Review by Sean Boelman
Sam Pollard is beyond prolific, putting out multiple documentaries in any given year. South to Black Power, which he co-directed with Llewellyn M. Smith, is the latest in his line of documentaries to explore the important issue of race in the United States, and it’s certainly impressive in how it pulls it off.
Based on the book The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto, this documentary presents author Charles M. Blow’s vision of the future, where African Americans are able to reclaim the power they rightfully deserve. A powerful call to action, the film blends personal stories with larger societal observations to make an important point about our society. The film is built around Blow’s proposal of a “reverse Great Migration,” in which the Black people of the United States move back to the land and cultures they left behind in the post-Civil War diaspora, resetting power structures to their advantage. It’s a fascinating approach to one of our society’s most pressing problems, and while it’s not an airtight solution, it’s certainly provocative in all the best ways. Clocking in at under an hour and thirty minutes, it would be hard to find a more efficient documentary exploring these themes in recent memory. Pollard and Smith structure the film brilliantly in a way that allows it to make its argument without ever feeling like it’s preaching or bashing the audience over their heads. Part of what makes South to Black Power so effective is that it finds the right balance between anger, practicality, and innovation. In his exploration of this idea, Blow genuinely wants to find a solution. Yes, discussing the solution does require him to identify the problems that he is solving, but it’s primarily solutions-focused, which makes it quite refreshing. Another interesting thing about Pollard and Smith’s approach to South to Black Power is that instead of falling back on an overabundance of talking head interviews, they take a more conversational approach. Although there are some talking heads of Blow explaining his philosophy, most of the film comprises moderated talks Blow gives or conversations he has on camera with other social scholars. Other than that, the film is pretty much as one would expect, with some effective use of animated graphics to explain statistics and lots of fly on the wall footage to add to the emotional resonance of the movement. It’s not the most unconventional film, but Pollard and Smith are great arguers — which is exactly what this calls for. South to Black Power is an extremely effective documentary, and goes to show that overwhelming anger is not the only way to be effectively persuasive. This documentary is fascinating, and clearly accomplishes its goal of being thought-provoking. South to Black Power is screening at the 2023 edition of DOC NYC, which runs in-person and online from November 8-26. Rating: 4/5
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Review by Dan Skip Allen The Crown has always been one of my favorite Netflix shows ever since it premiered in 2016. I had always been fascinated by the Royals, but this show let me and millions of others into the inner circle of the royals like never before. Sure, Peter Morgan took some liberties with the narrative and the truth of what happened, but that is what we like about the show. It's not the definitive story of these people's lives. Season 6 is a hard one to digest because the true events were only about twenty years ago. Fans of the show will eat it up anyway. I loved it, like I did with previous seasons of the show. Season 5 of The Crown left fans of the show with Diana Spencer (Elizabeth Debicki) and Prince Charles (Dominic West) getting divorced and going their separate ways. Season 6 Part 1 starts with the framing device of a car racing down a Paris street, with a pack of men on motorcycles following it very speedily. It then flashes back to eight months before this moment in time, where Diana is with her boys and others swimming in a lake. This starts the relationship with Dodi Fayed (Khalid Abdalla), the son of a Middle Eastern billionaire, Mohamed al-Fayed (Salim Daw). The Crown Season 6 is split into two parts. The first four episodes of Season 6 focus mainly on the burgeoning relationship between Diana and Dodi. There are two seemingly outcasts in their respective circles. They start to become acquainted because of their outcast status. They find they are kindred spirits, and unbeknownst to them, they were photographed on Fayed's father's yacht. This started the news cycles swirling as a bidding war for the photos to get underway. Paparazzi is nothing new to Diana, though. As a member of the Royal Family, she dealt with this frequently. Now, she doesn't have the protection of the Royal Family's security force. The paparazzi would be her undoing, as the world already knows. They didn't stop her from having a fun summer in the Caribbean with Fayed, though. Peter Morgan, the creator of The Crown and its head writer, along with the directors Alex Gabassi and Christian Schwochow, decided to do something a little different with the narrative in episode four of Season 6. They made a distinct effort to try a different narrative approach that serves the audience watching at home on Netflix. I feel this choice was well warranted. Morgan and company put the dialogue of various characters into first-person style. How they were thinking and feeling was a key to these scenes in the series. The viewers needed to see this aspect of the story. Everybody knows how this story ends, but it's the narrative decisions Morgan uses that make for interesting television for fans of the show. The Crown has always had great technical aspects, and this season is no different. There is a dichotomy of two of the main three characters in the Caribbean, where they are on the water with sunny backdrops with beautiful vistas surrounding them. Then there is the rainy, cold, and damp of Scotland, where the third main character lives in his castle. When members of the Royal Family venture outside, there are beautiful green hills with a stream flowing at the bottom between them, or wooded areas where characters go for walks and get air from stressful moments in their lives. The two locations are fascinating because of the characters and the situation they are in. The emotions of the characters also have an interesting juxtaposition regarding the location they are in as well. Morgan did a nice job with this plot point.
