Sherman’s March (1986)
Directed by Ross McElwee

The great thing about Sherman’s March is the overall simplicity of the idea. The success of such a personal film depends completely on the personality of the director (Ross McElwee), who’s decided to put himself in front of the camera in a project that began as one thing; a historical look at General Sherman’s Civil War march, and became another; an autobiographical search for true love.

It’s important to put McElwee into context here. This is a man who can be summed up by his consistent nightmares about nuclear holocaust. (One trait I seem to share with him) His initial interest in Sherman’s March is thwarted by an unexpected break up with his girlfriend, thus setting forth a film that seems to take on a life of its own as friends and family attempt to hook Ross up with just about any single female they know. Some are attractive and polite, while others are outspoken and strange. You can imagine which ones Ross actually manages to secure dates with. I’d have to say Pat is the most unusual of the bunch. She’s quick to show Ross her cellulite exercises, squatting and thrusting to his shocked delight. She’s also an aspiring actress, on a mission to star in a Burt Reynolds film. Once she’s out of the picture, Ross takes on the burden of hunting down Burt Reynolds for a one on one interview, but ends up settling for a look-a-like.

At one point in the film, Ross meets up with Charleen, a friend and former teacher of his. The chemistry between these two is comic gold. Charleen completely takes advantage of Ross’ quite and passive tendencies, insisting that she help him find a lady. “I am bored with your singleness. You have been insufficient in this quest, so I have to take over…because I’m going to be so bored with your loneliness, that I’m going to have to dump you myself.” Charlene finds Ross the “perfect woman”, a singer/songwriter named Dede. She plays him a cassette tape of her music, enthusiastically selling her like a used car salesman. Upon their first meeting, Charleen boisterously confronts Ross about his insistent need to film everything; “This is not art! This is life!”. Her enthusiasm to make a love connection ends up creating a gloriously awkward meeting that borders on cringe-worthy. Ross responds by simply hiding behind his camera.

McElwee brilliantly weaves the story of General Sherman throughout his journey, creating his own historical path of destruction. Clocking in at just over two and a half hours, this film is an epic look at relationships and love, rivaling the best of Hollywood’s neurotic, self-deprecating, anti-heroes. Ross McElwee is a real life Woody Allen.

Titicut Follies (1967)
Directed by Frederick Wiseman

A few months ago I assembled a list of my personal top 25 documentaries of all time. The response was overwhelming, and although there were many readers that were satisfied by my choices, a great number pointed out a glaring omission, Frederick Wiseman’s ‘Titicut Follies’. At the time, I had yet to see the film. In fact, I hadn’t seen ANY Wiseman films, mainly due to a lack of access. Thankfully, Wiseman’s decision to release his films on DVD has given me the chance to check out this non-fiction classic. You were all right, it should’ve been on the list. HIGH on the list.

The opening of the film is appropriately surreal, setting the tone for the next hour and a half. A group of inmates dressed in white shirts and bow ties perform a song and dance number at the Massachusetts prison for the criminally insane. The talent show, MC’d by one of the head guards, is called ‘Titicut Follies’. It’s almost something you could imagine seeing in a Harmony Korine film. In fact, this entire movie is full of photography so surreal and mind blowing; it’s crazy to think it’s actually real. Wiseman’s direct cinema approach ends up naturally producing gorgeously disturbing images that are pure works of art.

Wiseman pulls no punches in his portrayal of the inhuman relationship between guards and inmates at this particular prison. In one scene, as some guards shave an older patients face, they continually ask him how clean his room is to the point of driving him mad. The result is a screaming, naked man shuffling down the hallway, bleeding from the mouth. Another inmate is force-fed through a tube in his nose, a scene in which Wiseman outright attacks the prisons methods by intercutting the preparation of the same man’s dead body. His statement on the inhumanity of the system is clear throughout the film, but is it really possible to come to any other conclusion?

The most frightening moment in the film comes from a prisoner who insists he isn’t crazy. He passionately pleads his case in front of a board of directors, claiming his time in the prison has actually hurt his progress, and the medication he’s forced to take is harming his mind. He sounds nervous and frantic, but seems completely mentally stable. The board ignores his concerns, responding by attacking his sense of logic, using condescending medical explanations for his current imprisonment. Their solution is to increase the amount of tranquilizers to tone down his behaviour. The man has been institutionalized for over a year. It’s like a horrible, real life nightmare.

