Home Is Where the Heart Is

by Kimberly Lindbergs | July 23, 2009

Categories | News, American Cinema, Documentaries

Photo by Julius Shulman (1960)

Being married to a graphic artist and pre-press technician has its advantages. My bookshelves are overflowing with great design books and over the years I’ve been exposed to the work of many designers and design movements that I probably would have remained unaware of if my husband hadn’t been so willing to share his knowledge and interests with me. Thanks to him I’ve developed a deep love for mid-century design so I was extremely disappointed to discover that photographer Julius Shulman had passed away last week.

Julius Shulman’s photographs celebrated California modernism. He’s often been called one of our greatest architectural photographers, but his work has only really begun to become fully appreciated by the general public in the last decade thanks to a renewed interest in mid-century design, various exhibits around the world, the publication of many well-received books and a new documentary about his life and work called Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman (Eric Bricker; 2008). The film has been getting great reviews and has won some festival awards, but will finally be getting a wide release in October.

If you’d like to know more about the photographer and the documentary Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman I recommend visiting the film’s official website. At the site you can watch a trailer for the film and find information about upcoming screenings in your area. Visit: juliusshulmanfilm.com.

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Filmmaking & Politics in 1968

by Kimberly Lindbergs | September 26, 2008

Categories | Directors, French Cinema, Documentaries, Jean-Luc Godard, 1968

The following four videos make up a fascinating 40 min. film by D.A. Pennebaker called Two American Audiences: La Chinoise - A Film in the Making. It chronicles a meeting that took place in 1968 between director Jean-Luc Godard and NYU film students who discuss Godard’s film La Chinoise, filmmaking and politics.

Godard’s La Chinoise (1967) was released by Koch Lorber on DVD earlier this year.

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A Life in the Death of Joe Meek

by Kimberly Lindbergs | September 12, 2008

Categories | News, Documentaries

Director Howard S. Berger contacted me with some news about his fascinating new documentary A Life in the Death of Joe Meek (2008) which focuses on the troubled life of the British music maven Joe Meek who I wrote about a few months ago in a piece titled The Mod Musicals of Lance Comfort. A Life in the Death of Joe Meek is currently scheduled to play at the upcoming Cambridge Film Festival on September 23 and at London’s Raindance Film Festival on October 4th. If you’re in the U.K. you won’t want to miss the opportunity to see this important documentary that traces the rise and fall of Joe Meek from childhood to his unfortunate and troubling death in 1967.

For more information about the film as well as news about upcoming screenings I highly recommend visiting the official Joe Meek documentary Myspace page.

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Everything is politics

by Kimberly Lindbergs | September 4, 2008

Categories | Movie Reviews, Documentaries

President John F. Kennedy with First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (1963)

The 2008 political season is in full swing and it’s been an unforgettable season so far. Watching the first African-American to accept a presidential nomination at the Democratic convention last week was staggering. It was an incredibly important historical moment that I wasn’t sure I’d ever see in my lifetime. Like many Americans I’m extremely weary of the entire political process, but watching political campaigns unfold is an opportunity to watch history in the making and I’m fascinated with American history.

My fascination with history is what recently led me to watch three interesting historical documentaries about John F. Kennedy. The films are part of the The Robert Drew Kennedy Films Collection - JFK Revealed which Docurama Films just released as a nicely packaged DVD set. The three films included in this collection are Robert Drew’s Primary (1960), Crisis (1963) and Faces of November (1963). The 2-disc set also contains some impressive extras such as lengthy audio commentaries by Robert Drew and his cinematographer Richard Leacock. And a behind-the-scenes film called The Originators that features the director and his film crew at the time which included two of the most important documentary filmmakers of the sixties, D.A. Pennebaker (Don’t Look Back (1967), Monterey Pop (1968), Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1973) , etc.) and Albert Maysles (Salesman (1968), Gimme Shelter (1970), Grey Gardens (1975), etc.).

In Primary (1960) audiences get an up-close and personal look at presidential hopeful John F. Kennedy and his opponent Hubert H. Humphrey as they try to win the hearts and minds of voters in Wisconsin during the 1960 Democratic primary. Primary is a very evenhanded film and Humphrey comes across as a down-to-earth candidate but it’s not hard to see why Kennedy would go on to become the 35th President of the United States. His charisma is clearly evident. Next to Humphrey, Kennedy’s youthful exuberance, good looks and easy-going personality obviously appeal to the young voters who rush to greet him. Women swoon over him and men swoon over Kennedy’s beautiful and nervous young wife, Jacqueline Kennedy.

Occasionally you get to hear from disgruntled voters who seem mostly bothered by Kennedy’s Catholic faith and wonder how he can govern a nation when he has to answer to a “higher power.” Even though I was well aware of the problems Kennedy faced as a Catholic candidate, it’s surprising to hear citizen’s somewhat reasonable concerns about mixing religion and politics in 1960. Today candidates are now pressured into attending events such as the recent Saddleback Civil Forum on Presidency and they seem to flaunt their faith at every opportunity. Watching Primary made me long for a time when American voters seemed to know how important it was to keep a healthy distance between church and state.

President Kennedy with brother Robert Kennedy

Crisis (1963) was made three years after Primary and in the film President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, are faced with enforcing a federal court order that will allow two black students (Vivian Malone and James Hood) to enroll in the University of Alabama. At the time Alabama was the last state still holding out against integration and Alabama’s Governor George Wallace vowed that he would personally block the door of the University if the black students attempted to enter it. The Kennedy brothers, along with Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, try to calmly come up with non-aggressive solutions to the crisis they’re facing and it’s fascinating to watch.

