Codirected with Rudy Wurlitzer
1988, 91 min., 35mm
Image: Robert Frank, Candy Mountain (still), 1988; photo courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and Robert Frank
SFMOMA would like to thank the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, home of the Robert Frank Film and Video Archive, for its support in providing prints and other assistance for this program.
Cocreated with writer Rudy Wurlitzer, Candy Mountain was Frank’s most widely distributed and expensive productions, and the cast includes several renowned musicians. The tale follows Julius Book, a would-be musician who embarks on a journey from New York to Nova Scotia in search of the musician’s Holy Grail: the elusive guitar maker, Elmore Silk. Along the way, Book learns hard life lessons as he faces optimism and hope, as well as failure and disillusionment.