One episode in particular shows the true nature of what all these people were dealing with, and that's where two photographers were being interviewed in a documentary style. They feature heavily in episode two. The paparazzi and the local photographer, who does their job in different ways. One is looking for the next payday, and the other is looking to show the Royal Family respectfully. Each has their own way of going about their jobs, but have different motivations entirely. Thus, the episode truly showed what the Royals were dealing with 24/7, 365 days a year. And Diana, more than all the rest, felt it once she divorced Charles. She was fair game after that, as far as the paparazzi were concerned. The Crown Season 6 Part 1 is dubbed at the beginning of the end of this great show. We all know the story of Diana and what happened to her on that Paris road twenty years ago. It's just how all this transpired, and what led to that fateful car ride that is what's most interesting. The little details and why she was there that fretful day are what makes Season 6 Part 1 so good. All the little minutiae that goes along with them is why this show works. Morgan knows how to infuse the little things into each episode and season. This season will go down as one of the best, and surely will gather awards consideration next summer at the 2024 Emmy Awards and maybe the Golden Globes in January. Debicki is surely going to blow people's minds with her performance. She once again gives a tour de force performance as this world famous woman, Diana Spencer. The Crown is now streaming on Netflix, with the second part streaming December 16. Four out of ten episodes reviewed. Rating: 4.5/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen It's not a hidden fact that I love sports movies. It's one of my favorite genres of film, bar none. There is just something about a good sports movie. If done right, it gets you in the feels. Next Goal Wins, based on the 2014 documentary of the same name about the American Samoa soccer program, is directed by Taika Watiti (Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok). And to no one’s surprise, his unique style of filmmaking is in full effect once again. Thomas Rongon (Michael Fassbender) is a struggling soccer coach. He is brought to a meeting by the US Soccer Committee, where he is told he has two options. He must accept his fate of losing his job, or he can coach the American Samoa team, which has never won a game, let alone scored a single goal in the existence of their program. He reluctantly takes the latter, but he is not happy about it. With Taika Watiti, you know he's going to bring the laughs as a director. He doesn't waste any time with that, as he uses a framing device to tell the story of the American Samoan soccer team. Commissioner Tavita (Oscar Knightley) just wants one goal from his team. He hopes this disgraced coach with tremendous potential can bring that out of his team. He knows it's a tall order, but he has a positive outlook on things. It is a little too positive for Fassbender's character’s liking. That's the kind of laugh-out-loud humor in this movie. As someone who has coached basketball and American football in the past, I know how hard it is to get a team to come together for a common goal. That's where a lot of the humor comes from in this movie. The training sequences and tirades of Fassbender's character were gut-busting, to say the least. I couldn't stop laughing at how funny this film was. One scene that had me in stitches was when Tavita lost a bet the previous season and had boobs drawn on his face. I know it's not nice to laugh at the misery of others, but I couldn't help myself. Waitti knew where to put a funny line of dialogue or a moment of slapstick comedy. This is a masterful depiction of how to do a true comedy. Also, with the comedy, there is a heart to this movie. Sports films usually pull on the heartstrings, and this one is no different than others in that regard. The downtrodden nature of this team and its history is ripe for the pickings as a true comeback story. Add in Fassbender's character woes, and you have a two-sided coin of tough things to overcome. Both of these things needed each other to succeed, and that's why this story works so well. Throw in some other character development from some supporting characters, and you have a sweet underdog story, a la Cool Runnings.