This important event would lead President Kennedy to introduce his Civil Rights Act in a historical televised speech that is showcased at the end of Crisis. The tense drama that unfolds in Crisis is undercut with some genuinely moving moments such as when the African-American student James Hood proclaims that he would like to be the Governor of Alabama one day. After recently watching Barack Obama accept the Democratic presidential nomination, the dreams of James Hood seem especially poignant now. Young Robert Kennedy also makes an unforgettable impression in Crisis while he’s juggling phone calls and navigating through the old government establishment. He makes his joy known in a wide grin when he learns that Vivian Malone has successfully entered the University with help from the Federal government and it’s nearly impossible not to smile along with him.

Mourners at President Kennedy’s funeral (1963)

Faces in November (1963) is a short and somber film that focuses on John F. Kennedy’s funeral in November of 1963 (only 4 months after the events portrayed in Crisis) and it shines a subtle light on the confused and saddened faces of many of the statesmen and American citizens who attended it. This short film is not necessarily easy viewing but it does offer an intimate look at the way people publicly grieved President Kennedy’s murder. Robert Kennedy is no longer the smiling Attorney General that we saw in Crisis and the shock, grief and anger he must be feeling after his brother’s death is palpable.

Watching these three films together offers interested viewers an opportunity to watch history unfold in a way that is often more thought-provoking and honest than many modern documentaries. They also reminded me of how brief President Kennedy’s time in office was. There is a stark quality to all the films that makes them resemble old newsreels and that could be distracting to a few viewers who might find them a bit dated and slow-moving. But if you’re interested in American history and politics these films are definitely worth a look. Director Robert Drew is one of the leading figures of the North American Direct Cinema movement and besides their obvious historical importance, the three films featured in The Robert Drew Kennedy Films Collection showcase groundbreaking documentary techniques that have become commonplace now.

The Robert Drew Film Collection - JFK Revealed is currently selling at Amazon for $26.99 and you can also find the films available for rent at Greencine and Netflix.

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Henry Miller - Asleep & Awake (1975)

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 9, 2007

Categories | Books, Japanese Cinema, American Cinema, Cannes 60th Anniversary, Documentaries

“I’m excited by film. It’s one of the freest, most effective means of expression. Especially in the realm of dream and fantasy!
What wonders, what joys it may hold in store for us!
Some day film may replace literature.”
- Henry Miller

One of my favorite writers is Henry Miller, who I happen to share a birthday with (Dec. 26th). I recently came across a short documentary about the man called Henry Miller - Asleep & Awake (1975, Tom Schiller), which was made when Miller was 84 years old. Some kind soul uploaded the entire 35 minute film to YouTube in four separate parts and I really can’t recommend it enough if you’re a fan of Miller’s work or just curious about him.

Besides his incredible accomplishments as an author who has managed to influence everyone from Jack Kerouac to Henry Rollins, Miller was also a member of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival Jury in 1960. He was the only Jury Member that year who voted for the erotic Japanese film Kagi (aka The Key, 1959, Kon Ichikawa) to win the coveted Jury Prize over Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’ Avventura, and in turn Antonioni and Ichikawa were forced to share the prize due to a tie vote. Henry Miller also wanted Kagi to win the prestigious Palme d’Or (Golden Palm), but the film didn’t make the final round of voting so he ended up casting his final vote for Fellini’s magnificent La Dolce Vita which helped garner that film the prestigious Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) that year.

Besides Miller’s obvious enthusiasm for Kagi, he also liked La Dolce Vita a lot and had this to say about the film to his friend, the photographer Brassai: “Fellini’s film also lasts three hours, but it doesn’t seem long. It moves faster than the others, is teeming with characters and events. You hardly ever get bored with it. What is marvelous in this film is the satirical depiction of the tabloid press. The obsessive presence of the pack of paparazzi in every circumstance.” (Henry Miller on La Dolce Vita)

In this wonderful documentary which takes place almost entirely in Henry Miller’s bathroom, Miller discusses Kon Ichikawa’s film Kagi in great detail which was based on a book by Junichirô Tanizaki, along with many other interesting topics.

Recommended Links:
- Cosmodemonic Telegraph Company: A Henry Miller Blog is a great blog devoted to Miller that also features some intersting pieces about Miller’s experiences as a member of the Cannes Film Festival Jury.
- Henry Miller: Personal Collection is a wonderful tribute site put together by Miller’s daughter Valentine.
- The Henry Miller Library is devoted to keeping Miller’s work alive and from personal experience, I can tell you that this beautiful place is well worth a visit if you’re ever in Northern California.

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Conversations with Peter Whitehead

by Kimberly Lindbergs | August 2, 2007

Categories | Directors, British Cinema, Documentaries

I’ve become completely obsessed with British filmmaker Peter Whitehead lately. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be very easy to get a hold of most of his films besides Tonite Let’s All Make Love in London (1967) and his Rolling Stones’ documentary Charlie Is My Darling (1966), which are the only two Whitehead films I’ve managed to see. If anyone can offer me advice on where I might be able to get full uncut copies of his later experimental work such as The Fall (1969), Fire in the Water (1977) with John Lennon and Nathalie Delon, as well Daddy (1973), I would be very grateful.

Some Links:
- Wonderful article about Peter Whitehead at Sight & Sound by Paul Cronin
- Peter Whitehead’s Official Site

Some truly great video clips from the documentary In the Beginning was the Image: Conversations with Peter Whitehead are posted below which I highly recommend watching:

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