DAN'S PAPERS, October 23, 2009 Page 25 www.danshamptons.com (continued from page 20)
bathroom... yea, through the tile, I know it was new, it was very pretty... Anyway, it was pretty loud and the kids got really scared. No, the police are busy with the guy and they’re all over the house taking pictures of the damage. They said to tell you they’ll talk to you in a little bit. Yeah, but wait Mrs. Lowry, it gets worse... please don’t yell at me. I’m just trying to tell you... Oh, hi again, Mrs. Lowry. You took a Xanax? That’s good. Do you have any you can give Mr. Lowry?... Yeah, well, he’ll need them soon. After the cannonball went through the kitchen and the wall to your bathroom, it landed in Mr. Lowry’s closet... no, the gun closet. I know he got that new gun for deer this year. Well, I don’t know one gun from another Mrs. Lowry, but two of them are busted in pieces and two are all right. Maybe you shouldn’t tell him until you get home... Hello? Mr. Lowry??? Yes, it landed in your gun closet. I just told Mrs. Lowry. One of the policemen said you were gonna be really upset when you got home and that they should take the other guns out of the house so you don’t shoot the guy. The cop said your permit got shot, too. Well, I don’t know if it was in your lucky hunting vest, Mr. Lowry. I just heard the cop laugh and say, ‘Damn, he got the permit, too!’ Okay, you’re on your way, I’ll tell the police. Oh, and Mr. Lowry? The kids and I are all right, just in case anyone asks.”
Art Commentary
Documentaries
by Marion Wolberg Weiss Non-fiction films used to have a bad reputation, but many have gained international recognition recently. And well they should. Good documentaries are art forms with their own conventions and rules; they could easily take their place alongside many fictional movies. Hats off to the Hamptons International Film Festival for honoring such art forms from its inception 17 years ago (including Hoop Dreams and last year’s Herb and Dorothy). This year’s Learning From Light: The Vision of I.M. Pei not only continues the festival’s commitment but also joins the ranks of very few noteworthy documentaries featuring architects, like the one about Louis Kahn made by his son. The film has many purposes. First, I.M. Pei, at 92, might not be designing more buildings (like Paris’ Pyramide du Louvre and Washington’s East Wing of the National Gallery) after the one featured in this documentary. Yet Pei’s Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar is not just an homage to him, but a celebration of Islamic architecture. American viewers join Pei and director/writer Bo Landin in their fantastic journey of discovery. Learning From Light effectively mixes these diverse objectives in equal measure as we experience both Pei’s thirst for the meaning of Islamic architecture and its practical application to the Museum’s design and construction. The director’s arresting images and moving camera, and Yo-Yo Ma’s enthralling music support such expe-
riences with great clarity and understanding. One favorite scene is the opening montage where sweeping deserts, a majestic sunset and dripping water establish ambience while evoking the nature of Islamic architecture. Pei says: “Sun and desert define the essence of Islamic architecture, rather than the opulence of Alhambra.” How To Live Longer is an entirely different kind of documentary, although it conforms to the traditional conventions: recording events as they happen by the people actually involved. No actors, no scripts. In some ways, this film is similar to Learning From Light, representing a personal journey by director Mark Wexler. Motivated by his mother’s recent death, Wexler sets out to explore the subject of death and dying with a focus on living longer. Non-serious and serious episodes are mixed together: a funeral directors convention with a Marilyn Monroe look-alike; a high school class that studies aging by going to a rest home; and examinations of rejuvenation therapies, like laughter yoga. The most moving segments feature interviews with people over 100, including a 122-year-old woman. These individuals appear physically and mentally alert and serve as powerful inspirations, dismissing stereotypes of feeble elderly people with dementia. Director Wexler’s personal involvement in his documentary is also inspiring as he comes to terms with his mother’s death.
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