Townes

Perhaps one of the most underrated songwriters of the last century, BE HERE TO LOVE ME chronicles the fascinating and often turbulent life of Townes Van Zandt with a simple unpredictability that mimics the way the artist lived his short life. Directed by Margaret Brown, this haunting and lyrical film combines emotional interviews with Van Zandt's immediate family and such luminaries as Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle and Guy Clark with rare footage of Van Zandt at home and on the stage.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer called the film "...a heartbreaking yet inspiring portrait of a transcendently tragic artist," while New York Newsday raved, "Townes Van Zandt is given the elegy his influence deserves with Margaret Brown's haunting, allusive and poignantly illuminating documentary."

As a musician and songwriter, Townes Van Zant was legendary, inspiring artists from Bob Dylan to Norah Jones to Steve Earle among many others. In the years since his death in 1997, he has become widely respected as one of the greatest American musicians of his, or any, generation. BE HERE TO LOVE ME shows us why, and shows us the man at the center of the myth. As a man, a husband and a father his life was as tragic and as beautiful as the songs he wrote. Van Zandt was an enigma to his family, pinned between a deep longing for home and the nomadic lifestyle that was necessary for his livelihood. This documentary is an artful, expertly directed portrait of both of these sides of Van Zandt and ultimately serves as an insightful look at the sacrifices, challenges and consequences faced in pursuit of a dream.

BE HERE TO LOVE ME is a film for Van Zandt fan as well as the newcomer, as it celebrates a true American legend. The DVD offers bonus features that include rare and never-before-seen performances by Van Zandt as well as additional performances of his songs by other artists, deleted scenes, interviews and commentary tracks.