BUREAU: FILM

BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE MAGAZINE

FILM SECTION:  INTERVIEWS . REVIEWS . ESSAYS . ARTICLES

BERT STERN: ORIGINAL MAD MAN . SCREENWRITER: GEORGE CLAYTON JOHNSON . INTERVIEW : DIRECTOR DOUG PRAY . INTERVIEW : TOM DONAHUE . BILLY MIZE AND THE BAKERSFIELD SOUND . INTERVIEW : MARNI ZELNICK . INTERVIEW : DAVID L. LEWIS . INTERVIEW: DEON TAYLOR. STARRED UP. 12 MUST SEE FILMS AND WHY. ON THE ROAD. HESHER. BIG WEDNESDAY . MARTIN SCORSESE. PARIS TEXAS. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. MARLON BRANDO. THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING . ORSON WELLES . QUIZ SHOW at TWENTY . JAMES DEAN . AKIRA KUROSAWA . THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY . DO THE RIGHT THING . TRIUMPH OF THE WALL

BERT STERN: ORIGINAL MAD MAN

An original & personal film created by one of Bert's Stern's longtime photographic subjects. This film is an insiders look at Mr. Stern's life, career, his history & approach to creating the images that the world of photographers and collectors have come to admire , appreciate and purchase as well as publish. Mr. Stern is famous for creating iconic portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and the more contemporary models and actresses through the years and up to the present day, including Lyndsey Lohan and Kate Moss. This is a home movie of sorts, sometime vague, other times exacting, sometimes personal, other times professional. Bert Stern has run the gamut, he's a character, an old schooler from the golden era of advertising. Most famously photographing what became Marilyn Monroe' s final photo- graphic session for Vogue Magazine. Mr Stern was in the thick of New York when photographs became the chosen media for advertisements which up to that time relied heavily on drawings, graphics and illustrations. Bert Stern is an artist who happened upon a camera and, as many professionals will testify, trans- formed the industry of photographic advertising, portraiture and selling an image. This film is a casual look at Mr Stern, told by Bert Stern himself, over a glass of wine, breakfast, after hours conversations. We meet his loves, his successes, his foibles and witness his comeback from a forgotten and obscure iconic image maker to a collected and respected lion of the industry. This is a good introduction to Mr Stern who continues to somehow keep himself in the public eye, through controversy as well as revisiting the themes and images that made him famous to begin with. The film is presented by First Run Features which has a large volume of documentaries on interesting, controversial and obsessive personalities like Ferlinghetti, Phil Ochs, Mumia, Charles & Ray Eames, Howard Zinn, Harper Lee, Fidel Castro and Erroll Garner among others. In the politically correct world of today's film and filmmakers, First Run Features has a brave catalogue of feature documentaries that are controversial, entertaining and fiercely original. Look for more Reviews of their films here at The BUREAU.        www.FirstRunFeatures.com

GEORGE  CLAYTON  JOHNSON : SCREENWRITER  

By Joshua TRILIEGI

This magazine was once an Art Studio, it transformed into a professional Gallery and later into a multi media center for celebrating the arts of all types: Fine Art, Painting Sculpture, Photography, Classic and Contemporary Arts, Poetry, Music and Film. About this time of year almost twenty years ago, we decided to screen several original Twilight Zone prints on 16MM film reels and invite an audience. Back then, if you were sincere, forthright and naive enough, you could simply pick up the phone, make a few inquiries and next thing knew, you were on the phone with someone like George Clayton Johnson. By the way, thank you to the lady at the writers guild who broke protocol sensing that many of our older, wiser and more talented writers in this town were not getting enough attention from the next generation. In Bogart and Bacall fashion, she helped Sam Spade. 

The phone rings several times, "Hello, Is this George Clayton Johnson the original writer for The Twilight Zone ?", I asked, sounding not unlike a child actor from an Old Time Radio Show: raspy, anxious, hurried. At that time, I had no idea that George also wrote Logan's Run, The story for The Original Oceans Eleven and a slew of Television shows including: The first Star Trek episode, Kung Fu, Route 66 & Alfred Hitchcock Presents. "Yes, this is he." The voice on the other line replied. I was ecstatic, this was not the first writer from the series I had called, many had passed away, others lived in New York or elsewhere, and to top it off George had actually been the writer of one of the reels we were showing and of some of the best work in the Zone series: Kick The Can, A Penny for Your Thoughts, A Game of Pool, Nothing in The Dark : Each a Twilight Zone Classic. 

I explained what we had planned and asked if he might be interested in appearing for the screenings, [ long pause ] "Yes, I would."  In Hollywood, that is the phrase that opens doors, that is the phrase that begins careers, that is the phrase that starts the great journey, it is the phrase we want to hear from those we love, those we wish to work with and those we admire. And, in classic sci-fi style: everything appeared different after that dialogue. The objects in my office seemed different, as if gravity meant nothing, the world was do able, the opportunities seemed endless and I was about to hang out with a writer I had admired since childhood. Suddenly, we were The Bureau of Arts and Culture, we were purveyors of not just Art, Music and Poetry, but now, we were actually presenting and honoring great writers in town. George showed up trailed by a film crew, he was the great philosopher and old pro and I was a mere student & enthusiast: the perfect combination.

It was Obi Wan & Luke. It was the great Chief and a New Warrior. It was George and I. It was also our first official, 'Question and Answer ' exchange with a real working writer. Mr Johnson was a fabulous guest, there was standing room only, we were 'On The Map'. Flash forward almost 20 years. Mr Johnson has had a total resurgence, due to the many  remakes of his original story: Oceans Eleven by director Steven Soderberg and the other  subsequent films including, Oceans Twelve and Oceans Thirteen. From what we are hearing around town, there will soon be a new Logans Run. We at the BUREAU are very proud to have been on the forefront of recognizing one of The most imaginative and greatest writers working in Hollywood since the early Nineteen Sixties. We wish to thank George Clayton Johnson for his contribution, not only to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Film and Television, but for his collaboration, cooperation and very cool demeanor in  working with and recognizing our earnest and heartfelt efforts at a time when many pros  had no idea who we were and what it was we were doing at the time. Many still haven't. Mr. George Clayton Johnson has always been ahead of his time and in a way, so are we. 

Even our name  was confusing to people: The BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE. It sure sounded official for an Artist run organization. So much so that, curators from Cultural Affairs working for the city actually came down and hand picked artists for Exhibitions. So to did many reporters for Vanity Fair, Coagula Arts Journal, The LA Weekly, The LA Times, The New Times, Venice Magazine, Fine Art International. Cultural Non profits such as LA Goethe Institute were extremely enthusiastic about our exhibitions & events. 

All in all, The BUREAU found itself at the correct place at the correct time doing what many Institutes do with big bank rolls, non profit status or major grants from corporate and private institutes. We did it with enthusiasm, we did it with honesty, we did it with care and we did it without all the phony and fake affiliative aspects that now have pervaded the entire landscape of entertainment, art institutes and music/film related non profits of today. Were still doing it with this publication and we will go on doing just that with whatever venture this artist run organization enters into. After all, we also make Art, Films and Books. Without the George Clayton Johnson's of the world, This organization  would not be what it is: Thank You George. 

DOUG PRAY: FILMMAKER

We are extremely pleased and proud to bring you inside the mind of one of America's leading documentary filmmakers with a catalogue of films that each speak to the culture and subculture of America. Since the mid 1990s Doug Pray has been creating substantial and succesful films with a built in audience documenting subjects that have grown in popularity since their initial inception. He has covered Surfing, Street Art, Rap and Rock Music, Trucking, Advertising and Modern Art. In this Exclusive and deeply Educational Conversation, Doug Pray describes his career, his films, the process and development of each project in extreme, in depth detail. Doug Pray's films seem to hit a chord that fits right in with our readership and we can think of no better way to say how very happy we are to have him as our Guest Filmmaker in this Edition.

  

Joshua Triliegi:  Most of your films directly speak to many of our readers’ interest.  Lets talk about how a film like SURFWISE, about the famous Paskowitz Family, was created.

Doug Pray: SURFWISE was a story that had to be told by someone, and I felt lucky when its producers presented it to me as a potential project. The Paskowitz family is, and was, such a rare, living example of an idealistic dream fully realized. An experiment that went all the way. We can all claim to want to get away from society and live life on our own terms. Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz and his wife Juliette did it. Not for a day, or a week, or a month – for decades.  And with total purity. When Doc passed away just a few weeks ago, he was still at it, living a dynamic life at 93.

Though the Paskowitz family had attained media attention and notoriety in the ‘70s and ‘80s – both for being a world-famous surfing family and for the children’s later successes as champion surfers, rock musicians, artists, models, and more – the whole story, beginning, middle, and end, had never been told. That complete story was two burning truths, the collision of which made for an exciting, emotional movie. 

The first truth was the dream. A Stanford-trained doctor is repulsed by the unhealthy lifestyles being taught and practiced by the medical establishment. He drops out of society, falls in love with the perfect woman (willing to join his mission), raises 9 children, lives in a camper on the beach and pursues a lifestyle more in sync with the natural human beings we used to be (exercise/rest/sex/diet befitting animals in the wild), and less like the disgustingly unhealthy creatures we’ve become.  For the next 20 years he carries out this experiment with his family: surfing every day, healthy living, no school, a nomadic “off-the-grid” type of existence, a close, loving family. It was beautiful. And the kids were better for it! Homeschooling and surfing made them strong and smart. Today they are the brightest, most dynamic, full-of-life folks you’ll ever meet. 

The other truth, the downside, is that to pull this off, one has to be a domineering extremist. Like many narcissistic, visionary leaders, Doc’s inspiration was only as strong as his ego and his blinders.  He was, at times, abusive to his family and in fulfilling his personal vision for the family he created a lot of pain and turmoil. And the kids, even though they had this seemingly wonderful upbringing, were not well prepared for the “real world” and they struggled terrifically as a result. As a filmmaker, I was grateful this film came to me with built-in conflict. Normally I’m trying to drum up conflict with editorial finessing to make a story more dynamic. 

Plus, though I’m not a surfer, I was allowed to celebrate this incredibly rich subculture from deep inside its heart, with its ultimate spokesman, Doc Paskowitz (R.I.P.). I got to explore his philosophies of surfing and show the healing power of the ocean waves first hand. I was able to prove to the world the power of surfing and to discard the half-assed surfer stereotypes we get from movies and popular culture. I’ve tried to do that in all my films. 

Joshua Triliegi:  Your films seem to touch on a truth about American cultural moments in time and place. SCRATCH takes us into the Hip Hop scene of the early 2000's. 

Doug Pray: SCRATCH, more than any of the seven films I’ve made about American subcultures, is one we were actually shooting at the very moment it became part of the zeitgeist.  We were filming hip hop DJs and “turntablists” in 1999-2000 but it felt like we were witnessing the birth of jazz. There was this rediscovery of hip-hop’s improvisational, and uplifting roots. The movement recaptured the energy from the late ‘70s South Bronx and upped it. And it happened at a time when mainstream rap music had become so commercialized and meaningless by bling, gangster violence, and bloated stars. It was one of those cyclical moments in culture when people say, ‘WTF! Let’s take this back to the beginning, to move forward.’ Hip hop was started by DJs.  So filming them as instrumental wizards of the 1’s and 2’s at the front of the stage (again) was as profound to its original inventors (like Afrika Bambaataa, Grand Mixer DXT, and Jazzy Jay), as it was to the new generation, like Qbert, DJ Shadow, and Rob Swift, flipping it on its head.