With sports movies, a key thing to make them look authentic is if the sport focused on in the film is played realistically. I am not a soccer expert, but I do watch it religiously on weekends when I have time. For a movie, I felt like the soccer was authentic. The characters moved the ball up and down the various fields they played on in games or practice. These actors genuinely looked like they could play the game from my limited perspective. That was a good part of the movie for me. I would have been completely thrown off if the soccer was performed badly. Michael Fassbender is the star of this film. He's the draw, but Waititi surrounded him with a supporting cast that was quite hilarious, to say the least. Will Arnett and Rhys Darby were both funny, and the actors who played the players on the team were genuine in their portrayals of these real players on the team. Another standout is Kiamana, who plays Jaiyah, a trans member of the team, and brings an important element of emotional grounding to the story. Next Goal Wins is a hilarious crowd-pleaser by any standards. It had me laughing throughout. Not at the obscurity, but at the verbiage and dialogue from so many characters. Fassbender played it relatively straight, while others brought the laughs. He was equally good as this fish-out-of-water coach, surrounded by a culture he didn't truly understand. The soccer was played very well, and the overall story had me emotionally invested in it from beginning to end. I loved this movie. There is nothing more I can say. Even an inspiring half-time speech was brilliantly done by Fassbender and Watiti. Next Goal Wins hits theaters on November 17. Rating: 4/5 Review by Jonathan Berk Imagine hosting a Thanksgiving Day dinner with your favorite slasher movies. Picture little name cards that read Scream, Halloween, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Friday the 13th. Which would carve the turkey? Well, no matter who you may set a place for at your dinner, Director Eli Roth’s new film Thanksgiving does exactly that. It serves up plenty of slasher movie references for what will surely be a horror movie fan’s new holiday tradition. The film begins with every introvert's nightmare: an angry mob outside a department store waiting for Black Friday sales. A tragedy ensues, and a year later a Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts. A few residents are murdered, and it doesn’t take long for it to become clear there is a larger holiday-themed connection. Roth completely nails the tone of this film. It never sets out to “scare” the audience. That this is necessary is a misconception of the horror genre — as we tend to forget that what scares us is very subjective. Instead, he looks to shock us with inventive kills and some gruesome effects that may make even the most veteran horror viewer squirm a little. Of course, if violence and gore scare you, by all means prepare to be freaked out. However, it seems like the reaction Roth is going for is shock followed by laughs, and he succeeds in eliciting that reaction time and time again. Like many slashers, the film centers around a group of high school students. Nell Verlaque plays Jessica, whose father owns the department store at the start of the film. It was her friends sneaking in the back to get a head start on the deals that really set the crowd off. That initial burst of horror at the top of the film establishes early what to expect, and despite some choppy editing, manages to introduce the bulk of our characters.
The killer's design in the film works with a simple plastic mask and pilgrim-style outfit. At the heart of the story is a whodunnit all centered around familiar slasher movie cliches and references. The opening of the film is a POV reminiscent of Halloween’s opening sequence. The group of friends and their attempt to figure out who the killer is feels like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. There are tons of other blatant homages to the films Roth has confessed love for in some medium or another, that fans will likely gobble up like a plateful of candied yams. Thanksgiving fills a void of what to watch between Halloween and Christmas movies that have long needed filling. This holiday homage to slashers delivers a veritable cornucopia of kills and characters horror enthusiasts would surely rather host than those obnoxious relatives. Roth’s love of the genre comes across, and this may be the best full movie to come from the joke trailers between Death Proof and Planet Terror. Thanksgiving will be heading to theaters on November 17. Rating: 4/5
Review by Sean Boelman
There are few franchises with as much of a lasting impact on the world as the Harry Potter series, but for some people, that impact is extremely personal. David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived tells the story of a former stuntman with a personal, tragic connection to the franchise, but in a way that does not feel exploitative or pandering whatsoever.
