This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. It needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since April 2009. It is written like a personal reflection or essay rather than an encyclopedic description of the subject. Tagged since April 2009. It may contain previously unpublished synthesis of published material that conveys ideas not attributable to the original sources. Tagged since April 2009.

To think good thoughts requires effort. This is one of the things that disciprine – training – is about.

In its original sense, discipline is systematic instruction given to disciples to train them as students in a craft or trade,or any other activity which they are supposed to perform, or to follow a particular code of conduct or "order". Often, the phrase "to discipline" carries a negative connotation. This is because enforcement of order – that is, ensuring instructions are carried out – is often regulated through punishment. Discipline is also believed to be one of the main pillars of modern life, according to many different religious beliefs.

Methods of discipline[link]

Military discipline[link]

Military discipline refers to the regulation of the behaviors of members of any military, involving rules that govern goal orientation and behavior inside and outside the institution, including the socialization processes that happen in military training^[1] Rules of discipline are firmer or laxer depending on the prevalent culture of the military's country or institution.^[2] As early as the time of the Roman Army, discipline was enforced through military justice, but broader compilations of laws such as the Codex Theodosianus contained provisions dealing with military discipline.^[3]

Church discipline[link]

Church discipline is a response of an ecclesiastical body to some perceived wrong, whether in action or in doctrine. Its most extreme form in modern churches is excommunication. Discipline is the assertion of willpower over more base desires, and is usually understood to be synonymous with self control. Self-discipline is to some extent a substitute for motivation, when one uses reason to determine the best course of action that opposes one's desires. Virtuous behavior is when one's motivations are aligned with one's reasoned aims: to do what one knows is best and to do it gladly. Continent behavior, on the other hand, is when one does what one knows is best, but must do it by opposing one's motivations.^[4] Moving from continent to virtuous behavior requires training and some self-discipline.

Child Discipline[link]

Child discipline is used in varying circumstances. This is often done with punishment, either physical or involving loss of property or privileges. It is a vital factor in shaping one’s personality. It is inculcated in the pupils not as an imposition but as a normal growth under the process of training in self discipline and self help through every activity.

Self-discipline[link]

Self-discipline can be defined as the ability to motivate oneself in spite of a negative emotional state. Qualities associated with self-discipline include willpower, hard work, and persistence.

Self-discipline is the product of persisted willpower. Whereas willpower is the strength and ability to carryout a certain task, self-discipline is the ability to use it routinely and even automatically (as if through reflex). An analogy for the relationship between the two might be defined as follows: Where willpower is the muscle, self-discipline is the structured thought that controls that muscle. In most places it is believed self discipline is the ultimate path to success.

References[link]

Look up discipline in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Discipline

Napoleon Hill
Portrait of a young Napoleon Hill
Born	(1883-10-26)October 26, 1883 Pound, Virginia
Died	November 8, 1970(1970-11-08) (aged 87)
Occupation	author, journalist, attorney, lecturer
Nationality	United States
Period	1928–1970
Genres	non-fiction, how-to, treatise
Subjects	personal development, self-help, motivation, finance, investment
Literary movement	personal development, self-help
Notable work(s)	Think and Grow Rich The Law of Success Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude
Influences Andrew Carnegie, W. Clement Stone, Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller
Influenced W. Clement Stone Og Mandino
Signature
The Napoleon Hill Foundation naphill.org the napoleon hill foundation
Literature portal

Napoleon Hill (October 26, 1883 – November 8, 1970) was an American author who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature. He is widely considered to be one of the great writers on success.^[1] His most famous work, Think and Grow Rich (1937), is one of the best-selling books of all time (at the time of Hill's death in 1970, Think and Grow Rich had sold 20 million copies).^[2] Hill's works examined the power of personal beliefs, and the role they play in personal success. He became an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1936. "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve" is one of Hill's hallmark expressions.^[3][4] How achievement actually occurs, and a formula for it that puts success in reach of the average person, were the focal points of Hill's books.