Always the outsider, and a newcomer to hip hop, I fell in love with the energy of this music at the same moment many others were.  The vibe I was able to capture on film felt so fresh (Fr Fr Fr Fressssh, that is). The performers knew it. The audiences knew it. My cinematographers knew it. And I had a blast editing it.  It’s one doc where my filmmaking style itself was fully inspired by the subject, musically and editorially. My assignment with SCRATCH was to blow away audiences in the same way people go nuts when their DJ drops an impossibly great track on the dance floor: surprise and exuberance, regardless of whether or not you liked hip hop or knew the song. Playing the role of intermediary or translator is something I’ve also tried to do in all my films.  I love taking something that is very insider, underground, or misunderstood, and making it so that it’s actually felt by all viewers.

Joshua Triliegi:  Early on, documentary filmmakers tend to follow a subject they have an interest in, such as HYPE!, your film on the Seattle music scene. Later, offers come in to cover a certain event, such as your most recent film, LEVITATED MASS. Tell our readers a bit about the journey your career has taken.

Doug Pray: I’ve never really wanted to do any of the films I did, initially. I wasn’t enough of a fan or just didn’t understand the subject at first. Yet there’s always been something after a few months of consideration that hooks my curiosity in a deeper way and makes me feel like I just have to make the movie, like an assignment that I must accept.

HYPE! was my first film and I fought against it the hardest, because it seemed like bad idea and my producer and I started filming too late to do the “real” Seattle music scene justice.  Ironically, it made the most sense of any project for me to direct because my college roommates were members of the Young Fresh Fellows who were one of the more influential Seattle bands in the mid-‘80s (not famous, not grunge, but beloved and highly inspirational to other bands and labels in the area). Thanks to them, and the band Flop (for whom I’d directed music videos) I already had access to this super vibrant, authentic, and wonderfully ridiculous music scene. It just hadn’t occurred to me to make a film about it.  

 Sometimes the best subjects for documentaries are right in front of you and you don’t recognize it. Because, while I was digging my friend’s bands, this “grunge rock” thing was becoming the next global rock phenomenon all around us.  A ton of bands like Mudhoney, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Sub Pop and other labels, and the world’s media, created what was the world’s last, definable, local music movement. The grunge scene was so strongly identified with Seattle it may have even killed – forever—the notion of a city music scene ever happening again. I eventually realized that the hyping of Seattle was the story itself, and the transformation from “underground-authentic” to “exposed-labeled-exploited” needed to be shown and told. 

I’m not sure if it’s because I was influenced by my three much-older brothers, or because I was a sociology major in college, but I’ve always wanted to know why underground movements start, and how they get processed by mainstream culture. I have an innate desire to delve into a widely misunderstood culture and try to get people to appreciate it for what it really is and where it really came from.  And the more “out there” or abstract or intimidating it is, the more I enjoy building a bridge to it. 

Certainly that was the case with my newest film, LEVITATED MASS. The way Michael Heizer’s boulder was hyped and labeled and became something completely different to hundreds of thousands of people during its transport, than what the sculpture was itself.

SCRATCH hooked me after I talked to Mix Master Mike one night and suddenly realized how completely wrong my stereotypes about hip hop were. I wanted to right that.  INFAMY, an emotional portrait of the lives of six notorious graffiti writers, is about the most dominant and present art forms on the planet, but completely misunderstood; seemingly loved or hated for all the wrong reasons.  I wanted to humanize the artists. Not trying to make them likeable but relatable.  The advertising geniuses in ART & COPY, like illegal taggers, were similarly vilified (advertising being the devil’s work, and all), but their creative struggle was the same: success gained only by taking huge risks. To me, even the very people who were creating mass media seemed to be frustrated outsiders, with a lot to say.  

My fourth film, BIG RIG began as a mindless celebration of chrome and ‘70s trucker songs (which I loved). But after I found out that fun wacky culture didn’t exist, it morphed into a 25,000 mile moody journey into this rather depressed community of workers who carry the nation on their backs and get little or nothing in return. Independent truck drivers aren’t artists or musicians, but they are maverick individuals who are often extremists in their behavior or beliefs, not unlike Doc Paskowitz or Michael Heizer or life-long graffiti writers. They are people who have set out to make bold statements, who are independent.

With each new film I thought was rebelling against my last film. After SURFWISE I knew I’d never do another surf film. After INFAMY I didn’t want to do another graffiti film. Yet the more I tried to change the channel away from my last subject– just to keep life interesting – the more each documentary found similar themes. Only today, looking back, can I see these patterns for the first time—a formed constellation of what I thought were disconnected stars. 

Joshua Triliegi:  BIG RIG takes us on the road in a behind-the-scenes style of 18 wheel truck drivers coast to coast. Discuss the building of trust when covering documentary subjects.

Doug Pray: It is hard for me to defend the importance of trust when making documentary films because it is so essential. It’s as important as having air to breath. I think trust, between director and subject (just as it is between a director and actor) is essential, and makes for good interviews and good films.In some ways, I have it easy: I don’t make overtly political films. I don’t have to interview enemies.  I admire people who can go into war zones and get the truth from all sources, even those not trusted.  I respect filmmakers who have the guts to confront their most hated adversaries (so long as those privileges aren’t abused and quotes taken out of context for purely sensational edits, which backfires and annoys me to no end.)I have no enemies in my movies, nor do I judge my subjects. I leave that to the audience. I believe every individual on the planet is equally fallible and lovable, and—in some small way—can be relatable. I’m always grateful that they are letting me film their lives and thoughts. They’re giving me a gift and it’s never the other way around.  My whole approach to an interview subject is geared to gain trust.  A small example: I rarely ask someone to sign an interview release form before their interview starts, even if I know I’m taking that person to places that are extremely uncomfortable. I tell them to feel free to stop or rethink or delete whatever they’re saying while we’re talking. This approach fosters trust and results in more in-depth, uncensored responses than I might get if there was mistrust.  We are working together and not in a hunter-prey situation (no pun intended), their degree of comfort directly results in more honest responses. Despite my last name, I am not very religious.  But I was raised as a Quaker and one of the interesting things about their history is that they assumed trust. 

This played out in courtrooms where they refused to take oaths when in court. After all, if you were always telling the truth, why would you separate out a certain part of your day to swear that you are going to be telling the truth? Why would I expect someone to sign a release if I wasn’t going to reciprocate and treat them with respect? With BIG RIG trust had to be gained in a matter of seconds. There was no pre-casting or research to find characters. We found all of our interview subjects in truck stops parking lots. Most truckers are in a hurry and the last thing they want is to be solicited in a parking lot (I quickly learned that the only people who do are prostitutes, drug dealers, and documentary filmmakers). I needed to spend a few hours or half a day in a truck with a driver so I had to have my pitch down to 10 seconds flat, like speed-dating. I’d immediately tell them who I was, what I wanted, and how it would work. I had to be completely transparent. I’d joke about how absurd it was that a filmmaker from LA was approaching them at this moment, disarming them with self-deprecation. I held the camera in my hands so they saw it and knew it was real. I had a flyer that made it legit. My producer and I were still chased out of numerous truck stops by cops, owners, people with broomsticks… but about one out of ten let us into their truck, and once they were rolling and I was rolling, let me into their lives.  I told them we could talk about anything they want. They needed to trust that I was not trying to abuse or exploit them and that I didn’t have a political agenda. I just wanted the truth about life on the road and their lives themselves.  I said that to every trucker. They said loads of things that were compelling, sometimes crazy, and other times personally disagreeable, but that only made them more interesting to me.  More than any other I let that film write itself, in the same way a hitchhiking journey finds its own route. 

Joshua Triliegi: Tell us about your graffiti film INFAMYand how you actually became a documentary filmmaker?

Doug Pray: INFAMY is the most hands-on, scrappy film I’ve ever done, and maybe my favorite because it demanded more immediate, thinking-in-the-moment filmmaking skills from me than any other film.  I was shooting illegal activities, and underground figures who like to stay anonymous and aren’t used to throwing up interviews. We couldn’t show up with a four-person crew or have the apparatus of typical location filming. So I’d shoot and interview at the same time, and wanted to be able to ditch the camera (and myself) if caught in the act of graffiti.    

Though it’s a lifestyle choice they’ve made early on, there’s nothing easy or fun about most hardcore graffiti writers’ lives, once they’ve dedicated their lives to it. INFAMY brought up a lot of pain, regrets, and emotion. It also was a blast (danger is, after all, fun). The careening unpredictability of their lives allowed me, as a filmmaker, to be freer and find the story on the spot – what to film, where to go, and what lives to focus on. This idea of writing while you are filming and writing while you are editing (though I didn’t edit INFAMY) is what I love about making documentaries.

I’m terrible at inventing stuff out of thin air.  I’m useless with a blank page and have never been able to write fiction. Movies, to me, were something you had to do – they were never some “big idea”, they were assigned by life. After taking a few film classes at Columbia College in Chicago and making some completely confusing shorts, I moved to San Francisco and started working for a documentary film producer named Woody Clark. I was in charge of shipping for a whole year, and sent 16mm prints of the first-ever documentary about sexual harassment in the workplace to hundreds of companies suddenly worried about lawsuits (the phrase had just been coined). So, the first lesson I learned in the “biz” was wrong: you can make a lot of money on socially relevant documentaries. Woody did, and it threw me off for life! 

At that company I got my first break, editing and producing a semi-corporate but gut-wrenching documentary project for a hospital in Virginia that treated children with traumatic brain injuries. That got me into the UCLA Producers Program and from there I snuck into their directing-production program. I went there for four years but never took a documentary class. Instead I learned about working with actors, getting performances, cameras, lenses, lighting—all of which made me a better non-fiction director—and film structure, the most important skill I ever learned.  

After graduating, it took me a year to realize that I’d never write that great American screenplay, that I wasn’t actually Francis Ford Coppola (which was a shame), and that nobody gave a damn that I had an MFA. This whole time, a fellow producer, Steve Helvey, was bugging the hell out of me, wanting to make a film about the Seattle music scene.  I hated the idea and kept putting him off until I was, in fact, directing that film, HYPE!, my first feature doc.  

Joshua Triliegi: ART & COPY is all about advertising, art and ideas for sale, When do you know you have enough material, interviews and images for your documentaries?

Doug Pray: You don’t ever realize. There is no moment when you are done shooting. There is no magic moment when you realize you are done editing. You can keep doing it for the rest of your natural life, and we’ve all met filmmakers who do just that. Usually you just have to stop you’re so exhausted and depressed, occasionally because you’re happy with the cut.

You start with a rough idea of all the things you think you need. Then you set up a production plan and figure out how you will go about getting it all. For my films, it’s usually been about five or six weeks of shooting spread out over six months or a year. We’ll usually edit rough sections as we accumulate footage, and once we have a full rough cut, it becomes much clearer what we need to tell the story that we don’t yet have.  I’ll go shoot more interviews and that later footage often becomes the essential glue to hold things together.   

For ART & COPY we knew who the advertising legends we wanted to interview were. In each case the request was similar: I wanted an in-depth interview, possibly a follow-up interview, and a half day with them shooting b-roll. It was while shooting b-roll that I’d often get freer, better quotes, stuff that might not have come out in the interview. For example, I met George Lois in his apartment in New York City and we did a two-hour interview. Then we went to the West Bronx and he walked around his old neighborhood and we just had a conversation. He talked about getting into fights as a kid, of being an outsider, and his quotes and this neighborhood and the energy of the city supported this idea that he was a fighter throughout his whole life. From 1960s protests to his in-your-face ad campaigns which punched you in the gut.