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived tells the story of David Holmes, who got the job of his dreams when he was selected to be Daniel Radcliffe’s lead stunt double in the Harry Potter franchise, only for his world to come crashing down around him when he suffered a traumatic spinal injury. The film is refreshingly uncynical, feeling little need to tug at the audience’s heartstrings. It is also surprising how non-promotional this documentary is considering that it is executive produced by Radcliffe himself and distributed by a subsidiary of the studio behind the Harry Potter movies. Although there are many points at which Holmes remembers his experiences on set fondly, it always feels authentic and never like it’s crassly taking advantage of Holmes’s trauma. The most compelling aspect of the story is the friendship that has formed between Radcliffe and Holmes. It’s interesting to see how the friendship formed as Radcliffe idolized the older gymnast-turned-stuntman Holmes, and now how they remain in touch even after Radcliffe has become a megastar.
Of course, fans who are looking to see behind-the-scenes footage of the making of Harry Potter are going to be satisfied, as the first half of the film does focus on Holmes’s career before his injury. Even for those who are not fans of the Wizarding World, the documentary offers some fascinating insight into the life and work of stunt people.
Still, it is the second half of the documentary that is likely to leave the most lingering impact on the viewer. It is a story of triumph over adversity; of the hopefulness that Holmes showed despite his life changing fundamentally because of this tragic accident. The emphasis on the work Holmes has done, with the help of Radcliffe, to advocate for greater awareness around these injuries and improving the experience of survivors. Because the film is being released by HBO, the filmmakers had access to a large library of behind-the-scenes footage from the production of the Harry Potter movies. This, combined with talking head interviews and fly-on-the-wall footage of Holmes and Radcliffe’s advocacy work allows this story to be told in a straightforward, yet consistently powerful way. Despite the hesitancy with which one would be reasonable to approach this documentary, considering that it is being distributed by the creators of a franchise it is somewhat critical of, David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived manages to be a surprisingly no-holds-barred, moving film. What could have been a fluff piece is instead a touching, hopeful, essential movie that serves as a reminder of the power of resilience. David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived is screening at the 2023 edition of DOC NYC, which runs in-person and online from November 8-26. Rating: 4/5 Review by Cole Groth As the holiday season gears up, it’s time for Hallmark to bombard us with dozens of cheap, schlocky Christmas rom-coms. The market is so oversaturated by them that when a genuinely good one comes out, it’s a shock. This year, Amazon’s Freevee looks to enter the market with their rom-com, EXMas, starring Robbie Amell and Leighton Meester. This is a good watch with some genuinely great laughs and a satisfying story. EXMas tells the story of Graham (Amell), an overworked gaming developer, whose ex-fiancee, Ali (Meester), is celebrating Christmas with his family. Her oddball parents, Dennis (Michael Hitchcock) and Jeannie (Kathryn Greenwood), alongside siblings Mindy (Veronika Slowikowska) and Elliot (Steven Huy), have taken in Ali as one of their family members, much to Graham’s dismay. In an effort to get Ali out of his life, Graham tries to get her to be hated by his family. Will the two make up and find solace in each other? Probably. That’s for you to find out. The script, while unabashedly generic, is hilarious. The dynamic between Graham and his sister, Mindy, stands out as the funniest pairing of the group. Most other family members are underwritten, standing in as very generic family members. So many of these Christmas rom-coms stray away from inappropriate humor. While this is still a family-friendly time, some sharp gags put this above the crowd. Graham and Ali have a great dynamic, although it’s sometimes hard to picture them as a romantic couple. The chemistry just isn’t there for most of the movie. As a holiday rom-com, there’s not much to talk about from a technical perspective. All of these movies struggle because they feel mostly the same, with the stars and script being the stars of the show. The cinematography, editing, music, etc., are all decent. Nothing stands out from a cinematic perspective, but it’s all done well enough to be at least not distracting. Simply put, you should know that you won’t get anything more than simple laughs and basic romance out of this.