Life and works[link]

According to his official biographer, Tom Butler-Bowdon, Napoleon Hill was born in a one-room cabin near the Appalachian town of Pound, in Southwest Virginia.^[5] Hill's mother died when he was eight years old, and his father remarried two years later. At the age of 13, Hill began writing as a "mountain reporter" for small-town newspapers in the area of Wise County, Virginia. He later used his earnings as a reporter to enter law school, but soon he had to withdraw for financial reasons.^[6]

Influence of Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919)[link]

Andrew Carnegie

Hill considered the turning point in his life to have occurred in the year 1908 with his assignment, as part of a series of articles about famous and successful men, to interview the industrialist Andrew Carnegie. At the time, Carnegie was one of the most powerful men in the world. Hill discovered that Carnegie believed that the process of success could be outlined in a simple formula that anyone would be able to understand and achieve. Impressed with Hill, Carnegie asked him if he was up to the task of putting together this information, to interview or analyze over 500 successful men and women, many of them millionaires, in order to discover and publish this formula for success.^[7]

As part of his research, Hill interviewed many of the most famous people of the time, including Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, George Eastman, Henry Ford, Elmer Gates, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., Charles M. Schwab, F.W. Woolworth, William Wrigley Jr., John Wanamaker, William Jennings Bryan, Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft and Jennings Randolph. Hill was also an advisor to two presidents of the United States of America, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.^[8]

The Philosophy of Achievement[link]

Napoleon Hill holding his book Think and Grow Rich

As a result of Hill's studies via Carnegie's introductions, the Philosophy of Achievement was offered as a formula for rags-to-riches success by Hill and Carnegie, published initially in 1925 as a multi-volume study course called The Law of Success, later re-released in 1928 in an abridged version under the same title. The Achievement formula was detailed further and published in home-study courses, including the seventeen-volume "Mental Dynamite" series until 1941.

Hill later called his personal success teachings "The Philosophy of Achievement", and he considered freedom, democracy, capitalism, and harmony to be important contributing elements to this philosophy. Hill claimed throughout his writings that without these foundations upon which to build, successful personal achievements were not possible. He contrasted his philosophy with others' and thought that the Achievement Philosophy was superior. He felt that it was responsible for the success Americans enjoyed for the better part of two centuries. Negative emotions such as fear, selfishness, etc., had no part to play in his philosophy. Hill considered those emotions to be the source of failure for unsuccessful people.^[9]

The secret of achievement was tantalizingly offered to readers of Think and Grow Rich, but Hill felt readers would benefit most if they discovered it for themselves. Although most readers feel that he never explicitly identified this secret, he offers these words about 20 pages into the book: If you truly desire money so keenly that your desire is an obsession, you will have no difficulty in convincing yourself that you will acquire it. The object is to want money, and to be so determined to have it that you convince yourself that you will have it. . . You may as well know, right here, that you can never have riches in great quantities unless you work yourself into a white heat of desire for money, and actually believe you will possess it.

He presented the idea of a "Definite Major Purpose" as a challenge to his readers in order to make them ask themselves, "In what do I truly believe?" According to Hill, 98% of people had few or no firm beliefs, and this alone put true success firmly out of their reach.^[10]

One of Hill's most moving stories was about his own son, Blair. He tells how his son was an inspiration to him, because although Blair was born without ears, without any normal hearing organs at all, even though his doctor told Hill that his son would neither be able to hear nor speak, Blair grew up to be able to hear and speak almost normally. Hill tells how his son, in his last year of college, picked up the manuscript of chapter two of Think and Grow Rich, discovered Hill's secret for himself and went on to be an inspiration for hundreds and thousands of people who could not hear or speak.^[11]

From 1952 to 1962, Hill taught his Philosophy of Personal Achievement – Lectures on "Science of Success" in association with W. Clement Stone.^[12] In 1960, Hill and Stone co-authored the book, Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude. Norman Vincent Peale stated "These two men [Hill and Stone] have the rare gift of inspiring and helping people...In fact, I owe them both a personal debt of gratitude for the helpful guidance I have received from their writings." ^[13]

Think and Grow Rich remains the top seller of Napoleon Hill's books – a perennial best-seller after 70 years (Business Week Magazine's Best-Seller List ranked Think and Grow Rich as the sixth best-selling paperback business book 70 years after it was first published).^[14] Think and Grow Rich is listed in John C. Maxwell's A Lifetime "Must Read" Books List. ^[15]