After we’d shot most of ART & COPY and were deep into editing I got frustrated that it was all talking heads.  I wanted this film to operate on a higher, more inspirational level, since the whole movie was, after all, about creative inspiration, taking risks, and big ideas.  I wanted to get out of these advertising campaigns and physically show how these people are affecting our daily lives without just running a bunch of ads. I wanted to see the mechanics of mass communication, not just talk about them. My producers and I brainstormed and this led to the idea of showing communications satellites. Within a few months, we were in French Guiana shooting a massive satellite being launched.  The justification?  Ads pay for TV. TV comes from satellites. But editorially, the rocket launch gave a subtle, building structure to the whole movie, a climax and a payoff. 

I must say, most docs could use a rocket launch. Too often people forget that feature documentaries are still movies.  Regardless of the subject they ought to be cinematic and entertaining. That extra two or three months of finishing (re-editing, re-writing, re-structuring, re-working my sound-design until it rocks) is my favorite part of the whole process.  

Joshua Triliegi: What are you working on now? 

Doug Pray: LEVITATED MASS was my seventh feature doc and there’s something about the number 7 that is allowing me to change things up. So, aside from supporting its theatrical release this fall (LEVITATED MASS is coming out on iTunes, DVD and other digital platforms this month), I find myself involved in a number of projects and acting more as a producer than a director. At the moment, I am executive producing and editing a music-based project that Allen Hughes (of Hughes Brothers fame) is directing for HBO. I’m working with the producers of ART & COPY to make a non-fiction television series about the results of creative thinking around the world, filming innovative individuals, organizations and businesses in Detroit, Peru, and elsewhere.  I’m working with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on a film for their 50th anniversary.  I’m doing some exciting commercial work with Bob (Bob is a company, not a person). I am also helping a filmmaker named Patrick O’Brien finish his ten-year-long feature-length documentary about his life with ALS. It is called TRANSFATTY LIVES. At first I just brought on an editor for him (Lasse Järvi who cut INFAMY and SURFWISE), but now I’m heavily involved as a producer and post supervisor. It’s not my film, but Patrick is an amazing, magnetic personality and I’ve enjoyed helping him realize his documentary.  He lives in Boston and is completely paralyzed but with a lucid, brilliant mind.  His movie is fairly crazy and super emotional and it’s been a wonderful challenge. It will premiere in 2015.

Joshua Triliegi: Do you foresee an evolution into non-documentary filmmaking? 

Doug Pray: It’s funny to me that I ended up having a career directing non-fiction film. I love working with actors. I love directing actors to the point where they seem like they are not performing at all, as if they are in a documentary. I also love getting “performances” out of non-actors and working that grey area. Years ago I used to imagine making dramatic films that were unscripted but based on providing a set of motivations for the characters who are journeying through documentary locations.  Some would argue this is the definition of reality TV, but I was more interested in making loose, emotional features.  More and more great filmmakers are doing exactly that today. To that end, there are three dramatic films I’m currently developing for me to direct. They are open-ended enough to allow for strong non-fiction texture and influences. Stepping back from the documentary genre as a whole… the changes in the last 25 years since I started directing are so outstanding it’s hard to imagine where we’ll all end up. It used to take $100,000 and lots of meetings with investors to even consider mounting the most raw documentary because you had to pay for processing, film stock, and the mechanics of post. Being a filmmaker in the ‘80s seemed very special and rare. Today’s filmmakers have to compete with thousands more like them, which is a drag, but they also can.  They have crowd-funding, small cameras with superb imagery, and distribution venues so prevalent it’s annoying.  Everyone is a cinematographer, everyone is an editor, everyone is an director.  This is Silicon Valley’s dream, that we are all masters of our destinies, fulfilling our unique potentials and creating beautiful little films about ourselves through our devices and apps. It’s kind of fun, but ultimately kind of narcissistic and meaningless to me. In the end, great stories, well told, are the only things that last.  This has been true for 20,000 years of human history.  Whether it’s a six-second Vine video or a four-hour linear doc, it only matters if the story moves us. 

Joshua Triliegi:  What is the single most challenging aspect of creating a documentary, in your experience?

Doug Pray: It is almost always just after I arrive at the first rough cut of a new movie. This is the first big “step-back” from the project, the first time my producers or collaborators get a decent look at the fruits of our labor, it’s the single biggest moment of assessment in a doc.  And it just never looks, sounds, or smells any good. For me, it is awful and heartbreaking. All that great footage is actually in there and none of it seems to work. I always feel like I made a huge mistake in taking on the project but at that point it is way too late to turn back. What’s worse is that I KNOW this is going to happen and then it does, yet again, each time.  Why?  I don’t know, there must be some law laid down by the gods of creativity.  (maybe it’s the “blood on the pages rule”: that scripts which do not have actual blood or perhaps tear stains on the pages aren’t worth reading). Regardless, it’s at this point in a project’s life that I will inevitably need an outsider – usually a producer or writer or advisor – to come into the editing room and basically kick my ass and force me to rethink the film in a bigger and better way.  I have to hit bottom for me to start re-finding the film. Sometimes it’s a different film than I thought I was making in the first place, sometimes it’s a reaffirmation of exactly what we were after in the first place.  The most challenging moment on my film LEVITATED MASS wasn’t during the edit.  It was during production when, no less than six months into production, I finally met my main character, the reclusive and amazing American land-artist Michael Heizer, and suddenly realized that he had absolutely no interest in being interviewed or letting me film his personal life, and that he would not compromise. I had to rethink the whole project and figure out how to make it as compelling as the film I’d originally set out to make.  In the end, it worked out well—Heizer generously gave me access to his work and his process, but while his backstory is a key part of the film, it’s not about him. That realigning… just like rewriting your film’s edit, it’s never easy.  And it’s an essential component of all non-fiction filmmaking.

Joshua Triliegi: Where did you study and what advice would you give young readers and filmmakers?

Doug Pray: I studied sociology at Colorado College (liberal arts undergrad) and received an MFA from the UCLA School of Film and Television. I don’t think film school is required, at all, for people to become professional filmmakers, but I needed it for sure and I loved every minute of it. It gave me the confidence to call myself a director and the knowledge to be one.  Some directors know exactly what they want and how to get it without school.  Marc Webb, a good friend of mine (who directed 500 Days of Summer and the last two Spiderman movies), didn’t need one minute of film school.  He knew how to teach himself and studied other directors and their styles and had enough initiative to work his way into becoming one of America’s more prolific music video directors, which led to his first feature.  Whether by crewing, or just directing your own low-budget DIY feature, or going to film school, or writing a script, or making a doc about your cat, there are many many ways to become a filmmaker. And… many, many filmmakers.  So the question remains: what do you have to say, and are you a good story teller?  Pencils and paper have been around for hundreds of years: did the availability of those tools result in many more great novels?  

 But aside from story, I ultimately think the main difference between people who are successful in non-fiction and those who are not, is tenacity. They persist. They don’t quit. They get through the downs and the depressions and they keep on trying to make it work. Whether they have to keep shooting, keep editing, bring on another editor, or change their story altogether. They bury their ego, face the truth, and find a way to make it work. They are able to re-access their initial passion and energy for the project. Again and again. There have been, sadly, a number of projects I had to walk away from in my career, for various reasons (usually myself to blame). They were failures and it’s painful for me to think about them.  They were all great stories about real lives, they featured real people whom I admired and had (nearly) committed to. Trust had been built, but then things didn’t work out. Those are the sad anomalies, the exceptions that prove the rule, that—in fact—directing documentaries is an absolutely wonderful adventure.  I feel pretty lucky. Visit The Official Doug Pray Website to learn more about current releases: http://dougpray.com

BUREAU Magazine: New CINEMA

Billy MIZE & The Bakersfield Sound 

By  Joshua  TRILIEGI

History is sometimes told by outsiders, sometimes by insiders and sometimes by someone simply very interested in the facts, in this case: it's a little of each. Billy MIZE and The Bakersfield Sound is a New Documentary that tells the story of California's forgotten history. We have got a lot of those around this Golden State. So very much has happened out here in The West. William J. Saunders steps up to tell the story of his Grandfather, songwriter and musician, Mr Billy Mize. A local legend of sorts for anyone living in the middle of California in the 1950's & 1960's. Billy Mize was a big part of what is now commonly called, the Bakersfield Sound. An offshoot of Country Western Music with its own Rock - a - Billy bar room blend of hard driving guitar, rough edged rhythm and wide audience appeal that to this today is influential to musicians such as Dave Alvin, who appears in this film to help tell the story. So too does Merle Haggard and a host of people who were there or highly influenced by the music that was created during that time. A hard driving, hard working community of people whom many migrated to California during The Great Depression ala John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and settled into middle California seeking employment in Agriculture. 

Billy Mize and his pals had to actually establish the Academy of Country Western Music to chime in and recognize each other and their contemporaries out West. Artists such as Elvis, Dean Martin, Barbara Mandrell and others are sited as influenced and impressed by The Bakersfield Scene. Billy Mize, looked after new talent, collaborated, produced and performed with the likes of folks such as Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, who would go on to prosperous profits and notoriety while Billy, sometimes, did not. This documentary elliptically raises the question: What is Success ? Is it a top ten hit or is it a happy marriage or is it simply being satisfied with the things you have done ? Ask that question to three different people and you will get three different answers. This film allows each viewer to decide for themselves that answer and meanwhile we learn much about the center of California, The Music of Bakersfield and the career(s) of a whole group of people that clearly deserve our recognition. This is a patchwork quilt of a film that is truly American in its creation. Tap to visit  http://www.billymizemovie.com/ 

 

TOM DONAHUE : INTERVIEW

Who could ever imagine an American film world without the likes of performers such as James Dean,  Jack Nicholson,  Al Pacino,  Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Glenn Close, Sissy Spacek,  Bette Midler,  Robert Duvall,  John Voight, Diane Lane and  Jeff Bridges ?  Add to that list about a couple hundred other important contributors, including Directors such as Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Norman Lear, John Sayles. Take it a step further and ask yourself what if someone else had been cast in their pinnacle roles in film?  Well, due to Marion Dougherty, a casting legend, we often have the perfect person for the role .

Tom Donahue Directed a very  engaging  documentary  all  about  MS. Dougherty entitled, "Casting By". BUREAU Editor Joshua TRILIEGI spoke to Tom about The Film, his prior documentary on Artist Cindy Sherman & the general process of film making. Since then, the film has been picked up by HBO Documentaries and won a bunch of festival awards. The gist of the film : Are casting professionals 'Directors' ? are they, 'Casting Directors' ? Any actor will tell you: "Hell yeah." Apparently, no matter how many chime in, and many great directors too, it is still debated by the powers that be. The story takes us through, not just Marion's career, but many of the performers and ultimately through film history. 

JT: Your first film was on Artist Cindy Sherman, What led you to this project and how were you first introduced to the subject ?

TD: "Guest of Cindy Sherman" came about from a phone call I got from artist Spencer Tunick (I had edited two HBO feature docs about him).  He told me about this guy, Paul H-O who is dating Cindy Sherman and sitting on a mass of amazing footage but had no real idea what to do with it.  Paul and I met and agreed to co-direct though we didn't exactly know what we were going to take at that point.  From the footage I saw, I could only see a first act.  A month or so later, Paul called me & told me he was going to do a monologue for a bunch of friends & that my producing partner and I should come check it out.  He thought this monologue might hold the key to the rest of the film.  He was right.  Paul titled it 'Guest of Cindy Sherman' and, in it, detailed the emotional crisis he was going through dating such a famous artist.  The monologue appears in the film. Now, we at least had the first two acts.  We wouldn't have the third until three years later when Cindy and Paul called it quits (partly due to the film).

