Hi, --- COLIN CLARK <colin.clark1@btinternet.com> escribió:
Well . . . depends on whether you think the film belongs to Claudia Heuremann (?) or John Zorn. In my view, "Bookshelf" is first & foremost the filmmaker's film; it's her story.
I think the title is very clear in this respect: "12 Stories about John Zorn". That's not too indicative of what's actually on the film .
For me, the glory of that film is that, in her work as a documentary film maker, she managed to make a work of art out of her obsession. Most of the rest of us have merely bookshelves and CD shelves and video shelves to show for it - all the way up to the sky and heavy with product.
Good intentions aren't enough, never. The fact that I write a piece on John Zorn or whoever doesn't make me any better than someone who just sits in his/her room and listens to "Elegy". The only thing that makes me different is maybe the fact that I'm taking the risk of writing an enormous piece of shit and, therefore, being subject to criticism. You'll never know if the process was efortless or if I was sweating my way through it, but does it matter in the end? Is the piece well-written? Does is accomplish its original intention? That's what counts for me. In Heuermann's case, I RESPECT 100% her efforts to complete the movie, but that doesn't immediately turn it into a good documentary, imho.
That she personalised the film, that she structured it as the story of her quest to get the film made at all, and that she so successfully avoided the straight-ahead, matter-of-fact documentary format that you get all the time on TV, in my humble opinion, made it all the more appealing.
I'm not particularly versed in the documentaries field, but I wouldn't say that "Bookshelf" is particularly original. I think there are too many repetitive scenes that really look like mere fillers (unnecessary, on the other hand); the reenactments I find them unnerving (director doesn't equal actor); and when I'm watching a band performing live I want to SEE the band, and not hear it while I see images of NYC; Zorn's collaborators are critical to his work but, besides remaining unidentified throughout, they weren't interviewed. I'm sure Ribot, Frith, Frisell and all these guys have insightful thoughts on Zorn's work.
What other stories are out there about the influence of Zorn?
None. Being the only documentary on John Zorn doesn't make it essential. What have people been moved to achieve, or
do, or become, in their own lives because of the sheer inspirational energy of the man & his art?
Maybe you should bear in mind that some people just don't feel the need to produce art, which is a very respectable choice, imho. How many movie-freaks do you know who have gotten into film-making or any related fields? That's absurd. I am content with the fact that Zorn has opened an extremely wide field of possibilities: composers, painters, writers, filmmakers, etc... And maybe write a (shitty) review of one of his albums every once in a while. Has
his music changed people's life paths in the manner of Claudia Heuermann?
Maybe more. I have the feeling that she has documented herself a lot but she has missed some very important points. Now I'll wait for "Would you do it any better?" responses. Best, Efrén del Valle ______________________________________________ Yahoo! lanza su nueva tecnologÃa de búsquedas ¿te atreves a comparar? http://busquedas.yahoo.es