William rothmans edited volume makes a useful contribution to what he describes as a dearth of serious critical studies of documentary films and filmmakers 1. Acclaimed essayist phillip lopate reflects on ross mcelwees approach to personal filmmaking and the growing complexity of his films over the past 20 years. Films bright leaves thomas wartenberg thinks about how real life keeps on breaking through as he watches bright leaves ross mcelwee s recent documentary, bright leaves, tells a multilayered, complex story in which he explores both his familys roots as tobacco growers and manufacturers in north carolina and how he can pass on this ambiguous legacy to his son, adrian. Ross mcelwee is an award winning documentary film maker whos films include shermans march, bright leaves, six oclock news and something tho do with the wall. Delve deeper into bright leaves a film by ross mcelwee this multi media resource list, compiled by mary cella of the st charles public library in partnership with the american library association, provides a range of perspectives on the issues raised by the upcoming p. Bright leaves is ross mcelwee at his best, part discovery, part diary, filled with humor, and overflowing with humanity.
However, the film focuses on shermans breakup with his girlfriend during this crucial time in history, and the. Ross mcelwee s film describes a journey taken across the social, economic, and psychological tobacco terrain of north carolina by a native carolinian whose greatgrandfather created the famous brand of tobacco known as bull durham. Errol morris, ross mcelwee, jean rouch william rothman film study has tended to treat documentary as a marginal form, but as the essaysin three documentary filmmakers demonstrate, the films of jean rouch, ross mcelwee, and errol morris call for, and reward, the sort of criticism expected of serious works in any medium. Hes made seven featurelength documentaries, including shermans march, time indefinite, something to do with the wall and six oclock news. Ross mcelwee s genial humor has guided him through some of the more thoughtful feature documentaries of the last 25 years. Ross mcelwee allows himself to be distracted from his goal, taking pleasure in getting sidetracked along the way. Native south carolinian filmmaker ross mcelwee is best known for shermans. Bright leaves had its world premiere at the 2003 cannes film festival, where it was the only american film invited to be in directors fortnight. Photographic memory 2011 ross mcelwee, adrian mcelwee november 8, 2018 filmmaker ross mcelwee shermans march, bright leaves finds himself in frequent conflict with his son, a young adult who seems addicted to and distracted by the virtual worlds of the internet. Mcelwee s diary style of filmmaking has been extremely influential, opening the door for festival hits like nathaniel kahns my architect and mark moskowitzs stone reader. A documentary film by ross mcelwee what legacy is passed down to generations when a family is a giant tobacco producer.
Bright leaves, a 1946 gary cooperpatricia neal vehicle directed by michael. Bright leaves the film study center at harvard university. Ross mcelwee draws on the tradition of american yarnspinners such as mark twain and spalding gray while working in the genre of intimate, firstperson documentaries developed by himself and. His humorous and often selfdeprecating films refer to cultural aspects of his southern upbringing. American filmmaker ross mcelwee travels to his home state of north carolina for the humorous documentary bright leaves.
Dec 18, 2011 north carolina produces more tobacco than any other state in america. Bright leaves is a 2003 united statesunited kingdom documentary film by independent filmmaker ross mcelwee about the association his family had with the tobacco industry. What if you learned, like ross mcelwee did, that the life of your greatgrandfather, one of the ruined tobacco magnates of the romantic 19th century, is supposed to have inspired a character played by gary cooper in michael curtizs the director of the legendary casablanca classic hollywood film bright leaves. Funny and insightful documentary from filmmaker ross mcelwee examines north carolinas booming tobacco industry. Quayportrieux in brittany for the first time in decades to retrace his own journey into adulthood. As with each of my films, members of my family and close friends appear. First run features ross mcelwee explores his familys roots as tobacco farmers in north carolina. Mcelwee family legend has it that the hollywood melodrama bright leaf starring gary cooper as a 19th century tobacco grower, is based on filmmaker ross mcelwee s greatgrandfather, who created the bull durham brand. Bright leaves is a subjective, autobiographical take on cigarettes and their troubling legacy, says mcelwee. He is a director and producer, known for shermans march 1985, bright leaves 2003 and photographic memory 2011. Ross mcelwee the bat segundo show reluctant habits. Bright leaves is a very personal journey that i take through my home state of north carolina, pretty much letting my curiosity take me where it will. Lighter, smaller cameras and advancements in syncsound made it possible for one man to do what a film crew did not too many years before.