JT: The film tells a personal story, but also a larger overall history and evolution of the industry. How did you go about correlating the two with such a nice balance ?

TD: It was not easy. We culled through a mountain of 240 interviews (with lots of conflicting stories) and a seemingly limitless amount of archival material.  There are actually three stories in the film  -There is the story of Marion's career with Lynn Stalmaster playing counterpoint & then there is the story of the industry politics.  For a while, the film got away from me as I began interviewing people with no connection to Marion, opening the doc up to stories from multiple casting directors.   This proved way too much.  We scaled back and refocused the doc on our primary character but now with the added benefit of a broader perspective.  Note in the structure that Lynn's career is introduced through Marion's.  All of the film's themes remain tied to her story.

Casting Choices : Robert Redford, William Shatner, Warren Beatty,  Robert Duvall, James Dean,  Burt Reynolds, Peter Fonda and Martin Sheen, Christopher Walken 

JT: The editing in this picture is very smooth but rather complicated, so many interviews and personalities, was this the first time you worked with the editor ? How did you go about picking and choosing ? Was there an EDL  [ Edit DecisionList ] prior to inviting in The Editor ? 

TD: I had an amazing editor ( my wife, Jill Schweitzer ). The editing took eighteen months. Yes, this was the first time we worked together on such a large scale as director and editor.  Initially, I would select from the transcripts and figure out the anecdotes and sequences we needed to build ( way too many, of course ).

JT: You sat in the room with some of the most brilliant Actors, Directors and Producers in the industry, What was it like to be interviewing some of you heroes, realizing that you were now one of their contemporaries ?

TD: I treated each interview like a masterclass in filmmaking.  I learned more than I probably even realize. 

JT: The Film tells the story, as well as subtly advocates for the respect of Casting Directors in the industry, a somewhat controversial position up to this point. How did you see this challenge when you started the project ?

TD: I believed very strongly that casting directors needed to get their due. I never doubted that I had to take a very firm position on that.

JT: You went for two whole years, without turning a camera on, while your producers went searching for more finishing funds. What did you do during those years and did that reprieve allow you to review material and in the end, assist to make this picture what it is today ?

TD: I finished, went around to festivals and theatrically released Guest of Cindy Sherman.  And I produced & edited the feature film, Ponies (starring John Ventimiglia and Kevin Corrigan).  Once that was completed (early 2010), I decided to go full steam ahead on Casting By, even without much money in place.  After accumulating some amazing interviewees, we got our financing.  Sometimes you just need to do it.

JT: The interviews with your subject are heartfelt, honest & deeply moving. How did you get such an honest and open relationship with your subject and what advice do you have for Documentary film makers in this regard,

TD:  Be real.  Be open. Know that it's not about you. Don't talk too much. Listen. Listen.  Listen. Don't try to show how smart you are or what a good talker you are.  You are there to hear their stories. They don't need to hear yours. And in that regard, know what your objectives are-  Know  what  you  need  to get and know that you are getting it.  That said, 

be open to surprise and go with it. Never shut it down. Know when to interrupt & mostly, don't. Don't step on sentences. You never know. And acknowledge that you are listening in the silences. Finally, I don't use narration so I try to make sure I am hearing complete, coherent sentences so my editor has what they need to tell the story.

JT: The music is very effective and straight ahead, loyal to the period and moves the sections along nicely, Did you work with a team of sound designers & musicians ?

TD:  I have a brilliant composer named Leigh Roberts (Leigh scores White Collar, Graceland and has done work on House & Parenthood).  We started by spotting the cut together, identifying what our themes needed to be & where music needed to go.  We decided Marion needed two themes - A "process" theme, which we heard whenever we discussed the mechanics of casting and Marion's theme, which was more romantic, more about the magic of Marion and her gut instincts.  We gave Lynn a jazz-inflected theme to help differentiate his sequences.  In the end, Leigh composed sixty-two cues for the film, an incredible number.  I absolutely love his work on this picture.

JT: The re enactments and graphic realization using Photographs are extremely effective and completely service the story, how did you go about creating the graphic elements and who did you work with on these segments ?

TD: Michael Saul did an excellent job on all of the motion graphics. There is such amazing heart in his work. Ken Edge did the color illustration of key photographs. River Road Creative provided the tree/watercolor animation toward the end.  My basic philosophy regarding animation, music, etc is to help keep the story moving, add to it emotionally and never get in the way.

JT: I understand you also have enough footage in the archive to create a series, Do you foresee another larger version and or continuing the saga on cable in some way ?

TD: We are hopeful that we can create a series with the additional interviews we gave ( 180 ! ) and will explore the possibilities down the road. Needless to say, there is a lot 

of great material !

MARNI ZELNICK:  Film Director 

BUREAU Editor Joshua Triliegi talks with Marni Zelnick about her most recent feature film.

TRILIEGI: DRUID PEAK is a wonderful film. Tell us about your earliest interest in this particular subject and how you went about developing the project. 

MARNI ZELNICK: A lot of the story elements that eventually became part of Druid Peak were things that had been germinating with me for a long time. The effect external geography can have on our internal selves; the almost haphazard but devastatingly permanent way life can be lost when you’re a teenager; the fact that people so rarely ask the right questions of each other; the power animals have to communicate without speaking, and how their vulnerability can move even the most stoic heart. I think every writer has those things. But the immediate catalyst for the film was a $100,000 production grant offered by the Sloan Foundation for a script dealing with science or technology.  Funding for first features can be incredibly difficult to find and I knew I wanted to apply for the grant. I went to their information session and they were probably no more than fifteen minutes into it when the image of a kid running alongside a pack of wolves streamed through my head.  It was the unification of a million things I cared about.  All of those ideas I mentioned plus Jackson Hole, Wyoming—a place that had been significant to me both as a teenager and an adult.  The story kind of grew out of and around that image.  

TRILIEGI: The Film starts out with a common problem facing much of the youth of today: Urban Dissatisfaction. Your lead character, Owen, goes through a slow and steady transformation, discuss the arc of this character. 

MARNI ZELNICK: You know, I would say it a little bit differently.  I would call it environmental dissatisfaction, rather than urban dissatisfaction.  I think it would have been easy to make Owen an urban teen and for the conflict to simply be urban versus rural life.  But as a film with an environmental subject, I wanted the issue to be more complicated than that.  I specifically set Owen in West Virginia because it’s a place as potentially beautiful as Wyoming, but we’ve used the land very differently.  The town we shot in, Mt. Hope, was an old coal town where the seam was mined to exhaustion.  The land was depleted and the town never recovered. So a potentially very beautiful place had been used in a way that left its inhabitants with very little, both visually and in terms of opportunity.  Owen is a smart kid who feels crushed by the claustrophobia of the place.  There’s nothing there for him.  He may not be self-aware enough to articulate it that way, but he’s stopped trying to make anything of himself or his life because he doesn’t see where it could lead—what the point is.  His arc is a lot about realizing that there are still choices to be made.  He can choose a different place, a different life, a different self.  

TRILIEGI: The film is beautifully photographed, Rachel Morrison's work is outstanding. The film relies heavily on nature as the great healer. Share with our audience the use of The Landscape and your decisions in the editing process. 

MARNI ZELNICK: Owen’s journey as a character is so much about environment that it became a kind of character to me when I was writing the script. In order for the film to succeed, I knew we were going to have to do justice to the landscapes of both West Virginia & Wyoming—to not only capture them but to contrast them. Bringing Rachel on was just the best thing that could have happened to us. Aside from her incredible talent, she brought experience to the table that I simply didn’t have as a first time director. So she was not only someone who understood and could execute the vision for the film, she was a calm, steady presence, who I trusted completely to guide me when I needed guidance.  I simply couldn’t have asked for a better collaborator.  Additionally, two other decisions were made in partnership with my producers that hugely favored the landscapes.  The first was to actually shoot on location in both West Virginia and Wyoming. For a micro-budget production, this was a massive expense and a total headache, but we all felt it was critical.  The other choice we made was to have two camera teams for the entire shoot.  Our A camera unit, led by Rachel, was shooting story as well as landscape, while our B camera unit, led by Second Unit DP Noah Greenberg, was out shooting only landscape every single day. Again, this was a big budgetary sacrifice for a film of our size, but we ultimately all felt it was the right decision.  Every shot you see in the film was captured by one of our camera teams.  We didn’t use a single piece of stock or purchased footage.   

TRILIEGI: The performance by Andrew Wilson is beautiful. From the first time we see him on the screen, there is a magnetism that I don't think we have ever quite seen by him before. Share with our readers how you develop a role like this with an actor. 

MARNI ZELNICK: I think it’s very rare that low budget filmmakers have the luxury of doing a lot of prep work with their actors.  I certainly didn’t have a lot of time with Andrew before we started filming. But I really believe that so much of your work as a director is done when you cast.  It’s like any good relationship—half the battle is picking the right person. Everett was a tough role for me to cast though because, even though I wrote the character I had this kind of reverence for him that’s a bit hard to explain.  He’s a character, but he’s also an idea.  Someone who lives a very principled life off the grid.  He’s not subscribing to everyone’s rules about what’s right or how the world should work, he’s making his own up, but they’re damn good rules.  There’s something in that that’s really important to me.  So I was very protective of this role.  And I think for writers, casting can sometimes be like watching your teenage daughter go out on a date.  You want it to be someone really great who totally gets her, you know?  The idea of Andrew in this part came up early on.  I loved him as an actor, but didn’t know much about him personally.  Then I learned that he was actually this very gentle, free spirit surfer who lived off the grid in Maui.  That sealed the deal.  We were fortunate that he was as excited about the script as we were about him.

TRILIEGI: DRUID PEAK is an educational journey into the lives and challenges of both those in support of the wolves and those concerned with the damage they sometimes are responsible for: Live Stock. What were the challenges in presenting this through dramatic situation  ?

MARNI ZELNICK: One of the big challenges in presenting the issue is the same challenge Owen faces: empathy.  I didn’t necessarily want the film to be objective, but I did want it to be empathetic.  I wanted it to show understanding for both sides.  The film has an obvious reverence for all things wild, but part of the message of the film is understanding, coexistence, interdependence.  I didn’t want there to be good guys and bad guys. I wanted the issues to be complicated and for everyone to have to give a little bit to achieve the final outcome of the film.  I didn’t want it to be a film that only pro-wolf people could like.  Beyond that, one of the big challenges in both the writing and editing was to not weigh the drama down with too much information.  We took a lot out as both the script and cut evolved.  

 Visit Official Site for More Details on this Incredible Film: http://www.druidpeak.com/

DAVID L. LEWIS : FILM MAKER

Documentary Film maker Davis L. Lewis  speaks  with  Bureau  Editor Joshua Triliegi about the new documentary, " The Pleasures Of Being Out Of Step ": Notes On The Life Of Nat Hentoff which features music by Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, John Coltrane  and Duke Ellington. The film focuses on an interesting story and the career of one of America's leading Music Critics and Independent writing voices in last few decades. An authentic and personal film with a an up - close look  at  a  very  outspoken  writer.

