The American journalist and writer, inventor of the New Journalism and of terms now devoid of meaning such as “radical chic”, is told in a film of which we show you the official trailer.
To find out who did it Tom Wolferather than reading these lines you should read his articles and books.
But, perhaps, to understand the cultural impact and influence of this journalist and writer, born in 1930 and died in 2018, it could be enough to say that he was the one who invented the term “radical chic”the one which is abused today and which above all is used inappropriately, and which was instead coined by Wolfe in an article in which he told of a party at the house of Leonard Bernstein (what Bradley Cooper tells in Maestroin a few days projected to Venezia) to which women were invited Black Panthers and that it was intended to raise funds for their cause.
In any case: what is certain is that Wolfe was the father of New Journalism (another term coined by him), that new way of writing in newspapers born in the 1960s which foresaw a revolution in journalistic style and language, which became increasingly similar to the literary one. And even more so that Wolfe was a superfine writer, capable of having an impact on the culture of his times that has few equals.
A Wolfe director Richard Dewey dedicated a documentary entitled Radical Wolfe and which tells about his life and career, his famous articles and books such as “The Acid Test at Rinfresko Elettriko” e “The Bonfire of the Vanities” (that became a film by Brian De Palma).
The film is based on a portrait by Tom Wolfe written by Michael Lewis per Vanity Fair and includes interviews with Lewis himself, another great how Gay Talese, Lynn Nesbit, Terry McDonell, Tom Junod, Christopher Buckley, Niall Ferguson e Alexandra WolfeTom’s daughter. Reciting excerpts from Wolfe’s works in the original film version is Jon Hamm.
Radical Wolfe will premiere in New York on September 15, and then should kick off a distribution across the United States. Whatever it is, we hope to be able to see it soon here in Italy too, perhaps on some platform.
These are the trailer and the official story of the documentary:
From top reporter for The Washington Post to leader of the New Journalism movement, Tom Wolfe has been at the forefront of reshaping the way American stories are told. Recognizing the importance of subcultures and communities, Wolfe has documented everything from rural race car drivers to the hippies of Haight Ashbury to the Apollo astronauts, and his ability to bridge cultural and class gaps by confronting stories central to American life was unique in fiction and non-fiction. In a distinctive and oft-imitated style, Wolfe’s oeuvre includes some of the 20th century’s most memorable and culturally impactful stories, such as “The Right Stuff,” “Bonfire of the Vanities,” and “The Acid Test at Rinfresko Elettriko “.