Naturally, the film was initially met with some controversy and heavy resistance from the state of Massachusetts. Wiseman was accused of exploiting prisoners as claims were made that he didn’t get them to sign release forms. This resulted in Titicut Follies only being distributed and viewed for educational purposes. Luckily, the film eventually worked its way through its legal issues and has gone on to be considered one of the greatest works of direct cinema in film history.

Highschool

I love the universally simple topics (and titles) of Wiseman’s films. His second feature, appropriately named ‘High School’, literally shows us the every day workings of a high school, from the mundane (gym class aerobics) to the unusual (a student run simulated space flight). Whereas most high school documentaries I’ve seen in the past have focused on certain students, documenting their educational career’s, Wiseman takes on the eductational system from a disjointed fly-on-the-wall perspective. We see a number of students dealing with a number of different issues, from unfairly being sent to detention to debating appropriate formal wear for the prom. One of the more entertaining sequences involves the preperation for a student fashion show. An older, plump woman heads the class, parading young girls onto the stage and bluntly criticising their clothes and their bodies. Even when a girl sports a dress she deems appropriately fashionable, she throws in a reference to the fact that the girl ‘knows she has a weight problem’. It’s moments like this that make High School remarkably interesting and entertaining. (See video below for this very scene) Another great moment is provided by an overzealous hall monitor who approaches every student he sees, aggressively asking if they have a pass. I can’t help but wonder if Wes Anderson was inspired by this very scene when Max Fischer, the main character in his film Rushmore, gives the hall monitor a ‘one second’ gesture as he gabs on a pay phone. A classic moment. I simply love seeing the way things worked in the late sixties and hearing the kind of advice teachers would give to students, which by today’s standards, seems completely old-fashioned and misguided. In one instance, a gynecologist gives a talk to a large group of males, fielding questions anonamously written on little pieces of paper. In one of the more uncomfortable moments in the film, he goes into detail as to the meaning behind the expression ‘pop her cherry’. Yikes.

Big Rig

Doug Pray’s ‘Big Rig’ is an inside look at an industry that I’ve always been a little curious about; trucking. The film follows multiple long haulers as they discuss the ins and outs of their industry. Most interestingly is the idea that if these big rig hauler’s were to go on strike or suddenly stop shipping, within three days the country would begin to fall apart. It’s easy to take their service for granted. All of our fresh produce and gasoline is replenished thanks to them. We’re also given a lesson on some of the code words shared among truckers over their CB radios. (A flatbead truck is a ‘skateboard’) Some of the female drivers share their thoughts on the dangers of trucking alone, including stories of harsh run-ins with some lonely men looking for love on the road. The film is beautifully shot, using a roadside view of America as the backdrop. It truley gives you a sense of the sites that these folks are treated to during some of their longer runs. I suppose the only real crticisim I’d have about Big Rig is the scattered approach to the subject matter. We’re introduced to a large number of charcters, and it can be tough to keep them all sorted out. I would’ve preferred a closer look at a smaller number of characters rathter than the larger, broad approach to the topic.

Train on the Brain

Director Alison Murray takes to the rails in this sparce look at life on the move, boxcar hopping across Canada. She teams up with a group of self-proclaimed, and seemingly self-made, hobo’s in an attempt to experience the allure of riding railway cars. What starts off as a simple cross-country trip turns into a more focused goal; to make their way to Ohio via train-hopping to attend the annual ‘hobo convention’. For the majority of the film, Murray sticks with Wendy, an ‘Earthy’ rail-rider who’s instincts on the rails are finely attuned thanks to a great deal of experience. Along the way they meet up with some other characters, one of which is a 16 year old runaway who hopes to travel to San Fransisco. She also happens to like the Grateful Dead. Go figure. People come and go, some more experienced than others, and some with some sketchy intentions. The cinematography, shot hand-held on what looks to be a consumer video camera, might leave a little to be desired for some. Personally, I thought the aesthetic suited both the story and the characters. Murray plays a major role in the film as well, giving us that outsider perspective which we can all thankfully relate to. *SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT* Unfortunately, the ending seems to be a bit of a cop out, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. (I’m trying not to get into details, but if you’ve seen the film, you probably know what I’m talking about.) Train on the Brain is available on DVD this week. (June 1st, 2008)