Mennonite Cinema

Devil's Playground (DVD, 2002) ****
Lucy Walker, Director, Stick Figure Productions, USA

    On the ten year anniversary of Devil’s Playground, aka Rumspringa, I endeavoured to see this Amish-oriented documentary for the first time.  As a Mennonite, I had formerly avoided this film and its marketing imagery as probably catering to the larger American media appetite for scandal, questionable morality and iconoclastism.  I was greatly surprised to find a film that was straightforward, respectful without being overly romantic and that one that dealt with very real issues while allowing the characters to speak for themselves.  Part of the strength of the film comes from the self-confessions of the directors and production team that they had experienced difficulty finding an angle or even an “in” for the making of what had begun as a rather undefined documentary project on Amish teens.  Rather, the team comprised of Lucy Walker, Steven Cantor, Pax Wassermann and Daniel Kern was forced to discover the topic while filming and to allow the characters to emerge of their own accord.  No agenda, positive or negative – was possible in that the team had little control over the subject matter.  According to the production commentary, the project evolved more like a news story than a scripted documentary.

    Devil’s Playground offers two strengths to Anabaptists.  First, it is a greatly informative look into the very real lives of Amish teens and the concept of rumspringa.  Though the Conservative Amish are often careful to separate themselves from their Mennonite and Mennonite-Amish cousins, there is much in this story that is shared between the more liberal and more conservative branches of this culture – even more so as you go back one and two generations for the Mennonites.  Secondly, for those who are able to read the “bonnet code,” an informed Anabaptist will see Mennonite and Amish film footage juxtaposed against each other to form a seamless celebration of a common ethnic and religious heritage.

Greta Garbo

Queen Christina (1933) 

USA, Rouben Moulian, Director
Starring:  Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Ian Keith, Lewis Stone

One of histories most enigmatic ruling monarchs, and subjected to intense speculation as to her interior motives, psyche, and love life already in the 17th Century, Sweden's Queen Kristina, daughter of Reformation-era warrior, King Gustavus Adolphus, and sponsor to Descartes, broke almost every cultural and religious taboo her contemporaries could throw at her.  Garbo manages to capture both Kristina's sexual ambiguity (she was raised as a "boy", crowned as a "king", trained as a warrior, and rumoured to be bisexual) and her independence of character.  Rarely noted, Elizabeth Young manages to keep up with Garba in Young's portrayal of Kristina as a child, effectively delivering the lines that set the course for the entire film.
     I would recommend the film itself solely on the strength of the cinematography.  One cannot but help falling in love with the country Kristina leads.  Equally impressive are the costumes -- in line with such great epics as Eisenstein's Ivan IV (1944), and Kapur's Elizabeth (1998).  While reviewers often criticize Queen Christina's lack of historicity, the story line seems comfortably in line with the many varied alternative histories the real Kristina left behind her.
    That Garbo could portray such a strong woman who could and would fall in love with lesser men, while preserving her dignity and Kristina's focus on her kingdom, is one of the film's greatest strengths.  Garbo plays off her real-time once-love interest, Gilbert, to generate one of film's great love stories.  Unlike so many female portrayals in such passionate romances, Garbo ends Queen Christina as a single woman who dares to chart her own way in life. 

(from Prairie Swede 01 Oct 2010)

Swedish Film

Storm (2005) - SWE

Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein, Directors.
Starring: Eric Ericson, Eva Rose and Jonas Karlsson

Billed in the United States as a horror flick, Storm is much closer to a postmodern morality tale -- a bit of the Odyssey meets the Glass Menagerie.  Despite not really understanding the United States’ marketing of this film, I found it well worth watching.  It has brief moments of social commentary -- such as when DD (Donny Davidsson) comments that marriage is just about joints -- joint bank accounts, joint tax returns and joint custody.
     The strength of the film, and spoiler alert -- the point is that the movie reflects the internal struggle of a young man, who due to a childhood trauma, failed to deal with the basic questions and issues one faces as a young person growing up and assuming his or her place in society.  In fact, tormented and pursued by angels and demons, DD seems to have the fate of the entire human race in his hands -- though possibly it is only his own sanity at stake.  Regardless, Storm presents an exciting and “action packed” tale of one young man’s journey into self acceptance and adult hood. 
    Noting that Storm is often compared to the Matrix -- I found the connection to be less direct, and felt that Storm is much more enjoyable with more focus on production talent and less emphasis on special effects.  I submit the scene where DD crashed the café frequented by the cab drivers.
    P.S. The sequel promises to be just as good -- DD has or has not come to grips with himself and his inner demons -- will DD also come to terms with society and deal with the fact that the police are still after him?


originally published on Prairie Swede 15 June, 2010

Dark Nights and Icelandic Souls

White Night Wedding (2008)

ICE, Baltasar Kormákur, Director
Starring: Johan Sigurdarson, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Hilmikr Snaer Gudnasson, Margaret Vilhjalmsdóttir, Laufy Eliasdóttir

    At risk of sounding overenthusiastic, Baltasar Kormákur’s White Night Wedding absolutely floored me.  Following on the footsteps of The Sea, White Night Wedding places Icelandic cinema firmly within the greater Scandinavian cultural tradition.  While you can easily sit back and enjoy this movie merely for its beautiful portrayal of an ever-inspiring landscape, and its singular Icelandic humor, Kormákur would seem to accomplish ever so much more – in fact, despite the film’s pedigreed relationship to Anton Chekov’s play, Ivanov,  I felt that the film could also be alternately titled “Adventures of Tesman,  Hedda Gabbler’s Forgotten Mate” after one of Henrik Ibsen’s most memorably forgettable characters.

