Gonzo @ the Derby

The lasting legacy of the 1970 Kentucky Derby has nothing to do with the winner, Dust Commander. Its true impact came from the assignment that Scanlan’s magazine gave to a 32-year-old writer from Louisville named Hunter S. Thompson. Director Michael D. Ratner revisits that story in this 30 for 30 Short, talking with the late journalist’s editors and friends and the actor who tried to revive what is known as “gonzo journalism,” Sean Penn. The piece that Thompson turned in—fantastical, riotous and, by the way, late—opened so many eyes that “gonzo journalism” became an art form. As Thompson’s partner in crime, illustrator Ralph Steadman, says, “We were the face of the crowd we’d gone there to find.”

• Michael RatnerDirector

Release date

May 6, 2016

Status

Released

Original language

English

Runtime

13m

Genres

Documentary

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  Horses

  2010

• 

  Trained Hoofs

  1935

• 

  Calcutta Topical No. 1

  1925

• 

  Edward Prince of Wales' Tour of India: Calcutta and Delhi

  1921

• 

  Edward Prince of Wales' Tour of India: Bombay, Poona, Baroda, Jodhpur and Bikaner

  1922

• 

  The Tattooed Police Horse

  1964

• Vsaďte na Korana

  1963

• Barbados at the Races

  2010

• 

  Halter Off

  2018

• Tale of a Trotter

  1956

• 

  Dark Horse

  2015

• Can You Beat the Bookies?

  2019