Hill's numerous books have sold millions of copies, showing that the secret of achievement is still highly sought-after by many today. Hill dealt with many controversial subjects through his writings including racism, slavery, oppression, failure, revolution, war and poverty. Persevering and then succeeding in spite of these obstacles using the Philosophy of Achievement, Hill stated, was the responsibility of every human.^[10]

Today's philosophy-of-success teachers still use the research formulas taught by Hill to expand their students' knowledge of personal development.^[15]

Bibliography[link]

• The Law of Success (1928)
• The Magic Ladder To Success (1930)
• Think and Grow Rich (1937)
• How to Sell Your Way through Life (1939)
• Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude (1960)
• You Can Work Your Own Miracles (1971)
• Napoleon Hill's Keys to Success: The 17 Principles of Personal Achievement
• Grow Rich!: With Peace of Mind
• The Master-Key to Riches
• Succeed and Grow Rich Through Persuasion
• Outwitting the Devil (2011) ISBN 978-1-4027-8453-8

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Napoleon Hill

• Napoleon Hill Quotes
• Article on Hill's life from Success magazine
• Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) – Find A Grave Memorial

Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle performing live in 2008
Background information
Origin	Kingston upon Hull, England
Genres	Industrial, avant-garde, electronic, experimental, performance art, noise, dark ambient, noise rock
Years active	1975–1981, 2004–2010
Labels	Industrial Records Mute Records
Associated acts	Psychic TV, Coil, Chris & Cosey, Carter Tutti, Soisong, SplinterTest, Monte Cazazza
Website	www.throbbing-gristle.com
Past members
Peter Christopherson Cosey Fanni Tutti Chris Carter Genesis P-Orridge

Throbbing Gristle were an English industrial, avant-garde music and visual arts group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions. The band consisted of Genesis P-Orridge (born Neil Megson - bass guitar, violin, vocals, vibraphone), Cosey Fanni Tutti (guitars, cornet, vocals), Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson (tapes, found sounds, horns, piano, vibraphone, synthesizer), and Chris Carter (synthesizers, tapes, electronics).

History[link]

First era: 1975 to 1981[link]

Throbbing Gristle evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions, which was formed in Kingston Upon Hull, England, by a group of performers centered on Genesis P-Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti. The final performance of COUM Transmissions in 1976 was the debut of Throbbing Gristle.

Throbbing Gristle's confrontational live performances and use of often disturbing imagery, including pornography and photographs of Nazi concentration camps, gave the group a notorious reputation. However the group always maintained that their mission was to challenge and explore the darker and obsessive sides of the human condition rather than to make attractive music. Throbbing Gristle made extensive use of pre-recorded tape-based 'samples'^[1] and special effects to produce a distinctive, highly distorted background, usually accompanied by lyrics or spoken-word performances by Cosey Fanni Tutti or Genesis P-Orridge. Though they asserted they wanted to provoke their audience into thinking for themselves rather than pushing any specific agenda (as evidenced by the song "Don't Do As You're Told, Do As You Think" on Heathen Earth), Throbbing Gristle also frequently associated with the anarchist punk scene. They appeared in the fanzine Toxic Grafity, with a condensation of their own propaganda parody series, Industrial News.^[2]

In 1977, they released their debut single United/Zyklon B Zombie, followed by an album, Second Annual Report. Although pressed in a limited initial run of 786 copies on the band's own Industrial Records label, it was later re-released due to high demand on Mute records, however this later release was reversed with all tracks playing backwards and in reverse order. This was followed by a series of albums, singles and live performances over a four year period.

On 29 May 1981, Throbbing Gristle performed at the Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco, California, United States. This concert marked the end of the group and its mission. As Cosey succinctly put it, "TG broke up because me and Gen broke up".^{[citation needed]}

Genesis P-Orridge and Peter Christopherson went on to form Psychic TV, while Cosey Fanni Tutti and Carter continued to record together under the names of Chris and Cosey, Carter Tutti and Creative Technology Institute. Christopherson later went on to become half of the band Coil with his partner and fellow Psychic TV member, the late John Balance. Meanwhile, Gen (now known as Genesis Breyer P-Orridge) subsequently formed Thee Majesty and PTV3 with the help of his late wife, Jacqueline "Jaye" Breyer.