    Reminiscent of Ingrid Bergman, Kormákur seems to take Soren Kierkegaard, the Nordic Philosopher, straight-on.  In fact, Kormákur does Bergman one better by allowing Kierkegaard to take his silly and illogical leap of faith, and to benefit by it.  Where Bergman often mired himself in Scandinavian tragic morosity, both Lasse Hallström, a fellow Scandinavian, and Kormákur have allowed their characters to relax, literally take the leap of faith, and hit a stable grounding wherein happiness or contentment can be found without a steep loss of personal direction or universal grounding.  Perhaps all is summed up best in a near-closing quote by Jon as professor, “The purpose of life isn’t death, even if that is the end result.  Just as love or happiness isn’t the purpose of life, as such…rather the quest.  The quest for love, the quest for happiness”.

Montana Miniatures Show, Planet Bronze

   With strong representations of local, national, and emerging artists, the miniature show at Bozeman’s Planet Bronze is quickly becoming an important collectors’ event.  Gallery owner and noted sculptor Dennis Harrington explains the concept as partially to, “grant access to new collectors at affordable prices while offering work that can easily fit into the everyday lifestyle.”  For purposes of the show, art work is limited in size with most works measuring approximate 8” by 10”.

    At a sneak preview, Bozeman-resident Charles Bugger, whose abstract expressionist works are often admired for their management of color, texture and geometric arrangement, explained his own artistic creative impulse as “compulsion rather than inspiration.” In this case, the compulsion to paint small has perhaps challenged an artist generally known for, and self-admittedly more comfortable with much larger canvases.  “The mini show has forced me to reinterpret my style, which is normally on a much larger scale.  I am very pleased with the pieces I have entered this year,” he confidently notes.

    On December 7, the gallery will host an opening for this collection of 160 miniatures by 63 artists, including Bugger, and ranging in subject from landscapes and still lifes to portraits, cityscapes, and cartoons.  There is nothing small about the talent represented – Steve Huston, Ignat Ignatov, Dan Beck, and Scott Mattlin are some hard-hitting nationally-known artists.  Works have also been contributed by many well-established local favorites, including Al Feldstein and Anita Saunders.  While the aim of the show is to include a wide variety of quality, affordable art, with prices beginning around $300, the upper end of the spectrum is rounded off with some solid investments topping $3,000.

    Bozeman-resident, Steve Huston, is a new participant this year.  Harrington was proud to include Huston, who normally markets his work on the East Coast, in a local program.  The lean male torsos of construction workers or sports figures are readily identified as trademarks of Huston, whose work often incorporates such figures in the act of construction or in some way relating to classical architectural elements and the built environment.  In the October issue of American Art Collector, Huston explains, “True grit is what I see in the workmen, lonely heroes who build a life and build a country.”  Using what he refers to as “a small figure against such a monumental environment,” Huston challenges his use of Realism to create “more than a book cover.”  For him, “It [the artistic theme of a work] needs to be bigger—about how we live, the world we inhabit, its faults and attributes.”

  Adam Smith is also a newcomer to the show.    His wildlife portraits are already turning a few heads in the wildlife art scene, possibly because of the strong and yet entirely natural personalities he captures with photographic precision in his subjects. 

  Karl Heerdt made a splash at last year’s show with his expert treatment of water and reflection in rivers, streams, and the mighty Niagara Falls.  Included in this year’s show are some of his new Montana-inspired pieces.   Harrington relates, “Heerdt was excited to discover Montana and its scenery, especially Yellowstone.  It is something new and different from painting the New York landscapes he is used to.”  For Montanans, Heerdt’s work is a special treat.  Readily identified as possessing a classic Hudson River-esque artistic style, his treatment of sceneries such as Yellowstone have the polish and sheen of a Bierstadt without their sometimes cloudy historical sentimentality.  Heerdt tends to present a polished, yet refreshingly clean and simple realism.

  Chicago’s Nancy Albrecht is also a returning favorite, contributing colorful impressionist postcards from neighborhoods in that great city. 

  Dan Beck’s diverse talent is displayed across genres with pieces ranging from portraits of wizened old men to experiments with light and color in natural landscapes. 

Indeed, while the show includes many great landscape artists, it is nice to see such a large number of still lifes, portraits, and yes, even a few artistic nudes amongst the display.  With so many contributing artists, there is surely something that will appeal to every eye and challenge every taste.  Even viewers who are old hat to the gallery scene might discover painting in miniature to help clarify or focus a particular aspect of their favorite artist, granting fresh perspective to larger, more complicated works they have also enjoyed.

For more information on the Miniature show and contributing artists, please check their website at www.planetbronze.com.  The show opens at Planet Bronze Gallery, 905 North 5^th Avenue, December 7^th from 5-8 pm and continues through January.