The Open Road: Candy Mountain (35mm)
November 12, 2026
A rock ‘n’ roll odyssey from New York into the wilderness of Nova Scotia, Candy Mountain follows down-on-his-luck Julius, a generally unpleasant dude and mediocre musician to boot (Kevin J. O’Connor), who develops a get rich quick scheme: track down the reclusive guitar maker Elmore Silk. The journey up the road, full of wrong turns and dead ends, finds Julius confronting and frequently upsetting the disgruntled personalities that the ever elusive Silk left in his wake, from scorned family members (Tom Waits as Silk’s nouveau riche brother, a wheelchair-bound Dr. John as his cranky son in law) to abandoned lovers (Bull Ogier). Reportedly a challenging co-directorial collaboration, the film nonetheless registers as a delectable synthesis of Robert Franks photographic eye (as found in his canonical "The Americans") and the road mythologizing seen throughout the work of cult novelist Rudolph Wurlitzer (Two-Lane Blacktop, Walker, Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid). Spread out in the back seat for what Jonathan Rosenbaum calls a “wry, laid-back ‘Heart of Darkness.’”
35mm print courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
- Director: Robert Frank, Rudy Wurlitzer
- Principal Cast: Kevin J. O'Connor, Bulle Ogier, Harris Yulin, Tom Waits, Joe Strummer, Laurie Metcalf, Dr. John, Leon Redbone
- Country: Switzerland, Canada, France
- Year: 1987
- Running Time: 103 min.
- Producer: Ruth Waldburger, Philippe Diaz
- Screenplay: Rudy Wurlitzer
- Cinematographers: Pio Corradi
- Editors: Jennifer Augé
- Music: Dr. John, David Johansen, Rita MacNeil, Leon Redbone
- Filmography: Cocksucker Blues (1972), Pull My Daisy (1959)
- Language: English
- US Distributor: Film Movement