Robbie Amell stands out as the star of the show here. He’s effortlessly funny and has plenty of charm. Leighton Meester is pretty good, too, but she doesn’t fit the role of the love interest nearly as well as Amell. Veronika Slowikowska is another star, too. Known mostly for her Instagram page (@veronika_iscool), Slowikowska does a great job of being Graham’s funny and kind sister. The rest of the family and some additional players performed pretty well. If you’re looking for something nice, breezy, and cheerful to kick off a holiday binge, EXMas would be a good option. It won’t stand out among the true holiday classics, but it’ll definitely be better than most of the Hallmark slop shoveled out every year. It’s a simple watch buoyed by fun performances and a funny screenplay. EXMas releases on Freevee on November 17. Rating: 3/5 Review by Joseph Fayed Claudia Alta Johnson, better known as "Lady Bird," was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969. These years are explored in Dawn Porter's new documentary The Lady Bird Diaries. Told firsthand by Lady Bird herself, the documentary is very poignant at times, but falls far from being groundbreaking in any way. Lady Bird Johnson recorded over 100 hours worth of audio passages while she was First Lady. Many of these recordings have not been made public until now. Combined with archive footage and photographs, the documentary pulls back the curtain on the woman caught in the midst of one of the most tumultuous eras in American history. This intimate approach should be attempted by more documentaries, especially those where the subjects are deceased. The lack of talking heads featured grips you in because it feels you have access to Lady Bird reading her own diary or something similar. Lady Bird herself kept a well crafted image throughout her life, and that remains true in her speech. There is no mic drop moment spoken by her, yet she doesn't shy away from sharing her emotions she — and many other women — are often told to refrain from showcasing. One complaint is that it felt like there were noticeable gaps in the timeline Lady Bird was in the White House. While still covering crucial events, the years of 1964-67 are placed on the back burner, while the beginning and end of LBJ's presidency are highlighted. There still is enough to cover in 110 minutes, notably the Vietnam War, which decreased LBJ's popularity in the polls significantly. The most interesting parts of the film were hearing what Lady Bird thought of war protestors. Here, she is no longer in her husband's shadow, but in the spotlight when asked about Vietnam. She and her husband met great resistance during this period, such as when Eartha Kitt famously questioned the two at a White House luncheon. Ultimately, Porter expresses through the recordings that being vocal is the best way to fight for what you believe is right. Lady Bird, however, was pressured to do the opposite in her position.
The Lady Bird Diaries captures textbook history on the era of the Johnsons, and how they went from heavily favored to the masses turning on them. There's no new intel presented on why they lost a second term. What we do get is a closer look at someone who wasn't expected to address the nation every day, but was expected to be as polished and prepared as any politician. While she didn't have the same powers her husband had, Lady Bird had her own moral convictions, which she stood by through it all. The Lady Bird Diaries is now streaming on Hulu. Rating: 3.5/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen To say I'm a big Star Wars fan would be underselling it. With that comes the fact that I have seen all the films and television shows multiple times. I just want to see Star Wars when I have the time. When I was a kid, I got to see a Star Wars Holiday Special that wasn't as good as the movies I've come to love. In fact, it wasn't very good at all. A Disturbance in the Force shows all the problems of this Star Wars variety show. Back in the day, I was just glad to see Star Wars on television, but as the years have gone by, I realized it was like a lot of shows and specials back then. It was campy and corny. I can see now why George Lucas and other members of the cast have basically disowned the Holiday Special. With this documentary, there is a story people don't know about with this special: what happened behind the scenes. There was a lot of drama and financial problems surrounding this special from the perspective of the producers, directors and actors in the special and the studio heads involved. 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios, owned by Disney), wanted to keep Star Wars in the public consciousness. They had appeared on the Donnie and Marie Show to less than terrific results, commercials, and other skits on variety shows like The Bob Hope Show. The Holiday Special was the bottom of the barrel, though. And I'm not the only one that says this. A Disturbance in the Force is littered with dozens of celebrities saying the same thing. This documentary, like many others, has talking heads to explain why this Holiday Special was so bad. Filmmakers like Kevin Smith and Kyle Newman, comedians like Gilbert Gottfried, Paul Scheer, Bobcat Goldthwait and Taran Killam, musicians such as Weird “Al” Yankovic and Donnie Osmond, and quite a few people involved in making this Holiday Special contribute their opinions to A Disturbance in the Force. The talking heads are numerous — more than I could have ever imagined. The film has some technical aspects that make it not as normal as so many other documentaries. Two in particular are archival footage showing the creative process behind making the variety show, and cassette recordings from Ken and Mitzie Welch, David Aconda and others, which were very effective in getting the opposite side of this story. This isn't a one-sided story, and that's what's good about the film — it captures both sides.
