{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox film | name = The American Dreamer | image = File:The American Dreamer (1971) poster.jpg | alt = | caption = Promotional release poster | director = Lawrence Schiller<br>L. M. Kit Carson | producer = Lawrence Schiller | writer = Dennis Hopper<br>L. M. Kit Carson<br>Lawrence Schiller | screenplay = | story = | starring = Dennis Hopper | music = | cinematography = Chuck Levey<br>Lawrence Schiller | editing = Lawrence Schiller<br/>Warner E. Leighton | studio = Corda Productions<br>Kaback Enterprises | distributor = Corda Productions<br>EYR Programs | released = {{Film date|1971}} | runtime = 81 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = | gross = }} '''''The American Dreamer''''' is a 1971 American documentary film directed by L. M. Kit Carson and Lawrence Schiller. It follows Dennis Hopper at his home and studio during the post-production of the film ''The Last Movie'', which he directed and starred in.
''The American Dreamer'' was never released theatrically, though it was screened at film festivals and on college campuses. The film was thought to be lost for over 30 years, until it was rediscovered, remastered, and released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2016 by Etiquette Pictures.<ref name=bradshaw>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/04/the-american-dreamer-review-dennis-hopper-shooting|title=The American Dreamer review – shooting Dennis Hopper, shooting|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Bradshaw|date=February 4, 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2016/03/watch-dennis-hopper-is-the-american-dreamer-in-essential-documentary-once-believed-to-be-lost-42890/|title=Watch: Dennis Hopper is 'The American Dreamer' in Essential Documentary Once Believed to Be Lost|last=Mammadyarov|first=Riyad|date=March 29, 2016|website=IndieWire|access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref>
==Release== ''The American Dreamer'' was screened at film festivals and on college campuses around the same time as the release of ''The Last Movie''.<ref name=heller>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/02/the-american-dreamer-a-documentary-about-dennis-hopper/385182/|title=''The American Dreamer'': A Film In Pursuit of Dennis Hopper's True Self|last=Heller|first=Steven|date=February 5, 2015|work=The Atlantic|access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref> It did not receive a wide theatrical release.<ref name=heller />
==Critical reception== On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88%, based on eight reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_american_dreamer|title=The American Dreamer (1971)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref> In a retrospective assessment, Steven Heller of ''The Atlantic'' wrote: "The final cut of ''The American Dreamer'' represents a highly-constructed group effort that pushes the limits of documentary."<ref name=heller /> Peter Bradshaw of ''The Guardian'' gave the film three out of five stars, writing that the film "tries to be countercultural but the weirdest thing on show is [Hopper's] gun obsession."<ref name=bradshaw /> He concluded that it "has archival value as a study of Hopper and a footnote to the American new wave."<ref name=bradshaw />
==Home media== In 2015, ''The American Dreamer'' was restored in 2K and released on DVD and Blu-ray by Etiquette Pictures.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/the-american-dreamer/|title=The American Dreamer – Vinegar Syndrome|publisher=Vinegar Syndrome|access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title}} * {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Dreamer, The}} Category:1971 documentary films Category:1971 films Category:1970s rediscovered films Category:American documentary films Category:Documentary films about film directors and producers Category:Films directed by Lawrence Schiller Category:Rediscovered American films Category:1971 English-language films Category:1971 American films Category:English-language documentary films Category:Films with screenplays by Dennis Hopper