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In addition to the Catholic Mass being in Latin, the priest would have had his back to the parishioners, with the altar being at the back wall.

Quotes:

Patricia Olson: We're in the show together. We have to keep up the appearance of respectability.
Bob Crane: I can be very respectable.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Curb Your Enthusiasm: Wandering Bear (#4.8)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Tree's March

The Weird Story Of Bob Crane

As anyone who is reading this knows, this was the story of TV's Bob Crane, star of "Hogan's Heroes," a popular show in the 1960s. The story of Crane, the one that makes him a subject of a major motion picture of his life, are two things: 1 - the good-guy TV hero was, behind the scenes, a huge sex addict; 2 - he was murdered, with no one ever convicted of the crime. To this day, it is still unsolved.

The movie hints very strongly that the killer was Bob Carpenter, played here by Willem Dafoe. Carpenter was a close friend of Crane's. Greg Kinnear does a credible job of portraying the television star.

However, the part about Crane's murder is only dealt with in the final minutes of the film! That was very disappointing and I was hoping to find out something or at least be given more information. They just kind tacked this on the end of the film.

Most of the film was about Crane's and Carpenter's escapades with women.....lots of women, beautiful and big-chested women, which you see in abundance in this film. Dafoe is the sleazy friend who introduces Crane to the beginning of the VCR age. That led to a whole bunch of sex-on-film and really whetted Crane's big sexual appetite.

Anyway, for people who watched "Hogan's Heroes," and there were plenty, this is a bio of him and perhaps, for those who know nothing about his death, who killed him.