I loved the background footage and concept art from Ralph McQuarrie, though. Actors like Art Carney, Bea Arthur, Harvey Corman and others who were on the special showed they had an investment in it from the beginning. Musicians like Jefferson Starship, Pete Seers and Diane Carroll performed and had no idea where their performance would fit in the special. Even costume designer Bob Mackie was fully invested in the special, but had no idea what he was involved in. He created a lot of costumes for this variety show. As a huge fan of Star Wars as a kid, and still today, I am sad to say this Star Wars Holiday Special — which was a glorified variety special — was just doomed from the beginning. It had bad production value, campy acting, and bad songs. The worst part is that the doc shows it tarnished the legacy of Star Wars as a whole at that time in the history of the franchise. Even George Lucas didn't want anything to do with it. The actors involved, including Harrison Ford, still to this day won't talk about it. The people behind it, like Bruce Vilanch and many others, were very candid about how it wasn't very good, but it was work they did, but acknowledge the past. Historians like Steve Sansweet even had nothing to say about it. He's a big toy collector guy, and Star Wars know it all. Even people like Jon Favreau and Seth Green, who have made Star Wars projects today, are interviewed with trepidations regarding the Star Wars Holiday Special. Some things just don't work out, and this was one of them. It's more of a joke than a legitimate Star Wars project. A Disturbance in the Force shows that. The director does a good job showing why it wasn't good and why a lot of people didn't like it. A Disturbance in the Force is screening at the 2023 edition of DOC NYC, which runs in-person and online from November 8-26. Rating: 3.5/5 [DOC NYC 2023] UNCROPPED -- A Fascinating Biography of a Quietly Revolutionary Photographer11/11/2023
Review by Sean Boelman
Biographical documentaries at festivals tend to be hit or miss — with the most fascinating often being the subjects you already know about. Even though Uncropped doesn’t have a household name for its subject, the stories photographer James Hamilton has to share with skilled filmmaker D.W. Young make this a hidden gem to keep an eye out for.
In the documentary, Hamilton offers a chronicle of his career, which allowed him to take pictures across different beats and on film sets across the United States and around the world. Although the documentary is a biography, Hamilton’s life and career are so extraordinary that it stands out. On its surface, Uncropped may feel like a pretty conventional combination of archive materials — pulled from Hamilton’s extensive library of work — and talking heads. However, the talking heads here feel more conversational than those in your average documentary. Part of it is just that Young tends to interview more than one person at once, allowing a dialogue to form, but even when conducting a solo interview, he asks fantastic, engaging questions. As is the case with many biographical documentaries, how much the viewer engages with the movie will depend on how interested they are in the subject. However, with a veritable hodgepodge of a resume and portfolio, there’s something for everyone’s interests in Uncropped. And while it is on the longer side — a little over 110 minutes — the sheer amount of stories Hamilton has to tell keeps it moving.
