Dreams with Sharp Teeth (2008)

Director:

Erik Nelson

Writer:

Erik Nelson (writer)

Release Date:

4 June 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography

Plot:

A documentary on speculative fiction writer and essayist Harlan Ellison. |

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Television | Screenwriter | Anti Conformity | Controversy

Cast

Harlan Ellison	...	Himself
Robin Williams	...	Himself
Neil Gaiman	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter David	...	Himself
Ronald D. Moore	...	Himself
Josh Olson	...	Himself
Tom Snyder	...	Himself (archive footage)

Runtime:

USA:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Creative Differences

Trivia:

Director Nelson was only 24 when he first videotaped Ellison at a typewriter for a March 1981 PBS documentary about science fiction and fantasy writers - footage that is included in this film

Quotes:

Harlan Ellison: [pointing to metal shelving] These are my extra typewriters.
Robin Williams: [laughing loudly] This is like an ammunition dump!
Harlan Ellison: Well, yeah, I use typewriters. They're all Olympias, and I have all my typewriter ribbons in the refrigerator.

Solid Documentary

DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH is a low-budget documentary about Ellison made by Erik Nelson that dates back to 1981, when Nelson interviewed Ellison for TV. Various friends and associates provide on-camera commentaries about Harlan Ellison's fiction, career, romances, personality, and how he affected their lives and world views. However, the majority of screen time is taken up by Ellison himself: reading passages from stories, telling jokes, relating childhood memories, showing us around his amazing house (nicknamed The Lost Aztec Temple of Mars), talking candidly about social issues and writing projects, or just bumming around Los Angeles. Even though there's about 60 clips of Ellison on YouTube, fans should grab DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH because it's a priceless distillation of the phenomenon that is Harlan Ellison, warts and all.

The only problem is that at 96 minutes, the documentary is too brief. Maybe that's a compliment? For example, the archive clips could have run a few minutes longer without tormenting people's bladders and taxing the film's editor. The US DVD includes snippets of story readings, footage of the premier in LA, and an extended chat with Neil Gaiman over pizza.