BUREAU: Your new Documentary on Nat Hentoff, which recently received festival awards, relies heavily on the actual thoughts, opinions and participation of the subject. What were both the pluses and challenges in having NAT HENTOFF allow such all access to you as a film maker.

Davis L. Lewis: We tried to capture Hentoff at the perfect moment in his career, at a point where he was able to reflect with great depth on his life and explain it as he explained so many other lives and creations. He was around 83 and 84 when we shot the three interviews. 

If you think of your subject as a “text,” the very great advantage we had was to have a primary text to interrogate at the very center of our story. Much different than trying to make a film about someone who has already passed. He could be a little cantankerous, and didn’t love having cameras invade his space. For instance, it took me six months to convince him to let us shoot a simple scene with him in his neighborhood barbershop, and even then he tried to back out the night before. We exchanged some blunt words over that, but that often happens in a project of this size, and he went ahead. Afterwards, he said he was glad we did it.  

But besides that he was a pleasure to work with. He never told us what we could or could not ask, or who we could or could not talk to. I don’t think it was out of any particular respect for me — he didn’t know me very well when we first started. I think it was out of respect for journalism and the journalistic process. I don’t think he likes everything we put in the film, but I think he appreciates the honesty and integrity we tried to bring to the project. I don’t think he would have liked an unadulterated hagiography, and I will always be grateful for the freedom and respect he and his family gave us.

BUREAU: NAT HENTOFF is quite an interesting character: we enjoyed the film. How did you come to choose this subject as a feature documentary and tell us about the journey from impetus to final release if you will ?

Davis L. Lewis: I’m glad you enjoyed it! The initial impulse was complicated but basically boils down to this: As a journalist myself, I’ve always loved the “war stories” I heard in the newsrooms and bars where we tend to congregate. As I got older, and as the digital age crept up & then roared over us, I began to realize that we are losing a generation of journalists who made their lives in the printed word. We are very good about telling other people’s stories, but not so good at telling our own. I felt an overwhelming desire to preserve some of that history. There were lots of possible subjects, but Hentoff presented a particularly intriguing one because of the jazz. I was never an aficionado, and only had a vague awareness of his earlier work. So the chance to learn more about the music was big draw. I remember how hard I worked to prepare for the interview we did on jazz — and how nervous I was when we sat down to do it. Afterward, I asked him how we did, and he said, “At least you knew the right questions to ask.” That was a big relief! I’ve worked all over print and broadcast journalism, but this was my first feature-length film, my first large-scale independent project. The creative challenge as the director was to try to get past the usual bio-pic documentary formula and create a film with its own aesthetic that helped us tell the story. I think we did pretty well at that, although I’m sure not all the critics will agree. As the producer, the biggest pleasure was putting together a great team that helped me keep up the creative momentum over the length of the production. The biggest challenge, of course, was finding the resources to get it all done.

BUREAU: A Documentary like this usually takes some time. Averages of 60 to 85 hours often paired down to 90 minutes is always rather challenging, What was your ratio and discuss how you went about ' finding ' the shape of your film ? 

Davis L. Lewis: If you include all the archival material available to us, that ratio is pretty close, probably a little short if you count the music too. We had to make pretty careful choices about what to shoot. We based our decisions on what we thought we would get out of it and that process worked well for us. The problem is the man is so prolific. We knew there was no way we could tell it all, so we had to make narrative choices as well. We tried to keep our focus on the thematic thread that unifies the whole film, which is the relationship between free expression as a creative value and a political value, and the relationship between those values and the ability of an individual to create an identity. We chose an unconventional structure because we wanted to show the connections between those values in Hentoff’s life, and the connections between the people and ideas that popped up at different points. We spent a lot of time in the editing room moving those pieces around, teasing out different themes and association and making sure the connections were as clear as we could make them. We also had to leave a lot of stuff out, but maybe we’ll have some nice extras on the DVD.

BUREAU: The blend of MUSIC, ART & POLITICS  symbolized by the single opinion of an individual, in this case, Mr Hentoff, created quite a controversy. When did you first become aware of Mr Hentoff and now that the film is completed, what have you learned about Documentary Film making ?

Davis L. Lewis: I came of political age in the '70s, a particularly awful time in American politics, and I first became aware of Hentoff through is his work at the Voice, which presented such a strong counterpoint to the corruption of that era. He is always outspoken, but it seemed to me that he was rarely a blowhard. At his best, he puts a lot of thought into his work and comes by his conclusions honestly. So even if you don’t agree with everything he says, you can respect him for saying it. I think he would be horrified by someone who agreed with everything he says, or at least he would find that person boring.

The most important thing I learned about documentary filmmaking is patience. It took longer than I thought it would, but I think our focus on quality and depth helped us get to the end. And I learned to always work with the very best people I could find, but people who believed in the project. Because it takes a sustained effort to follow through to the end on a project like this, and it’s hard to sustain that effort if the people you work with don’t believe in it. And you want them to be satisfied with the work at the end as well. I met a producer early on who I wanted to work with, and she turned me down. But she gave me a great piece of advice. She said we had a mature project and that quality work always rises to the top. I always remembered that, and it helped me through some of the tougher stretches, and helped me to be patient. And I hope she’s right. We’ve gotten this far. I would ask her to work with me again. 

BUREAU: The Music by Bob Dylan, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and others trails the storyline due to Nat's personal relationships with these men, tell us an anecdote on the challenges of joining together the music, Nat's writing and the three major Interviews shot by Tom Hurwitz.

Davis L. Lewis: Well, we were very lucky to be work with such classic music. I don’t use music much in most of my journalistic work because it can be very manipulative, and you want viewers or listeners to be able to respond honestly to the facts and truth. For me, the whole point is to give people information to make their own decisions, not to tell them what to think, and the way that music plays on emotions can interfere with that. But in this case the music was part of the story, and that opened up such wonderful possibilities for us. So our approach was, for the most part, to use music that was relevant to the story, and that meant music Hentoff wrote about or produced in the studio himself.   The biggest challenge was the sheer volume of it. We printed a database of all the albums for which he had written liner notes, or at least as many of them we could find, and there were hundreds! So we enlisted a number of experts to help us curate it, including Hentoff himself, who is of course one of the leading experts. We asked which the most important albums were, and what his best writing was. We came up with a few dozen, and then we whittled it down from there. And that became our guide to how we would use it with the interviews. We knew Hentoff would be on screen a lot, so Tom and I worked hard to come up with a visual style that would be engaging but also give us some flexibility to edit different interviews together, and once we made our decisions I knew I could leave it in his hands to execute. 

After that, it was a real team effort. I had the opportunity to work the great Sam Pollard as our consulting editor. He brought visual understanding to the music (and many other scenes), and also kept us honest to the music. You don’t want to be known as the filmmaker who hacked Duke Ellington to pieces! Our archivists found stunning original photos, and our musical team waded bravely into battle with the record companies and publishers to get us access to the songs we wanted. And of course Andre Braugher did the narration. You may notice that Braugher’s narration consists entirely of Hentoff’s own words. There is no omniscient narrator. In that sense, the narration doesn’t tell the story, it is the story. Our idea from the beginning was to marry the music to the words so that you can hear the stories in the music and the music in the writing at the same. It is a great experience, a great joy to work with such material, and I hope we were able to communicate some of that to the audience.

David L. Lewis is a writer, director, producer with 30 years of experience as a New York City-based journalist in print/broadcast media. He was a producer and associate producer for the CBS News program 60 Minutes & correspondent Ed Bradley for five years before going independent in 2006. He was a staff writer for the New York Daily News & Gannett newspapers for 15 years, and has worked for ABC News, Time Warner cable television & various national magazines. Lewis teaches reporting/writing at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. This is his first feature - length film.

FILM REVIEW: LAKE LOS ANGELES 

By  Joshua Triliegi  

Lake Los Angeles contains a strange mix of realism and poetry. A 'state of mind' film surrounding the realities of the immigrant experience brought to life through a dreamlike lens and viewpoint. A mind scape of missing family members and misplaced persons in search of a better life. Relying heavily on voice over narration, fine art - like imagery and photography seldom offered in stories such as this create a different type of film experience. Two characters seemingly in disparate situations cross paths for a brief moment only to  remain separated in a kind of imaginary reality created by the psyche and circumstances. Cecilia, a young mexican immigrant is dislocated from her family, with the promise of delivery to a father she has never known. A middled aged Cuban immigrant yearns for the company of his wife and family, while working for Americans with a dislocated wonderment and detachment, while somehow retaining his dignity and honesty among untrustworthy co workers and partners. 

The landscape, sky, sun, trees and desert play a part as important as the young girl and Man. This is a poem. Mythology mixed with reality creating something in between the two. Capturing a sad truth, an honest look and a very heartfelt view of a world we might not otherwise have seen in this particular way. This is the third in a series of films that take place in the desert landscape and are often inspired by the actual location. With an intuitive and honest portrayal by a very young actress: Johanna Trujillo as Cecilia and a reserved, if not minimalist & mature delivery by Roberto Sanchez who plays Francisco the Cuban Man.   

A modern film with a magic realist bent that becomes a tone poem. Lake Los Angeles is an interesting film that is very rare in today's contemporary cinema. As far as references, one might say it is one part The 400 Blows by Truffaut, one part El Norte' by Gregory Nava and one part Carlos Castaneda, that is if it were fair to compare this film to a cocktail recipe, which it is not fair to do. Although intoxicating in it's own way, this is a wholly different animal with little to compare it to. Or to quote an old popular saying for Cubans in the know, "CUBA-LIBRA is not just a drink": It is a reality in the making. An original film created by a genuine and refreshingly mature voice in cinema: Mike Ott and co-written by partner Atsuko Okatsuka.  Outstanding  Cinematography by Mike Gioulakis. We suggest It.Tap/Visit Lake Los Angeles Site to learn More About Film: http://www.lakelosangelesmovie.com/

INTERVIEW: Director  Deon Taylor 

Deon Taylor Directed, Supremacy, a new Film Starring Danny GLOVER & Lela ROCHON. We spoke to Deon Taylor about his experience developing and directing this New Drama.

BUREAU: Although this is a wholly original production based on a true contemporary situation, did you look at crime dramas in your research within the genre ? William Wyler's The Desperate Hours with Humphrey Bogart comes to mind. 

Deon Taylor: During the process of preparing for the production of "Supremacy" I worked very hard to stay away from films that lived in a world of containment or hostage situations.  I wanted to test myself. I wanted to shoot from my heart and have no pre-game plan. I felt the story was so unique and had so many layers that, creatively, it needed me to be a blank canvas. On another note, I love "The Desperate Hours." Classic!

BUREAU: What particular challenges did you face in entirely switching modes here and taking on high drama ?  

Deon Taylor: There were always challenges on this film. Personally, the biggest challenge was staying true to the family. The film is based on a true story and I wanted to be sure to stay in tune with the tragic events that took place that night. This was a challenge simply because, as a creative filmmaker, you’re always looking to see how you can make something bigger and more effective. This film taught me to live in the moment and simply be true to the story.

BUREAU: Working with Danny Glover is a godsend for any director, once you knew he was on board, discuss with our readers how the rest of the film fell into place.

