'It was a nightmare!' Kurt & Courtney director Nick Broomfield reveals working with Love on the 1998 documentary was a 'living hell'

With the upcoming debut (May 4) of HBO doc Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, HuffPost Live decided to revisit director Nick Broomfield's go at it, with his 1998 film Kurt & Courtney.

While visiting to promote his latest film, which is premiering on the same network - Tales of the Grim Sleeper - the 67-year-old recounted the 'miserable experience' of working with the star.

Since the film explored the conspiracy theory that Courtney may have been involved in her husband's death, she tried to stop its release, leaving Nick with an experience he described as 'a living hell.' 

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Blast from the past: Director Nick Broomfield discussed his controversial 1998 documentary Kurt & Courtney when he visited HuffPost live to discuss his latest HBO doc, Tales of the Grim Sleeper

Blast from the past: Director Nick Broomfield discussed his controversial 1998 documentary Kurt & Courtney when he visited HuffPost live to discuss his latest HBO doc, Tales of the Grim Sleeper

Resistance: Courtney Love - pictured with her and late husband Kurt Cobain's daughter Frances Bean - did everything she could to prevent Kurt & Courtney from being released

Resistance: Courtney Love - pictured with her and late husband Kurt Cobain's daughter Frances Bean - did everything she could to prevent Kurt & Courtney from being released

Nick released Kurt & Courtney seventeen years ago, with the film focusing on late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's life and suicide.

When asked of the film - in relation to HBO's new Brett Morgen documentary, which received Courtney and Frances Bean Cobain's stamp of approval - he was quick to admit: 'I'm so pleased I'm not working on that film anymore.'

He explained the unpleasant feelings, noting: 'She tried very hard to stop the film [from] being made, I remember. I mean, this was a long time ago... It was a miserable experience.'

Though the director enjoyed meeting Kurt's friends, he said that Courtney's resistance led to companies pulling funding from the film. 

'It was a living hell!' The director revealed that getting the movie released was a nightmare because Courtney persuaded companies to pull funding

'It was a living hell!' The director revealed that getting the movie released was a nightmare because Courtney persuaded companies to pull funding

'I remember MTV [was] involved and they stopped being involved because Courtney persuaded them to pull the funding,' he said.

Nick continued: 'The BBC wanted to pull the plug on the film. Sundance accepted the film, and then two days before the festival chucked it out because Courtney had managed to [derail it].'

He explained of the unfortunate turn of events: 'They shared the same publicist, [Sundance chairman] Robert Redford and Courtney ... so it was a ghastly event, and I was on the jury [at Sundance] that year.'

'A nightmare' Nick had no feelings of nostalgia for his 1998 documentary, noting: 'I'm so pleased I'm not working on that film anymore'

'A nightmare' Nick had no feelings of nostalgia for his 1998 documentary, noting: 'I'm so pleased I'm not working on that film anymore'

Determined: It was said that Courtney was so set against the release of the film because it explored the conspiracy theory that she may have been involved in her husband's death

Determined: It was said that Courtney was so set against the release of the film because it explored the conspiracy theory that she may have been involved in her husband's death

However, the award-winning director wasn't going to give up on audiences seeing his film, so he hired projectors from Salt Lake City and The Moose Lodge, and had their own midnight screening.

'It was actually an incredible event,' Nick shared. 'It was the, sort of, high point for Sundance that year.'

He even shocked the interviewer, with recollections of his agent at the time crawling around in the snow, looking underneath his car to see if someone had put a bomb there.

'It was scary,' he concluded. 'It was a complete nightmare. I never thought the film was going to come out.'

Other side of the coin: The pair joked about Nick's misfortune - seeing as Courtney supported Brett's picture, while he 'never thought the film was going to come out'

Other side of the coin: The pair joked about Nick's misfortune - seeing as Courtney supported Brett's picture, while he 'never thought the film was going to come out'

Meanwhile, Courtney showed her support for the new HBO doc by Brett, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck.

She and daughter Frances Bean - who even served as an executive producer on the film - were seen at the documentary's Los Angeles premiere on Tuesday.

The documentary, described by Rolling Stone as 'The most intimate rock doc ever' debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January, to critical acclaim. 

Nick shared a few words for the director of the new doc, saying: 'I'm pleased that Brett Morgen caught his blessings on this, otherwise he'd be in the same boat that I [was].'

However, he did add: 'But I think when you make a pact with the devil, you're somewhat compromised in what you can say.'

Stonewalled: Courtney's involvement got Nick's film pulled from Sundance, but he put on his own midnight screening, which he called 'the high point for Sundance that year'

Stonewalled: Courtney's involvement got Nick's film pulled from Sundance, but he put on his own midnight screening, which he called 'the high point for Sundance that year'

His opinion: Nick had a few words for director Brett Morgen, warning: 'But I think when you make a pact with the devil, you're somewhat compromised in what you can say'

His opinion: Nick had a few words for director Brett Morgen, warning: 'But I think when you make a pact with the devil, you're somewhat compromised in what you can say'

 

 

 

 

 

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