Second era: 2004–2010[link]

In 2004, Throbbing Gristle reunited for a brief while to record and release the limited album TG Now. On 2 April 2007, TG released the album Part Two, which the group had finished recording in Berlin. With the exception of TG Now, it was their first studio album in twenty five years. It was originally set to be released by Mute in September 2006 but was delayed for unknown reasons.

In March 2007, Side-Line announced Part Two's final release date, adding that a string of special live events would take place in 2007.^[3]

A 7-disc DVD set, titled TGV, was issued in 2007.^[4] The set contains old and new footage of the band. "TGV" came packaged in a deluxe box with a 64-page book, all designed by Christopherson.^[5]

The group performed a re-interpretation of their debut album The Second Annual Report twice in 2008 to mark thirty years since the original release.^[6] The performance in Paris on 6 June was issued as a limited edition framed vinyl set entitled The Thirty-Second Annual Report, which was limited to 777 copies (as the group claim the original was, although other sources claim that there were 785).^[7]

Throbbing Gristle worked to record an album based on their interpretation of Nico's album Desertshore.^[8] The group issued the entirety of the recording sessions for this album as a limited edition 12CD set packaged in a custom CD wallet, The Desertshore Installation, which sold out via mail order from the group's website.^[9]

In April 2009, Throbbing Gristle toured the United States, appearing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. A new release was made available at these shows, The Third Mind Movements, which was edited from jams recorded during the Desertshore recording sessions.

A collaboration with Cerith Wyn Evans titled A=P=P=A=R=I=T=I=O=N was displayed at Tramway, Glasgow from the 7 August to 27 September 2009. Throbbing Gristle contributed a multi-channel soundtrack that was played through sixteen hanging Audio Spotlight sound panels that Evans had incorporated into his sculpture.^[10]

In November 2009, Throbbing Gristle and Industrial Records released their version of the Buddha Machine called Gristleism. It was designed by Throbbing Gristle and Christiaan Virant based on FM3's design. Gristleism offers more loops and almost twice the frequency range of the Buddha Machine. The player comes in three colors: black, chrome and red.^[11]

On 29 October 2010, Throbbing Gristle announced on their website that Genesis P-Orridge had informed them that he was no longer willing to perform with Throbbing Gristle and would be returning to his home in New York. Chris, Cosey and Christopherson would finish the tour under the name X-TG.

However, Genesis P-Orridge's website stated that he had not quit Throbbing Gristle and had just stopped participating on the current tour, it also said that an explanation would be released when all things were cleared up. However, on 24 November 2010, Christopherson died in his sleep at the age of 55, and the band subsequently dissolved.^[12]

Third era: 2011-current[link]

In 2011, Industrial Records had an official "re-activation" as TG's contract with Mute Records had expired. Since TG has permanently disbanded following the death of Christopherson, the label's plan is to re-release the original TG albums (The Second Annual Report, D.o.A: The Third and Final Report, 20 Jazz Funk Greats, Heathen Earth, and Greatest Hits) on the label. Originally intended to be released en masse on 26 September 2011, they had to delay due to a Sony DADC warehouse fire in London. The plan changed to issue each album chronologically once per week starting on Halloween 2011 with The Second Annual Report and ending 28 November with Greatest Hits ^[13].

Statements on the Throbbing Gristle website have announced that Carter and Cosey are currently at work on the Desertshore album with several mystery guest vocalists. A group decision had been made prior to Christopherson's death that the album would be recorded afresh as they were not satisfied with the ICA recordings. Christopherson had been the driving force behind the project and had been working on the record in Bangkok with Danny Hyde, even getting custom instruments made to use for the album. "It was Sleazy's project, then Cosey and Sleazy's, then I came in on it," Carter explained in an interview with The Quietus.^[14] After Christopherson died, the Desertshore instruments were given to Carter and Cosey and they have been combining the recordings he had been making with the work they had done themselves.^[15] They have announced plans to debut the album live at AV Festival on 17 March 2012 accompanied by a screening of Philippe Garrel’s The Inner Scar "for which Desertshore was soundtrack and inspiration".^[16]

Live[link]

Throbbing Gristle were noted for their live performances, which were often experimental and quite different from their recorded work. In addition to studio albums, a large number of recordings of live shows have been released.

