Hey folks, Harry here with another report from Tribeca 2005 - this time with a trio of Documentaries that Eli Cross here seemed to dig with a backhoe. So here ya go with a look at that wonderful medium... the doc...
Eli Cross here. Welcome to Tribeca, Alice. Relax, have faith, and enjoy.
There are documentaries that record a great history of what once was or what is still going on. There are also those documentaries that happens to have a subject being documented with a struggle of the filmmaker at the same time giving a more intriguing approach to the normal documentary. That latter kind falls with three documentaries being shown at the Tribeca Film Festival. One covers an individual of the underground, one covers an individual that has influenced many big names today and the last covers the true accounts leading to a popular film inspired by an actual event.
On the streets of Manhattan, there are a lot of old people that populate the streets. Some are ordinary and some are just waddling down their days. What if you encountered an individual with a history that has spanned almost eight decades, speaks a literal word at an open mic, gets his drinks free by reputation and in the very early hours of the morning feeds the stray cats in the darkness? That is the life that Taylor Mead leads and his history speaks like a person who's been through it all and yet manages to survive despite the little cracks in his life.
Taylor Mead lives in a small place for 23 years where cats roam around, poetry and paintings surround the room in teetering piles. At one time it was a place that some have encountered where great treasures were. He has written plays, writes poetry and is known in the underground film world as one of the main individuals associated with the work and films of Andy Warhol. His inspiration has reached over to some people of the independent film circles so much so, director Jim Jarmusch used him and Mead's director on the Warhol films for the
final installment in Coffee and Cigarettes. But with all the creativity that he has spread out through his life, there remains a darker side not many get a chance to see.
With all that Mead did in life and the creativity that has been an inspiration for others, I felt this ninety minute piece stretch out with the feel of a padded two hour movie. The film jumps from each place slowly but as casually as Taylor's life is in the small apartment, this is a documentary that has some interesting moments like his work with Jarmusch and his time with Warhol resulting in a few films popular in the underground world. Even his travelling story can be enough for a feature film on how he got cross country all from one car.
However, there was one moment that left a bad taste in this viewer's mouth. I understand the motives of a human being but catching reality on film and catching a moment that is too real.
Then the moments started to get back to where it was but in the end not enough to warrant a reommendation from this viewer. Just because there are good moments doesn't mean it will result in a satisfactory package as this goes from one point to another covering an interesting individual scraping through life and finding an unfortunate place for one of his passed on friends.
With all that was slowly but surely being learned and some good choices in background music, one instance threw me off and gave an affect that stayed with me towards the end that felt unsettling and unnerving.
Excavating Taylor Mead had the struggle of a possible eviction in the middle of shooting and an almost relocation, along with a salvaging of the past once was in piles now in bags and representing the mess that this film becomes. Even in a down subject matter, materials can be entertaining and unfortunately, this documentary is entertaining in spurts but not overall.
What started out as casual study of one individual lead to a weighed down documentary that was interesting at times but the end result being an okay affair into one of the many eccentrics in New York City with a past.
Speaking of the past, the rise of many actors in the West Coast and a lot of word of mouth lead to one person. A character actor who's work was selective and was not living off of his work but living off of his teachings. With a unique way to look at acting, a refusal to infuse his technique in few interviews, and with a life brought to an end too soon, a Welsh filmmaker that attended a few of his classes did the challenge of getting the feedback from some of those former students along with incorporating documentary gold from the two interviews he had given before his death. In tribute of his gift, one former pupil went so far to give credit to the person at the end of his hit show. The title card read Special Thanks To Roy London.
Roy started out as a youngster who would perform and be very good at what he did. As time went on and as he got older, the bit roles came but he realized that something away from the work served a better purpose. With this gift of teaching acting, he led a bigger buzz among actors than any hit film on opening weekend.
With that being said, I feel like I've been through a lesson in life to cherish the little things.
I had no idea that Father Tim from "Soap" and Vera Gorman from "Alice" were former students and their insights were good as well as it was good to see them in the present day as part of this.
The documentary touches on what he gave to his students as well as what they took to infuse into the roles that made a lot of them and gave them great notice to be taken seriously. Even two of the Bond girls (including one of my favorites) learned a lot especially at the unexpected final moments of his life.
With a start full of energy and an intriguing life in the middle leading to a heartbreaking end, Special Thanks to Roy London is a documentary to take note of as it entertains, educates, surprises, and even amazes this viewer with its honesty and gives a great display of doing so much with so little even if there are two interviews to work from. They incorporate
great examples in the film and interview clips that were included to exemplify London's inspired teachings.
Special Thanks to Roy London is fast, entertaining, and is a special gem in itself.
With the use of few interviews by the source done so well, nothing can prepare for an obstacle of a documentarian's struggle to get the facts right from the main source.
BASED ON A TRUE STORY
A Dutch documentarian looked to tell the truth about the events that inspired the film "Dog Day Afternoon" and getting in touch with the main principles that witnessed both the real event and the filming of a seventies classic. As the film starts, the one disclaimer before the credits on the black screen (which is the title of this documentary) read "Based On A True Story"
For those not familiar with the film, it tells the story of a married man (Al Pacino) who decides one afternoon in Brooklyn to rob a bank with a few individuals. His main purpose for the money: to finance his boyfriend's sex change operation. This one robbery set off a neighborhood, the police and the media covering it all.
Thirty years later after the film's release, documentarian Walter Stokman prepared to get in touch with all the players and gets plenty of feedback, including from the main principle John Wojtowicz about what happened on that day and the principles involved along with John along with a few hostages and the policeman showing what was fact and what was fiction. As the film progresses however, John's monetary instincts that lurked him that one day are infused on the filmmaker making it difficult to get more information from his point of view of that day and puts in doubt whether or not to go ahead with the documentary.
There's nothing more interesting than trying to get the facts right as well as the artistic choices for the film version and at the same time struggling with a greedy source. The clips from both the film and the television clips of that actual day are well incorporated with the facts at hand. It makes for a good backstory as well as giving a unique angle of the difficulty of getting crucial information from the main person.
In watching Based on a True Story, the filmmaker gave a great dissection between real life and Hollywood. I read an article a long time ago about the making of Dog Day Afternoon mentioning a piece of film that was supposed to be used at the end showing the marriage of the two men, but the studio opted for a different way to end the film. My mind wondered if that very piece of film was going to be used and I'm almost certain it was here.
Stokman put an interesting curve on the average "about the film/what really happened" documentary and it provided an entertaining balance of fact and fiction and seeing the film now gives me another view on Dog Day Afternoon with what I know now that I didn't know then. That still remains a great film even with knowing the facts and Based On A True Story gives a great account of both sides with a twist that keeps the interest from start to finish.
Until next time, from Tribeca, step right up and take the ride of your life in Eli's Killer Crane.
Eli Cross