Bright leaves describes a journey taken across the social, economic, and psychological tobacco terrain of north carolina by a native carolinian, ross mcelwee, whose greatgrandfather created the famous brand of tobacco known as bull. Ross mcelwee is an american documentary filmmaker known for his autobiographical films about his family and personal life, usually interwoven with an episodic journey that intersects with larger political or philosophical issues. In 1986, the filmmaker ross mcelwee released shermans march, an autobiographical documentary about a series of romantic misadventures during a. Ross mcelwee explores his familys roots as tobacco farmers in north carolina. Photographic memory 2011 ross mcelwee, adrian mcelwee. In 1986, the filmmaker ross mcelwee released shermans march, an autobiographical documentary about a series of romantic misadventures during a road trip through the american south.
Bright leaves final transcription 42603 11 bright leaves. When ross mcelwee heeded the call to become a filmmaker in the mid 1970s, he enrolled in m. Featuring an overview of his greatgrandfathers involvement in the states production of the addictive plant, as well as how he allegedly inspired the 1950 gary cooper film bright leaf, mcelwee offers a glimpse into the heart of contemporary americana. With bright leaves, filmmaker ross mcelwee offers an involved personal history that also functions as a sly commentary on the tobacco industry and the impact its had on america and the world. The movie was originally supposed to focus on general william t. Tags photographer camera filmstruck photography documentary bright leaves ross mcelwee. This sort of quandary shapes ross mcelwee s powerful, problematic documentary, bright leaves.
Ross mcelwee 1 work online show previous results ross mcelwee bright leaves 2003 show more results last licensing. Rent bright leaves 2003 starring ross mcelwee and charleen swansea on dvd and bluray. Ross mcelwee s films include shermans march, time indefinite, bright leaves, photographic memory. Walker percys certification, heideggers alltaglichkeit, whether social media and youtube can capture the essential quality of everydayness, patterns and layers of meaning discovered through the act of filming ones life for decades. Aug 18, 2004 ross mcelwee has made a career out of filming his life. Nov 20, 2016 sky soldiers riveting personal stories from men of the 173rd, vietnam. Using this legacy as a jumping off point, mcelwee reaches back to his roots in this wry, witty rumination on american history, the tobacco business, and the myth of cinema. He later attended brown university, where he studied under novelist john hawkes, 3 and graduated in 1971 with a degree in creative writing. Ross mcelwee celebrity profile check out the latest ross mcelwee photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at rotten tomatoes. North carolina produces more tobacco than any other state in. Here, mcelwee meets his second cousin john, a film buff who believes that the 1950 gary cooper vehicle bright leaf, based on a foster fitzsimons novel, was inspired by their great. Bright leaves is also another chapter in mcelwee s ongoing investigation of films as evermorecritical carriers of personal, family and social legacies. With allan gurganus, paula larke, marilyn levine, emily madison.
John mcelwee and washington duke, founder of the duke dynasty, were rivals at the birth of the modern tobacco industry, and duke essentially destroyed mcelwee whose warehouse was burned down three times by suspicious fires. Bright leaves ross mcelwee behind the lens pov pbs duration. Shermans march through the confederacy near the end of the civil war. Rent bright leaves 2003 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. Mcelwee family legend has it that the hollywood melodrama bright leaf starring gary cooper as a 19th century tobacco grower, is based on filmmaker ross. In contrast to that persona visible in shermans march and bright leaves, mcelwee shows other facets of his personality in his. What legacy is passed down to generations when a family is a giant tobacco producer. The leaves seemed to give off their own heat almost a kind of body heat and the air was very humid.