Discography[link]

During Throbbing Gristle's extensive career they have released numerous volumes of music including studio albums, live releases as well as box sets.

See also[link]

• Post-punk

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• RE/Search: Industrial Culture Handbook
• "Rip It up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984", Simon Reynolds
• "Wreckers of Civilization: The Story of Coum Transmissions and Throbbing Gristle", Simon Ford, Black Dog Publishing, 2001 [3]
• "Industrial Music For Industrial People", Éric Duboys, Camion Blanc, 2007 (In French) [4]
• 20 Jazz Funk Greats (33⅓) (Paperback) "20 Jazz Funk Greats by Drew Daniel for 33⅓ music series"

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Throbbing Gristle

• Throbbing-Gristle.com Official website
• Throbbing Gristle at Brainwashed
• Gristleism - Official Gristleism website
• Genesis P-Orridge interview by Tony Oursler

This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (February 2011)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011)

Gus Van Sant
Van Sant at a screening of Paranoid Park, December 2007
Born	Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. (1952-07-24) July 24, 1952 (age 59) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Occupation	Film director
Years active	1982 - present
Notable work(s)	Drugstore Cowboy, Good Will Hunting, My Own Private Idaho, Milk, Elephant
Influenced by	Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Stan Brakhage, Andy Warhol, Jonas Mekas

Gus Green Van Sant, Jr.^[1] (born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director — for Good Will Hunting (1997) and Milk (2008), both of which were also nominated for Best Picture — and won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his film Elephant (2003).^[2] He lives in Portland, Oregon.

His early career was devoted to directing television commercials in the Pacific Northwest. In his films, he has dealt with themes concerning homosexuality and other marginalized subcultures.

His filmography as writer and director includes a 1994 adaptation of Tom Robbins' 1976 novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, which features a diverse cast (Keanu Reeves, Roseanne Barr, Uma Thurman, and k.d. lang, with cameos by William S. Burroughs and Heather Graham, among others); and My Own Private Idaho (1991), also starring Reeves as well as River Phoenix.

He wrote the screenplays for most of his early movies, and wrote one novel, Pink.^[3] A book of his photography has also been published, called 108 Portraits.^[4]

Early life[link]

Van Sant was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Betty (née Seay) and Gus Green Van Sant, Sr, a clothing manufacturer^[1] and traveling salesman who rapidly worked his way up the corporate ladder into middle class prosperity. As a result of his father's job, the family moved continually during Van Sant's childhood. Van Sant is an alumnus of Darien High School in Connecticut and The Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Oregon. One constant in the director's early years was his interest in painting and Super-8 filmmaking; while still in school he began making semi-autobiographical shorts costing between 30 and 50 dollars. Van Sant's artistic leanings took him to the Rhode Island School of Design in 1970, where his classmates included David Byrne and other members of Talking Heads. It was also at RISD that Van Sant received an introduction to avant-garde directors like Stan Brakhage, Jonas Mekas, and Andy Warhol; this introduction quickly inspired him to change his major from painting to cinema.

Early career (1978–1989)[link]

After spending time in Europe, Van Sant went to Los Angeles in 1976. He secured a job as a production assistant to writer/director Ken Shapiro, with whom he developed a few ideas, none of which came to fruition. In 1981, Van Sant made Alice in Hollywood, a film about a naïve young actress who goes to Hollywood and abandons her ideals. It was never released. During this period, Van Sant began to spend time observing the denizens of the more down-and-out sections of Hollywood Boulevard. He became fascinated by the existence of this marginalized section of L.A.'s population, especially in context with the more ordinary, prosperous world that surrounded them. Van Sant would repeatedly focus his work on those existing on society's fringes, beginning with his 1985 film Mala Noche.

Mala Noche was made two years after Van Sant went to New York to work in an advertising agency. He saved $20,000 during his tenure there, enabling him to finance the majority of his tale of doomed love between a gay liquor store clerk and a Mexican immigrant. The film, which was taken from Portland street writer Walt Curtis' semi-autobiographical novella, featured some of the director's hallmarks, notably an unfulfilled romanticism, a dry sense of the absurd, and the refusal to treat homosexuality as something deserving of judgment. Unlike many gay filmmakers, Van Sant—who had long been openly gay—declined to use same-sex relationships as fodder for overtly political statements, although such relationships would frequently appear in his films.