Deon Taylor: Danny Glover is a godsend! Danny was my first call after reading the screenplay. I don't really have the words to explain how I felt once he said “yes” to the project.  Danny has always been one of my favorites and represents so much to me. When I think of his career and his body of work, it's beyond amazing. You're talking about one of the first, Black, action heroes that had success globally. From "Silverado" to the "Lethal Weapon" franchise to "The Color Purple," how do you top that? Without talent like Danny Glover and Sidney Poitier, there would be no lane for incredible talents like Jamie Foxx, Will Smith or Denzel Washington. So when I go back to the call and hear the words, "Yes, I'm doing your movie," words cannot explain how I felt. It was simply a blessing and I am so grateful for him and the opportunity he allowed me to have. It is very hard to believe that Danny Glover has not been nominated for an Academy Award over his 40-year-career. He is Academy-worthy in my book and I love him.

BUREAU: Eric J. Adams wrote the screenplay for this riveting drama, when did you first read the script and what made you decide to take this project on as a director ? 

Deon Taylor: I first read the script two years ago and everything in my body said, "Go make this film." As a 100 percent independent filmmaker, the challenge then became, "How do I raise the money needed to make such an important film?" I felt strongly about this film as my entire family has had dealings with race-related issues. I truly believed through film I could shine a light on ignorance.

BUREAU: Several dramatic scenes in the film depend highly on pitch perfect performance. Sparse dialogue and situation force some of your actors to find a certain tone: Lela Rochon rises to the challenge beautifully. Could you talk a bit about creating a  

creative atmosphere on the set for your actors.  

Deon Taylor: Lela Rochon is amazing! Her spirit is beautiful as well. When setting the stage for "Supremacy," I had to find the perfect locations in which the talent could immerse themselves.  For high-energy characters like Lela, Joe and Dawn, I found myself talking to them constantly, building layers for their characters and creating backstories. This process was the key ingredient in grabbing these amazing performances.

BUREAU: In a film like this, the ending is all important, it's a bit of a nail biter. Since it is actually based on reality, what are the challenges of delivery a true story that thrills along the way ?   

Deon Taylor: To this day, the ending of the film brings a tear to my eye. The speech, the energy, and the performances all mesh perfectly. I would love to take the credit but I give that to God, who allowed me to rewrite the end of the film on set with Danny, Joe and Eric. It was so cool!  Going into the film, I knew I wanted the audience to go for a ride. I wanted to shoot this film in a way that would allow the audience to feel trapped and, at times, hot and confused, which is what the family felt. This was challenging at times due to the fact that I was shooting on 16 mm film, and we had no money. I simply had to truly do my homework and understand that I had no extra days or pick up days. What I shot is what I would have in editing. This makes you a bit more aggressive and it truly makes you work harder.

BUREAU: There is a real minimalist approach to background of characters due to the storyline. What challenges do you face when creating a cohesive world under theses conditions ? 

Deon Taylor: The challenge is constant! The race overtones, the violence, the drama, the family being at odds the whole film - you find yourself emerged in this crazy world as a filmmaker. You take it home each and every night. You're dirty in a sense. That was how I felt.  It was almost like a game. You're sweating, you're focused and you do not want to lose.  So, the challenge simply becomes, "How do you get performances to be top of the line?" With the cast I had that was not hard! I love them all.

BUREAU: Joe Anderson puts in a fierce performance that is both extreme and magnetic.Would you describe the process from casting to final performance.  

Deon Taylor: Joe Anderson is a star! From the moment Joe walked into the room for casting, I knew he had it. The challenge became how intense we wanted Tully to become. I tease Joe a lot because he knows how big a fan I am of his work. When I think of all the amazing talent in Hollywood like Bradley Cooper and Tom Hardy, I list Joe right up there. I've never seen anyone more committed than him. He pushes himself into an angry state to deliver. There were times that Joe and I would have a crazy argument over a scene and within a hour we would have nailed and then laugh about it.

BUREAU: Your film utilizes the psychological flashback as a sort of tension builder. How much leverage do you give your editor Richard B. Molina and describe a sequence    

where he helped you to unify the project. 

Deon Taylor: The process as a filmmaker is always difficult. When you are doing a project like "Supremacy," the relationship between editor and director has to be absolutely incredible. While in the cutting room with editor Richard Molina, we spent hours and hours collaborating on scenes and moments. We became best friends in a sense through the process. One scene that comes to mind when I think about Rich is the second flashback in the film. There is a scene where Tully and Doreen pull over and she goes to please him. The scene is very graphic and super intense. I originally removed it from the film. Even though I loved it, we pulled it because of time issues. Rich worked his ass off and trimmed multiple scenes in the film in order to allow that scene to make the cut. I love him. He is so great. It's funny because when I watch the new "300: Rise of an Empire," I can tell you what scenes Rich had his hands on. He is a genius.

BUREAU: Give our readers an example of how an actor influenced the shooting of a particular sequence and shaped the film in a way you might have done differently without their particular contribution.  

Deon Taylor: While shooting the end of the film, we were set to shoot the final moment between Tully and Mr. Walker (Danny Glover).  As we were reading the lines I could just feel the energy was a bit off between Danny and Joe. I yelled cut. I walked Danny to the side and he simply said, "We need more here." He was right. At that moment I stopped production, rewrote the entire last scene of the film and then shot it. To this day, that is my favorite moment in "Supremacy." Film Trailer: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp3gl4PLH9A 

BUREAU FILMS : STARRED UP

Possibly one of the grittiest and edgiest prison dramas ever made. From the first minute to the last, the viewer is immersed into a world that is like no other. The rules, the politics, the grit, the realities,  the drama, the edge, the sacrifices and the wild ride: simply amazing filmmaking. Well written and directed, extremely well produced with some of the rawest performances we have seen in a long time. "Starred Up" takes us into the British prison system through the eyes of a young offender whose father happens to also be locked up in the same particular institute.  The performances are completely unleashed. Filmed in an actual facility and photographed 'in sequence', allowed the film maker David Mackenzie to utilize hand held, roving cameras Allowing his cast and crew to completely push the boundaries and push they do. The characterizations are explosive, from one moment to the next, we never know what will happen and where the story is headed. The atmosphere and detail is simply perfect in tone, style and mood. Each scene is important, the back story is thick, as are the accents. The plot and circumstances are all in place, but nothing seems more important than whatever moment we are actually experiencing. There is a complete an utter ' nowness '  to this production and it is an undeniable wild ride that you can't help but succumb to throughout the entire film. As of yet, it has not been released for U.S. audiences accept for the festival circuit. U.K. audiences loved it and Americans are sure to embrace this film for its originality, force and authenticity. A fabulously taut performance by Jack O'Connel as Eric Love and directed by David Mackenzie with a script by Jonathan Asser who had spent a good deal of time as a therapist within the system. Writer and Director worked closely for two years prior to shooting. A first screenplay for the writer turned out to be an extremely successful premiere work of art. We highly suggest this film and are now very interested in the other films by Mr Mackenzie, as well as his next production. This is a film that touches on relationships, trust, skill and politics as well as race, loyalty and survival. Produced by Gillian Berrie. Executive producers, Katherine Butler, Sam Lavender, David Mackenzie, James Atherton, Jan Pace, Norman Merry, Peter Hampden. Co- producer, Brian Coffey.    

Link http://www.sigmafilms.com/films/starred-up/  

BUREAU FILMS 12 Must See CLASSIC FILMS

That Express a certain Social Angst that is very much relevant for the Youth of Today's Society.

1)  AMERICAN GRAFFITI 

2)  BIG WEDNESDAY 

3)  BREAKING A W A Y 

4)  CROOKLYN 

5)  LA BAMBA 

6)  OUTSIDERS 

7)  QUADROPHENIA 

8)  REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE 

9)  REPO MAN 

10)  SWING KIDS 

11)  THE GRADUATE 

12)  WEST SIDE STORY 

AMERICAN GRAFFITI

One of the most important films reflecting on American Pop Culture ever. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola. Directed by George Lucas. Starring a cast of new stars that have all gone on to have stellar careers in the film industry: actors, directors, producers. Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Suzanne Somers, Kathleen Quinlan, Candy Clark, Charles Martin Smith, Mackenzie Phillips, Bo Hopkins.A Film that holds up every time it is viewed. A nostalgic look at a time and a place in America just before we were hit with the death of the Kennedy's & other social leaders, Vietnam and a complicated world which forever changed our lives in America. This film went onto inspire the Television Show : HAPPY DAYS. As well as many teen / music films such as DAZED & CONFUSED by Independent Film Maker Richard LINKLATER. One can also see that this film production opened the door for Alan ARKUSH's Classic Musical Cult Teen Film: ROCK & ROLL HIGH SCHOOL.  http://www.google.COM/#q=american+graffitti+cast

BIG WEDNESDAY

The most authentic fictional SURF FILM ever created. Directed and co - written by John Milius, who would go on to put a surf scene in just about every film he would ever participate in, most famously: the surf scene in APOCALYPSE NOW. This film seems to capture West Coast Surf culture with the perfect blend of the nostalgic aspects of the early days on into the more cynical ones. Friendships, initiations, love, war and growing up with the waves. Another perfect ensemble cast, an original musical score and a voice over narration that perfectly tells the story like a good book. For a full Review Visit The BUREAU of ARTS and Culture Film Page. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077235/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ql_1

BREAKING AWAY

Growing up poor or middle class in an area where others are more privileged is one of the themes running through this hilarious and charming film about Biking, Friendship, Playing by the Rules and yes, ' Breaking Away ' from the pack, traditions and false ideals. A story about finding & respecting yourself in a world that refuses to do so. Dennis Quaid in an early & heartfelt performance. Directed by Peter Yates with a screenplay by Steve Tesich. A great use of Classical Music throughout the entire production. Other cast members include: The incredible Paul Dooley as the dad, Barbara Berrie as the Mom and Dennis Christopher, Daniel Stern and Jackie Earle Haley as ' The Cutters ' [ for cutting school ]. A fabulous uplifting production. http://www.google.COM/#q=Breaking+away+the+film+cast

CROOKLYN

Spike Lee dishes up this family film which is loosely based on scenarios created by his brother and sister and thier early childhood in Brooklyn. A hilarious film that personifies the 1970's with all the pitch perfect hooks and props, music and experiences that define the period. A heartbreaking and yet wonderfully funny film that nails exactly what many of us went through during our childhood experiences in America at that particular time and place. Outstanding performances by the entire cast. As usual Spike Lee's casting choices from Del Roy Lindo as the dad, Alfre Woodard as the mom and a whole crop of new young actors as well as Isaiah Washington, RuPaul, Vondie Curtis-Hall and of course Zelda Harris as the young girl who plays our lead character. With a great soundtrack, richly produced and as usual great direction. http://www.google.COM/#q=Crroklyn+cast

LA BAMBA

A musical bio that lovingly tells the story of singer Ritchie Valens, though at the same time, tells a basic family dynamic of growing up, falling in love, being accepted or not and dealing with life's opportunities under pressure. A fabulous soundtrack that helped to put the band Los Lobos on the map. This was a follow up to the success of Luis Valdez's play & film ZOOT SUIT. With themes that describe the latino experience, musical prodigies, inter racial love and crossing over into the mainstream American music charts. This film, along with the Buddy Holly Story, Great Balls of Fire and the many films on Elvis Presley,opened the door for the entire genre of music biographies that have lead up to: RAY, Walk the Line, Sid and Nancy. Lou Diamond Phillips in his first starring role, Esia Morales in a pinnacle supporting role as Ritchie's brother, Rosanna DeSoto as the mom and Joe Pantoliano, Elizabeth Pena, Brian Seltzer and Tony Genaro supporting. http://www.google.COM/#q=La+bamba+cast