Filmmaker ross mcelwee shermans march, bright leaves finds himself in frequent conflict with his son, a young adult who seems addicted to and distracted by the virtual worlds of the internet. Mcelwee is a greatgrandson of john mcelwee, who patented the famous line of bull durham tobacco. Ross mcelwee is an american documentary filmmaker known for his autobiographical films about his family and personal life, usually interwoven with an. A north carolina native and maker of the acclaimed shermans march, mcelwee produces profound, slowmoving meditations on family and place, history and identity, personal and philosophical voyages alongside physical journeys through the region. Bright leaves had its world premiere at the 2003 cannes film festival. Another disarming, quirky cinematic journal from ross mcelwee.
Bright leaves describes a journey taken across the social, economic, and psychological tobacco terrain of north carolina by a native carolinian, ross mcelwee, whose greatgrandfather created the famous brand of tobacco known as bull durham. Five questions with photographic memory director ross mcelwee. So i had this dream that i was standing in a field surrounded by these immense prehistoriclooking plants. North carolina produces more tobacco than any other state in america. Fans of his meandering autobiographical films a select but hardy group should be delighted to get a more thorough look at his oeuvre in this collection, featuring shermans march, bright leaves and four newtodvd treasures. It was enthusiastically received and was immediately picked up for french theatrical distribution. In bright leaves, as mcelwee starts to explore his heritage of his great grandfather john harvey mcelwee and his ventures in the tobacco business in north. He has been married to marilyn levine since october 10, 1987. He received the career award at the 2007 full frame documentary. Ross mcelwees cinematic signature in his documentaries celebrates. Ross mcelwee is most recently the director of photographic memory. Film diarist ross mcelwee shermans march offers another personal examination of southern history and life with bright leaves, a documentary tracing his own connection to north carolina and its tobacco industry.
In his trademarked rambling style, mcelwee lightly questions his familys. The basic premise, that he is searching for a possible connection between the michael curtizgary cooperpatricia neallauren bacall film bright leaf and his own family history is fascinating but merely a starting point for a film that discovers its layers as it goes. Mcelwee would synthesize the lessons learned and use. Filmmaker ross mcelwee shermans march, time indefinite p. Erroll morris, ross mcelwee, jean rouch william rothman, ed. Sky soldiers riveting personal stories from men of the 173rd, vietnam. Watch bright leaves movie trailers, exclusive videos, interviews from the cast, movie clips and more at. Film bright leaves by ross mcelwee r e v i e w e d b y ba r ba ra h a h n ross mcelwee here, a north carolina native and maker of the acclaimed shermans march, produces films that are profound, slowmoving meditations on family and place, history and identity, personal and philosophical voyages alongside physical journeys through the region. His father was a respected surgeon, and appears often as a figure in mcelwee s early films. Mcelwee is drawn to the subject after meeting his second cousin john, a film memorabilia collector, who shows mcelwee an old warner bros.
Invitations to the 2003 new york film festival and thetoronto film festival followed cannes, and these two festivals gave a strong platform from which. Download the tv guide app for iphone, ipad and android. Veteran documentary filmmaker ross mcelwee shermans march, bright leaves continues his endless cinematic selfexamination with photographic memory, a meditation on aging and the vicissitudes. Fifteen years later, mcelwee, who now makes his home in boston, is lured back south by a piece of hollywood fiction. But its very centered upon wanting to explore the issue of tobacco and the notion of what it means to make films. Oct 05, 2006 film bright leaves by ross mcelwee r e v i e w e d b y ba r ba ra h a h n ross mcelwee here, a north carolina native and maker of the acclaimed shermans march, produces films that are profound, slowmoving meditations on family and place, history and identity, personal and philosophical voyages alongside physical journeys through the region. Sometimes, an autobiographical quest can lead to unexpected revelations. Ross mcelwee grew up in charlotte, north carolina, in a traditional southern family. Sep 30, 2004 ramblin man ross mcelwee is the documentarymaker whose nobudget style inspired michael moore but as moores films got bigger, mcelwees became more intimate. Made after mcelwee becomes a father and finds himself at home watching a lot more tv, he becomes obsessed with the nightly tales of calamity reported on by the local news. Bright leaves describes a journey taken across the social, economic, and psychological tobacco terrain of north carolina by a native carolinian, ross mcelwee, whose greatgrandfather created the famous brand of.
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