Shot in black-and-white, Mala Noche earned its director almost overnight acclaim on the festival circuit, with the Los Angeles Times naming it the year's Best Independent Film. The film's success attracted Hollywood interest, and Van Sant was briefly courted by Universal; the courtship ended after Van Sant pitched a series of project ideas (including what would later become Drugstore Cowboy and My Own Private Idaho) that the studio declined to take interest in.

Van Sant moved back to Portland, Oregon, where he set up house and began giving life to the ideas rejected by Universal. With the assistance of independent production company Avenue, the director made Drugstore Cowboy, his 1989 film about four drug addicts who rob pharmacies to support their habit. Cowboy met with great critical success; in addition to furthering Van Sant's reputation as a gifted director, it helped to revive the career of Matt Dillon, who played the junkie leader of the gang.

Indie and arthouse success (1990–1995)[link]

Drugstore Cowboy's exploration of the lives of those living on society's outer fringes, as well as its Portland setting, were mirrored in Van Sant's next effort, the similarly acclaimed My Own Private Idaho (1991). Only with the success of Cowboy was Van Sant now given license to make Idaho (a project he had originally pitched but was knocked back several times as the script was deemed 'too risky' by studios). Now New Line Cinema had given Van Sant the green light, he was on a mission to get the Idaho script to his first choices for his two young leads. After months of struggle with agents and managers over the content of the script, Van Sant finally secured River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves in the roles of Mike Waters and Scott Favor. Centering around the dealings of two male hustlers (played by Phoenix and Reeves), the film was a compelling examination of unrequited love, alienation, and the concept of family (a concept Van Sant repeatedly explores in his films). The film won him an Independent Spirit Award for his screenplay (he had won the same award for his Drugstore Cowboy screenplay), as well as greater prestige. The film also gained River Phoenix best actor honors at the Venice Film Festival among others. In addition, it helped Reeves—previously best-known for his work in the Bill and Ted movies—to get the critical respect that had previously eluded him.

Van Sant's next project, a 1993 adaptation of Tom Robbins' Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, was an excessive flop, both commercially and critically. Featuring an unusually large budget (for Van Sant, at least) of $8.5 million and a large, eclectic cast including Uma Thurman, John Hurt, Keanu Reeves and a newcomer in the form of River Phoenix's younger sister Rain (at Phoenix's suggestion). The film was worked and then reworked, but the finished product nonetheless resulted in something approaching a significant disaster.

Van Sant's 1995 film To Die For helped to restore his luster. An adaptation of Joyce Maynard's novel, the black comedy starred Nicole Kidman as a murderously ambitious weather girl; it also featured Van Sant favorite Matt Dillon as her hapless husband and, the third Phoenix sibling in as many projects, Joaquin Phoenix, as her equally hapless lover (River had died from a drug overdose a year and half earlier). It was Van Sant's first effort for a major studio (Columbia), and its success paved the way for further projects of the director's choosing. The same year, he served as executive producer for Larry Clark's Kids; it was a fitting assignment, due to both the film's subject matter and the fact that Clark's photographs of junkies had served as reference points for Van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy.

Mainstream breakout (1997–2003)[link]

In 1997, the director gained mainstream acceptance thanks to Good Will Hunting, starring and written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The film—about a troubled, blue-collar mathematical genius—was a huge critical and commercial success. In addition to taking in more than $220 million worldwide, it received a number of Academy Award nominations, including a Best Director nomination for Van Sant. It won a Best Screenplay Oscar for Damon and Affleck, and a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Robin Williams. Van Sant, Damon and Affleck parodied themselves and the film's success in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

The success of Good Will Hunting afforded Van Sant the opportunity to remake the Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho. As opposed to reinterpreting the 1960 film, Van Sant opted to recreate the film shot-for-shot, in color, with a cast of young Hollywood A-listers. His decision was met with equal parts curiosity, skepticism, and derision from industry insiders and outsiders alike, and the finished result met with a similar reception. Starring Anne Heche, Vince Vaughn, and Julianne Moore, Psycho, if not exactly a failure, wasn't much of a triumph, either. However, its mixed reception didn't deter the director, who was soon busy again with a number of projects. In addition to directing, he also devoted considerable energy to releasing two albums and publishing a novel, Pink, which was a thinly veiled exploration of his grief over River Phoenix's 1993 death.