The OUTSIDERS

An outstanding adaption of an S. E. Hinton novel by Francis Ford Coppola. The perfect film that reflects life on the, ' other side of the tracks '. Another film that has a cast of new stars that will all go onto great careers in film: C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Emelio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, and Coppola regulars: Tom Waits, Diane Lane & Glen Withrow. Heroic and authentic, sympathetic and rough, innocent and tough, all without any slips in performance, style or structure, a really great film about family, friends, tribes and looking back one more time, before moving forward again. What's it like to be an American in the middle of America ? This is what it's like. http://www.google.COM/#q=outsiders+cast

QUADROPHENIA

The first of several great films created by The Classic Rock & Roll Band: The WHO. A semi autobiographical tale of Mods and Rockers in and around the London music scene just prior to the creation of bands like the WHO. the clash between the Mods and the rockers, not unlike the same clash we see within the other films listed in this review: The Outsiders, Breaking Away, Rebel without a Cause, Big Wednseday. The Who will go onto create, The Kids are Allright & the Classic Rock opera TOMMY. Being authentic, demanding respect from authority, rebelling against previous values and searching for acceptance, but ultimately tossing it all away for self respect are just a few of the themes in this great fictional film. Once again, many of the cast members will become regulars and have entire careers and comebacks time and time again. Most notably: Ray Winstone in Sexy Beast, Timothy Spell in a series of films with the great Mike Leigh, Sting and of course a very young Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Mark Wingett, Phil Davis. Directed by Franc Roddam. With music by The WHO and the use of period music specifically Booker T and the MG's classic 'Green Onions', which is also used in American Graffiti  http://www.google.COM/#q=QUADROPHENIA+cast

REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE

The benchmark of all great films about growing up. There had many teen films before, but none could ever touch it after. The fact that it was filmed in technicolor put it a cut above the juvenile delinquent genre that had been mostly filmed in low budget black & white. Of course, the pinnacle performance by James Dean in a role that absolutely never goes out of style. Every generation rediscovers this film and immediately relates. His sensitivity, his search for truth, his sympathy towards Sal Mineo and his love for Natalie Wood as well as the need to be accepted and respected all ring true to the kids of today's society. The other films in this article could never have existed without the creation and popularity of Rebel without a Cause. This is the quintessential teen film. Although, it also speaks to the ever changing evolution from one generation to another. A great original soundtrack, rich technicolor and realistic and dramatic performances.  Directed by Nicholas Ray, written by Stewart Stern based on a story by Irving Schulman. http://www.google.COM/#q=rebel+without+a+cause+cast

REPO MAN

Another small but interesting film about life in Los Angeles by director Alex COX, who would later direct the classic Sid and Nancy biop on Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols Punk rock band that helped to start an entire revolution in rock and roll music that still exists. Repo Man weaves between the new music of the time and the different types of folks who inhabit Los Angeles. The film is a satire on all types of people, much like the music of that time, bands like Black Flag, The Circle Jerks, Iggy Pop, Suicidal Tendencies, The Plugz and FEAR all made fun of society, so too does this film. With Emelio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton battling it out with for and among space aliens, low riders, musicians and of course stealing back automobiles. Car chases through the L.A. River, Low budget special effects and performances by many real musicians such as band members of The Untouchables and Circle Jerks make this a sort of time capsule of a time and a place. At the time, this film was considered a cynical look at society, looking back at it today, its almost innocent. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087995/

SWING KIDS

Music, politics and friendship collide into a whirlwind force among a group of friends in Germany during the take over of Europe. Inspired loosely on actual events in the life of people such as Django Reinhardt. Another cast of important actors including: Christian Bale, Frank Whaley, Robert Sean Leonard and Barbara Hershey. Loyalty is the running theme in this music filled portrait which starts out as a story of friendship but swiftly veers into a political thriller of the historical variety. An outstanding sound track with great performances by an ensemble cast. The film asks us how far will we go to be a success in our own time and place ? Loyalty to friends, to our own values,

to our life may be more important than acceptance by the group, especially when the group is a destructive, controlling and obvious plague on a free society such as ours. http://www.google.com/#q=swing+kids+cast

THE GRADUATE

A hilarious, sensitive and heartbreaking story of one young man's journey into self discovery after graduating from college. The film that put Dustin Hoffman on the map. A soundtrack that launched Simon & Garfunkle into music stardom. As well as introducing the directing career of, up to that point, comedian Mike Nichols who with Elaine May, had a string of successful comedic albums based on their night club act. With a screenplay co written by Buck Henry of Saturday Night live fame and career making appearances by Anne Bancroft, Norman Fell, Katherine Ross, William Daniels and Murray Hamilton uttering the now classic, phrase, " I have one word for you ... PLASTICS." Which seems to personify the artificial world that Hoffman's character is thrust into. An entirely different kind of comedy that broke the mold on controversy, humor and the sad realities

that would lie ahead for an entire generation in search of truth, love and once again, breaking away from the values of those that have preceded us. A great film with a surprise ending that still to this day, is embarrassing, exulting and always entertaining. Somewhere between the sympathetic soundtrack, the innocent performances and the heartfelt realities of life, a strange and original cinematic experience emerges. No film has ever matched this blend since. The graduate opened the door to a slew of new films:  http://www.google.com/#q=the+graduate+cast

WEST SIDE STORY

The classic updated version of Romeo & Juliet told here in New York City, between two rival gangs of kids from different ethnic backgrounds. This film still holds up in every way, shape and form. Cinematography, costumes, dialogue, songs and of course the transformative choreography and music. Leonard Bernstein developed this project for well over a decade and to this day it is as fresh and relevant as any film about the youth of society today. Romance, violence, loyalty and the difficulty in crossing over from the folks you were born with into the person you are in love with, are just a few of the themes touch on here. The song lyrics are so entirely up to date, that it is downright astounding how fresh and relevant this film is. Marijuana, Cops and Detectives, Gangs, Social Workers, Fashion and most of all Love. This film becomes more and more impressive as time goes on. West Side Story contains performances by natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, Russ Tamblyn, David Winters, George Chakiris, Tucker Smith and a cast of outstanding actors /dancers and of course a soundtrack that makes it an utter and complete classic film that will never go out of style.

FILM : ON THE ROAD

By Joshua Triliegi

A dangerously loyal adaption of a highly influential and often misunderstood novel by an author who dearly loved his friends, jazz, people and places that were inspiring. " The only ones for me are the mad ones... " is a quote from Jack Kerouac's novel which was reviewed by a stand - in literature critic for The New York Times, who lauded the work as a breakthrough moment in American Literature and a star was born. This is the novel that inspired an entire generation to break free of the social norms and simply be yourself, travel, make love, make music, love the common man, write about your hearts desires and most of all, love your life for all it has to offer.First of all, I am a biased reviewer in that I love Jack Kerouac, The Beats, Jazz, the common man, people and places that are inspiring. I have read most of the novels and published letters by the characters personified within this film: Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg & William Burroughs and have produced minor films that were inspired by these American authors. That said, this is the greatest film adaption of any Beat Film ever. One only hopes that the film makers will be able to put on the screen a classic novel that so many of us have loved, honored and cherished our whole lives. The film is nothing less than the most perfect adaption ever produced on Beats. From the opening shot above a parking lot to the final scene on the streets of New York, the film breaths life into an impossible novel that took decades to bring to the big screen. Francis Ford Coppola executive produces [ that means he put up the dough ] so that the director Walter Salles could bring this gem into existence and put himself into the major arena of outstanding film adaption by directors who shall be honored for years to come.

The performances as far as I am concerned, are pitch perfect. Accents, performances, style and character development as well as a commitment to realistic personifications are entirely delivered with a loyalty to truth, legend and entertainment. This is dangerous. This is exciting. This is Inspiring. This is On The Road and life after Neil Cassady will never be the same again. For those not ' In The Know ' heres a primer. Have you ever had a best friend ? Attractive, exciting, dangerous, from the wrong side of the tracks ? Someone who showed you a side of life never seen within your own house, neighborhood, city, state, country ? Well, Jack Kerouac did, he had several, but his old pal Neil took the cake. Sure, he also had Allen Ginsberg, who would go onto write the famous poem that was banned for indecency entitled, " HOWL ". These days it is taught as a major work of art at places like West Point Academy. He also had William Burroughs famous for his dangerously subversive novel entitled, " Naked Lunch " another Beat film which was also brought to the big screen by Canadian director, David Cronenberg. Another dangerously loyal film adaption that went way beyond the book into the realm of Burroughs-ian-Land.

Jack was a French Catholic boy who loved America dearly, hated suppressive government and wanted to express that in his work. On The Road was his opus which sat around for years, influencing his friends as well as informing his detractors and pissing off the squares who had no idea what he was talking about most of the time. The film offers a straight ahead, lush and lovely offering - like version of the written word that is bound to ruffle a few feathers, scare a few squares, rattle a few cages and inspire more than a few too read the novels and break free once again. Its a beautiful look at an oppressive time in America. These are the Mc Carthy Years. the time of the black lists in Hollywood and New York. Eisenhower, Truman, etc...

The story and film itself is insulated by its own parameters of friendship, loyalty, love, sex, drugs and endless searchings for kicks, kicks, kicks. Do you know the song lyric, " Get your kicks on Route 66 ... " ? The popularity of goatee beards, black sunglasses, black clothes, jazz music for white folks, coffeehouses, Bob Dylan, poetry, classic cars, the popularity of Marijuana, traveling by bus, car and railway, heading West, the entire hippy movement, rock and roll, tune in , turn on and drop out, as well as the writings of folks who brought us : One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, Easy Rider and This film here, all of it stems from the pen, the mind, the man, the myth, the legend that is Jack Kerouac. The canon of influence that ON THE ROAD and HOWL and NAKED LUNCH had is quite immense. These folks were dealing with themes and taboos that have been broken wide open : Mixed Race Couples, Gay Sex, Marijuana. In the nineteen fifties, you went to jail, were beaten down or in some case were actually killed for being outside the system. Some would argue that some of these restrictions have creeped up on us again. 

In any event, this  an outstanding rendition of a classic American Novel that to be sure, Jack Kerouac and his pals, gals and fans would be very proud of. It's the real thing. A word about the production design. Flawless costumes, atmosphere, hand held camera work that captures the mystery, mastery and misanthropy as well as the come downs from the heavy high of being On The Road and having to come home, back down to Earth, back to the real world. I'm unsure what the average American viewer will think of all the sex, drugs and rock & roll. There are plenty of inside jokes for beat fans, beat readers and those who actually lived through this period of time. I will say that the performances are explicit, expressive and exciting as well as entertaining. There is just the right amount of travel across America and into Mexico as well as a balanced display of the price this type of life costed the participants as well as the friends and relatives of those nearby. For Jack, it gave him life lessons, broke his heart, gave him a novel and taught him a thing or two about loyalty, friendship, love, freedom and the boundaries thereof. For beat fans this is a fabulous film, for the actors, maybe a nomination, for the producer and director, one can only hope for a few awards by early next year. Ya got my vote. Because the only ones for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to be saved, desirous of everything...

Film Review : HESHER

In a return to truly independent filmmaking, the kind that is edgy, provocative, humorous as well as a frank commentary on the American male psyche, Spencer Susser delivers the goods. Hesher is a film that will make you squirm as well as laugh at where we are in today's society. Out of nowhere a foul mouthed outlaw rocker appears in the life of an average young American boy going through a tough period in his life. The question here is wether the title character is real or simply imagined by the young man in this film, simply named, ' T.J. '. Recovering from the loss of his mother in a car accident and the deep depression of his father, while seemingly ignoring his grandmother, T.J. taps into the power of Rock & Roll. With slight allusion to Jesus Christ, Joseph Campbell' s myth- ology of the male as well as the current challenges for young women, old women, the working class and the emasculated male, Susser and his brilliant cast which includes Joseph Gordon Levitt & Piper Laurie, bring to the fore a dangerous little film. This is the type of filmmaking which is totally new territory.

