I was lucky to find the book "Burden of Dreams" at the South American Explorers library in Lima. It's a compilation of essays and journals about the making of the documentary "Burden of Dreams" by Les Blank, Maureen Goesling and others, which in turn was about the making of Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo" in the Peruvian Amazon 25 years ago. All these connections. I spoke with Maureen in San Francisco in November at the Film Arts Foundation gala. Discovered we knew mutual people in Lima. And her beautiful film Blossoms of Fire is one of a dozen I brought with me to Lima to show editors (hmm, I oughta post that list of films as a blog). And of course the whole idea of journaling and sharing the process of making a film, well I'm hardly the first! (Doug Block being a notable example, and now Les and Maureen). Except in those days the didn't have blogs or Internet for instant publishing.
Hi Mitch and all in on the discussion,
I enjoyed reading the attachment on Blank. This has been a key question since you and I were first working together intensely on Soy Andina in the first couple of years: Create a piece of pure, outright celebration? Or something with drama and a story discovered, with a deep-cut growth curve tracked? Or, yet again, an information piece.
After making what we agreed was a successful trailer that focused mostly on the first category with several seeds planted for the second, we (almost inadvertently) focused on the latter option in our first full-length rough cut and, though it organized some information well, it almost totally lost the sensual, hit ‘em below the brains, pleasure aspect that so touched us in Llamellin and in savoring our DVDs afterwards and in ongoingly appreciating our friend Nelida. And it grayed out our characters.
My fantasy has been - and remains, even as I have evolved into a less active role in the project - to create a piece that is subjective, sensory, that does justice to the beauty and impact of a culture and the individuals who comprise it, capturing, too, the almost unspeakable bond that permanently glues and references a person to their roots. But also to tell a story - again, perhaps largely through subjective impressions - in a way that makes the viewer know, care about and feel for our protagonists and their dilemmas and victories, and track how the bond I mention above brings about changes over time. All this and still provide just enough on the didactic level so there is a context and the viewer’s left brain has a few guideposts for pursuing an interest in Peru/Andes/culture-crossing a couple of days after walking out of the movie theater, after the emotional impact and self-reflection engendered has subsided ever so slightly! Oh, yes...and in the process, to evoke themes - again, probably
more subjectively - that touch everyone, like the theme I cited endlessly as we pored over footage in the first year or two: Building Bridges (between now and past, here and there, tradition and modernity/change, inner and outer world, old world new world, insider and outsider, culture and culture in our aloof and xenophobic times, comfort and risk, native culture versus imposed culture, meaning and pleasure, should I and shouldn’t I, family/roots and the life you grow into, etc.).
I appreciate your attachment about Blank and the consideration it has
catalyzed. I think I would have to see his work to be sure I know what tree you are considering climbing, or at least barking up. Will I find it in a video rental store?
The momentum mounts…
Abrazos,
Bruce
– (12/29 at 03:21 PM)
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