Van Sant fared somewhat better with 2000's Finding Forrester, a drama about a high-school student from the Bronx (Rob Brown) who becomes unlikely friends with a crusty, reclusive author (Sean Connery). Critical response was mixed but generally positive, singling out Van Sant's skill at melding the performance styles of first-time actor Brown and Hollywood legend Connery. However, those same reviewers were less impressed with the script's schematic Scent of a Woman-meets-Good Will Hunting template.

[edit] Return to arthouse cinema (2003–present)

Van Sant, longing to return to more intimate production methods, decided to leave behind big-budget studio filmmaking for his next two features. Inspired by the works of Hungarian director Bela Tarr and American maverick John Cassavetes,^{[citation needed]} Van Sant retreated to the deserts of Argentina, Utah, and Death Valley for 2002's Gerry, a loosely devised, largely improvised feature in which stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck—both playing characters named Gerry—wander through the desert, discussing Wheel of Fortune, video games, and nothing in particular. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, the film earned as much derision as it did praise, polarizing audiences with its elliptical, purposefully uneventful storyline, punctuated by cinematographer Harris Savides' stunning landscape photography.^{[citation needed]}

It took Gerry over a year to make it to theaters, in which time Van Sant began production on his next film, the controversial Elephant. Approached by HBO and producer Diane Keaton to craft a fictional film based on the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, the director chose to shoot in his hometown of Portland, employing dozens of untrained teen actors to chronicle an "ordinary" high-school day—albeit one underlined by an unexpected tragedy. Melding improvisational long takes like those in Gerry with Savides' fluid camerawork, the finished film provoked strong reactions from audiences at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, who either embraced or rejected Van Sant's aesthetic decision not to offer a definitive rationale for his characters' homicidal tendencies. The consensus from the Cannes jury was unanimous, however: in a surprise decision, they awarded Elephant with their top prize, the Palme d'Or, and Van Sant with his first Best Director statue from the festival.^[2] The success of Elephant led Van Sant to show the U.S. premiere of Elephant as a fundraiser for Outside In, an organization working to help youth living on the streets of Portland, Oregon.

In 2005 Van Sant released Last Days, the final component of what he refers to as his "Death Trilogy," (the other parts being Gerry and Elephant). It is a fictionalized account of what happened to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain in the days leading up to his death.

In 2006 Van Sant began work on Paranoid Park based on the book by Blake Nelson, about a skateboarding teenager who accidentally causes someone's death. The film was released in Europe in February 2008. He also directed the "Le Marais" segment of the omnibus film Paris, je t'aime.

Released in 2008, his feature film Milk is a biopic of openly gay San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978, played by Sean Penn. The film was released to much acclaim and earned numerous accolades from film critics and guilds. Ultimately, it received eight Oscar nominations at the 81st Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning two for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Penn and Best Original Screenplay for writer Dustin Lance Black. Van Sant was nominated for Best Director.^{[citation needed]}

Van Sant's 2011 project Restless^[5] was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.^[6] Van Sant will begin production on Promised Land, starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski, in April 2012.^[7]

In media[link]

Van Sant has released two musical albums: Gus Van Sant and 18 Songs About Golf.

At the Broken Social Scene concert held in Singapore in July 2010, Kevin Drew said that the track Art House Director was written about Van Sant.

Van Sant plays himself in one episode of the HBO series Entourage.

Van Sant is directing the pilot for the Starz television program Boss, starring Kelsey Grammer.