The portion of Uncropped that is likely to gain it the most attention is its exploration of Hamilton’s career as a stills photographer. Working on film sets for filmmakers including George A. Romero and Wes Anderson (the latter of which serves as an executive producer on this documentary), Hamilton effectively revolutionized the art of film stills. For anyone with an interest in cinema, this is sure to be utterly fascinating.
The other side of Hamilton’s career is his bout as a journalist, which is arguably even more storied than his work shooting film stills. Although it may not be the documentary’s primary focus, there is room for questions to be asked about the role journalists and the images they create play in culture and society in the portion exploring his more provocative work. One of the most impressive things about Young’s approach is that he manages to make the movie feel quite unfussy. Many documentaries set on the art scene tend to feel somewhat pretentious and uptight, but Hamilton’s very low-key personality makes him a much more approachable subject. Yet audiences will still walk away feeling nothing but admiration for the tremendous artist Hamilton is. Uncropped is a very well-made biographical documentary that is fascinating thanks to its subject’s tremendous career. Whether you’re coming into this looking to learn about cinema or the world of journalism, you’re sure to leave feeling absolutely satisfied. Uncropped is screening at the 2023 edition of DOC NYC, which runs in-person and online from November 8-26. Rating: 4/5 [DOC NYC 2023] MERCHANT IVORY -- An Ode to One of the World's Greatest Independent Filmmakers11/11/2023
Review by Sean Boelman
To no one’s surprise, the cinema history documentary Merchant Ivory is likely going to be a must-see for hardcore cinephiles, but is unlikely to resonate outside of that core audience. Filmmaker Stephen Soucy takes advantage of his exceptional access to subject James Ivory, creating a focus that feels somewhat skewed at times.
The documentary tells the story of Merchant Ivory Productions, the film production company formed from the collaboration between producer Ismael Merchant and writer/director James Ivory, who together created some of the most acclaimed independent films in all of history. Fans might recognize some of their films like A Room With a View and Howards End featured throughout the documentary. Unlike a lot of cinema documentaries, Merchant Ivory isn’t really about behind the scenes drama or gossip. Instead, it’s an ode to one of the most fruitful collaborations in film history. Sure, it does start to feel a bit like a fluff piece at times, but it’s a compelling watch for anyone who is a fan of cinema. For a film named after such an iconic collaboration, it is somewhat frustrating how one-sided Merchant Ivory can be. It often feels like there is much more of a focus on Ivory than Merchant. Although there are a few reasons that could explain this — it could be that Merchant was a more behind-the-scenes presence compared to Ivory, or maybe it’s that Merchant passed away nearly two decades ago — it’s still not the portrait of a collaboration one might have hoped for.
However, in exploring Ivory’s story in tremendous depth, it does get to explore some aspects of his story with which viewers may not be as familiar. In particular, the aspects of the film about Ivory’s sexuality are fascinating. Although there was some discussion of this leading up to his Oscar win for the Call Me By Your Name screenplay, this documentary allows his experience as a gay man to be told from the earlier days of his career.
As one would expect, Soucy tells this story using a lot of great archive materials. There is plenty of behind-the-scenes footage and stills to pull from, and it also seems like the filmmakers had unrestricted access to the Merchant Ivory Productions library. The result is a documentary that is sure to be catnip for cinephiles. Merchant Ivory also offers lots of great talking heads, with Ivory himself as well as many of his former collaborators. The documentary managed to attract some bonafide A-listers with whom Ivory has worked in the past, including Helena Bonham Carter, Emma Thompson, and Hugh Grant. The only iffy thing about the film’s interviews is that Soucy inserts himself inconsistently. It’s enough to notice, but not enough to become a legitimate device. Merchant Ivory is arguably more effective as a biography of James Ivory than as a portrait of his collaboration with longtime partner Ismael Merchant, but it’s a strong cinema history doc either way. The film knows its audience and caters to their interests. Merchant Ivory is screening at the 2023 edition of DOC NYC, which runs in-person and online from November 8-26. Rating: 3.5/5 |
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