Awards and nominations[link]

• Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
  • Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay^{[citation needed]}
  • National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director
  • National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay
  • New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay

• My Own Private Idaho (1991)
  • Venice Film Festival Official Selection
  • Toronto Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize

• Good Will Hunting (1997)
  • Berlin Film Festival Official Selection^[8]
  • Academy Award nomination for Best Director
  • Directors Guild of America (DGA) nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Motion Pictures
  • Satellite Award nomination for Best Director^{[citation needed]}

• Psycho (1998)
  • Razzie Award for Worst Director

• Finding Forrester (2000)
  • Berlin Film Festival Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas

• Gerry (2002)
  • Toronto Film Festival Vision Awards - Special Citation^{[citation needed]}

• Elephant (2003)
  • Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or^[2]
  • Cannes Film Festival Prix de la mise en scène^[2]

• Last Days (2005)
  • Cannes Film Festival Official Selection^[9]

• Paranoid Park (2007)
  • Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director (also for Milk)
  • Cannes Film Festival Prix du 60ème anniversaire (also acknowledging his body of works)^[10]

• Milk (2008)
  • Academy Award nomination for Best Director
  • Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director (also for Paranoid Park)^{[citation needed]}
  • Broadcast Film Critics Association Award nomination for Best Director
  • Directors Guild of America (DGA) nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Motion Pictures
  • Satellite Award nomination for Best Director

Filmography[link]

Feature films[link]

• Mala Noche (1985)
• Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
• My Own Private Idaho (1991)
• Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993)
• To Die For (1995)
• Good Will Hunting (1997)
• Psycho (1998)
• Finding Forrester (2000)
• Gerry (2002)
• Elephant (2003)
• Last Days (2005)
• Paranoid Park (2007)
• Milk (2008)
• Restless (2011)

Short films[link]

^[11]

• Fun with a Bloodroot (1967) (2 min 20 sec, 8 mm color)
• The Happy Organ (1971) (20 min, 16 mm black and white)
• Little Johnny (1972) (40 sec, 16 mm black and white)
• 1/2 of a Telephone Conversation (1973) (2 min, 16 mm black and white)
• Late Morning Start (1975) (28 min, 16 mm color)
• The Discipline of DE (1978) (9 min, 16 mm black and white, adaptation of William S. Burroughs' short story, narrated by Ken Shapiro)
• Alice in Hollywood (1981) (45 min, 16 mm color)
• My Friend (1982) (3 min, 16 mm black and white)
• Where'd She Go? (1983) (3 min, 16 mm color)
• Nightmare Typhoon (1984) (9 min, 16 mm black and white)
• My New Friend (1984) (3 min, 16 mm color)
• Ken Death Gets Out of Jail (1985) (3 min, 16 mm black and white)
• Five Ways to Kill Yourself (1986) (3 min, 16 mm black and white)
• Thanksgiving Prayer (1991) (2 min, 35 mm color, written by and starring William S. Burroughs)
• Four Boys in a Volvo (1996) (4min, color)
• Paris, je t'aime (2006) (segment "Le Marais")
• Chacun son cinéma / To Each His Own Cinema (2007) (segment "First Kiss") (3 min)
• 8 (2008) (segment "Mansion on the Hill")

Music videos[link]

^[12]

• "Thanksgiving Prayer" by William Burroughs (1990)
• "Fame '90" by David Bowie (1990)
• "I'm Seventeen" by Tommy Conwell & The Young Rumblers (1991)
• "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers (1992)
• "Bang Bang Bang" by Tracy Chapman (1992)
• "Runaway" by Deee-Lite (1992)
• "The Last Song" by Elton John (1992)
• "San Francisco Days" by Chris Isaak (1993)
• "Just Keep Me Moving" by k.d. lang (1993)
• "Creep" (alternate version) by Stone Temple Pilots (1993)
• "Understanding" by Candlebox (1995)
• "The Ballad of the Skeletons" by Allen Ginsberg with Paul McCartney, Philip Glass, Lenny Kaye et al. (1996)
• "Weird" by Hanson (1998)
• "Who Did You Think I Was?" (turntable version) by John Mayer Trio (2005)
• "Desecration Smile" by Red Hot Chili Peppers (2007)

Executive producer[link]

• Kids (1995)
• Speedway Junky (1999)
• Tarnation (2003)
• Wild Tigers I Have Known (2006)
• Lightfield's Home Videos (2006)
• Howl (2010)
• What's Wrong with Virginia (2010)
• Act Up! (2012)

References[link]