A mix of humor, tension, allegory and a big dose of satire which embroils into the dark humor that folks like JohnBelushi and others attempted to dish out in the eighties, but often missed by just a few notches. Susser is outstanding in his ability to be both audacious and make a serious commentary on why young Americans either are or should be very upset by their current circumstances . The lack of job opportunities, the inability to get enough hours if you do have a job, the housing market situation , etc, etc, etc... Rebel with a cause is more like it. Hesher is the new James Dean character and Natalie Portman plays his Natalie Wood accordingly. T.J. is not quite our Sal Mineo, though there are scenes which expound upon the same issues that were properly placed within the of the classic teenage angst that were so well expressed in that particular time and place. In this case T.J. & Hesher are both the James Dean character and together they lift up the father figure, whom too is broken and emasculated by his experience as a good dad in todays American society. Mom is absent, she has passed on. 

Grandma and Hesher share a liking for Medical Marijuana and somehow, some- where in this strange little suburban world T.J., his father, the local cashier & Grandma all transform into something different from what they were. One thinks of the situation that happened in Memphis and Hard Rock & Roll loving young men whom were falsely accused and convicted of crimes they did not commit. In this fantasy like satire, the spirit of hard driving rock & roll is resurrected in the title character's every move. Creating a kind of imaginary angel whom may or may not be a figment of T.J.s imagination, rage and downright frustration at being picked on by the local bully & or watching the girl you love being taken away by someone else or watching dad fall apart before our eyes. By the films end, we see the world a little differently, Hesher is gone but the song remains the same, albeit with a slightly tougher and wiser young T.J. We get the sense that the mythological big foot appeared and left his foot prints on the front yard of American Suburbia. This type of filmmaking would not exist without the extremely brave producers whom must have had a challenge cobbling enough money to make this film. 

The cast/crew are pitch perfect. Everything works here. Susser and his gang are on to something that we as the public are dealing with on a daily basis. They have tapped into a kind of movie making that bites like films from other eras that definitely hit hard, fast & mean. Who' s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe ? and also The Sweet Smell of Success come to mind. Check out Ernest Lehman's career. Susser is one to watch. Hesher hits the mark at every turn, I highly suggest everyone to watch it. It is Currently Playing on HBO the Home Box Office Entertainment Cable Channel which seems to be producing and screening top entertainment.

BIG WEDNESDAY:"Nobody Surfs Forever"

A Thirty Five Year Anniversary Appreciation By Joshua A. TRILIEGI

It's hard to believe that thirty - five years have passed since this classic surf film about California and specifically Malibu beach surfing culture, characters and history had its debut. Upon re watching this classic film recently, I was drawn into a kind of nostalgia that reminded me of other classic films from the seventies that seem to define the formative years here in California. American Graffiti being the other fine example of a piece of cinema that celebrates, defines & indeed explains to outsiders what it was like to be a part of a California subculture that has since gone mainstream: Classic Cars. Big Wednesday does the same thing for Surfing. These days surfing and its nearest offspring, skateboarding, are world renown industries owned by a hand full of companies, corporations, associations and ecologically informed non-profit organizations. But back in the day, guys like Leroy, Jack and Matt made California surfing. The lifestyle and its loyalty to expressing ones self with nature was a coveted and special relationship that each surfer had on his or her own. It was a private experience one had with the waves, the coast, the ocean, the earth itself. It is a sacred thing to drop in on a wave and ride it as long as one is able. Honing a craft, one-second at a time, in unison with mother nature. Simply, a person, their craft and the ocean itself relating to one another.

I recently took a bike ride along all the coast passing all best surf spots where much of the film was photographed. Pacific Coast Highway starting at the County Line, Topanga Canyon & on into Malibu Beach. Re visiting these historic beaches and film locations is a beautiful way to understand the art of surfing. Reviewing the motion picture Big Wednesday directed by John Milius and starring Gary Busey, Jan Michael Vincent and William Katt and thinking about their careers & some of the damage done personally was a bit heartbreaking. I guess that's the power of film to preserve a time and a place. To express a moment in time, be it, documentary, fiction or otherwise. As far as surf films go, when it comes to fictional versions of what surfing is about, Big Wednesday, in my book, is simply the best at capturing the philosophy, the lifestyle & the character of what it is to be a surfer at that particular time and place: the 1960's and its transition into the early seventies. With a cameo by Legendary Lightening Bolt founder and classic surfer, Jerry Lopez. An important casting choice that gives the film a groundedness in reality & boosted its credibility with real surf fans during its heyday & initial release. The red surfboard with a yellow lightening bolt placed directly in a vertical fashion down the center of the board was & will always be as iconic as a Mercedes Benz logo. There are the documentaries by Bruce Brown: Endless Summer and the like. As well as a catalogue of other classics such as Five Summer Stories & the others within the genre. More recently Stacy Peralta' s Dogtown Documentary & subsequent Lords of Dogtown as well as his Big Wave Surf documentaries have added more information to surfing dialogue. But still and all, Big Wednesday is king. I know because I grew up and witnessed the tail end of this particular period and hung out with and admired the older guys who were a part of this important period in West Coast & specifically Southern California surf culture. 

Big Wednesday captures the music, the friendship, the heroic stature, the generation to generation torch passing, the gaining your friends/losing your friends aspect of growing up. The original musical compositions by Basil Poledouris and theme songs hold up just fine. Nothing is too trendy or dated, The costumes, sets, locations and acting are what we call pitch perfect. The props and logos have become legendary. The BEAR logo to this day is being reprinted and celebrated on sweatshirts, classic cars and stickers. Big Wednesday is a classic film in the Warner Brothers catalogue that helped to redefine a generation of West Coast culture: surfing, skateboarding and the California cool that people from all over the world appreciate, envy and honor, sometimes more than the locals themselves. The actors actually did most of their own surfing in this film, which is rare. There are surfing doubles, but the editing and cinematography is extremely well done for its time. Shot on real film, on location, with a group of actors and actresses, including Lee Purcell and Patti D'Arbanville at the very end of a time & place when Hollywood was able to create stories that were highly dependent on character, story and emotional content.

This film which was released in 1978, thirty five years ago, stands up against any film of its genre. It's as entertaining as American Graffiti, as honest as Dogtown , as funny as Animal House and ultimately a heartfelt and heartbreaking story about the fleeting moments in life. Like a wave: life, friends, careers, loves, memories pass rather quickly. Movies such as Big Wednesday preserve these moments, capture those times, creating a painting of sorts, a photograph, a time, a place that will never be the same again. Cinema has a way of allowing us to re-enter history, experiencing life itself to enjoy over and over. This has been an appreciation of BIG WEDNESDAY on the 35 year Anniversary. An ongoing Series of articles marking the Films, Books & Artworks that are worth remembering, re-watching, re-reading and re-celebrating time & time again. by Joshua A. TRILIEGI Exclusively for http://www.BUREAUofARTSandCULTURE.com

MARTIN SCORSESE :

One of AMERICA's Most Important Film Makers

By Joshua TRILIEGI

This year, we will be given another opus film by one of the greatest film makers that America has ever created. Strange and challenged experiences in life seem to create great artists of a major caliber. Martin Scorsese was a child entangled with sickness, born of Italian parents in a tough neighborhood, he retreated into the great movie houses of New York City, learned the craft of classic film making by watching the great early American directors such as John Ford, John Huston and Orson Welles. From the European masters, Mr. Scorsese was influenced by Alfred Hitchcock, Luchino Visconti, Jean Renoir, Michael Powell, Roberto Rosellini, Frederico Fellini, Andrzel Wajda & Mizoguchi Kenji among others. After creating a few exercises , which is often what first films can be, he created what most feel is his first 'real film' : MEAN STREETS. Famously coached by Independent film maker & actor John Casavettes, who told Mr. Scorsese to go make a real film. And indeed he did. Early on in the production New Yorkers began to hassle the young director, 'There's nothing Mean about these streets.' , they shouted. Early on, Mr. Scorsese attracted controversy and it has stayed with him throughout his career. Taxi Driver and The last Temptation of Christ, possibly creating the most amount of misunderstanding & friction that only seemed to fuel his inspiration and also led to a good deal of what we commonly call in the business: Free Advertising.

In 1974, while putting together, Alice doesn't live Here Anymore, he approached Ellen Burstyn for the role of Alice. While reviewing his films up to that point Ms. Burstyn point blank asked the young director if he knew 'Anything' about women, his answer ? 'No, but I'm willing to learn'. The film went on to create accolades for both Ms. Burstyn, her co star, Kris Kristofferson and a little known discovery: Jodie Foster. Ms. foster would go onto a nomination for her role in Taxi Driver, creating a backlash and more controversy for the Director. As well as awards and acceptance from the global film community and Hollywood critics.

In 1977, his love of early musicals, music always plays a big part in any Scorsese production, led him to new York, New York, which was again, out of synch with the public's taste, yet still and all, is a lavish production. 

In 1980, Mr Scorsese's relationship with Robert De Niro led him to direct the boxing film Raging Bull, which was a brutal and realistic portrait of Jake La Motta. Shot in classic black & white, unheard of at the time, winning an Oscar for his long time collaborator, Mr.De Niro and soon to be stalwart Scorsese actor Joe Pesci, as well as the discovery of actress Cathy Moriarty. The sound design is phenomenal, each boxing match is shot with a variation, the scenes in between the matches often, quiet & still, one can easily see Mr. Scorsese's influence by the Italian Neo -Realists here: Visconti, Rosellini and a love of the early boxing Films of the 1940's and 1950's. I was honored to visit the Film Set of this production and had the pleasure of lunching with Mr De Niro, meeting the real Jake La Motta and viewing the master director at work with thousands of extras in costume. Something I can only liken to watching Rembrandt paint an oil painting in his studio one afternoon.

In 1983, Mr Scorsese took on the world of comedy's underbelly & the aspects of fame that can lead to desperation, insanity and obsession with The King of Comedy. Jerry Lewis, Robert De Niro and Sandra Bernhardt collide in this wacky, dark and uncomfortable look at the sidelines of television and entertainment. A visionary work that hints at where we are today with fans obsessive attachment to the famous, rich and influential entertainers of television, music & filmmaking.

In 1985, Mr Scorsese directed one of the films that are sometimes known as his smaller films: After Hours. A crazy, funny and Art House hit that has comedic flare and wit, utilizing the art world, New York's neighborhoods and a hipster paranoia that reminds one of films like, 'Its a mad, mad, mad, mad World'. 

Also included in this category would be 1986' s The Color of Money, which was a sort of Part Two to The Hustler, starring Paul Newman as fast Eddie Felson and utilizing a rising young star Tom Cruz. The film was a comeback for Paul Newman and is a great piece of cinema that takes us deep into the world of Pool Hall hustling & another early cameo by the great actor Forrest Whittaker. Mr Scorsese is a lot like Spike Lee, in that they both court controversy and have a tendency to discover great new talent: Sam Jackson for instance.

1988 brought us, The Last Temptation of Christ, which emblazoned a sort of hysteria from christians which unfortunately marred the audiences opinions against an otherwise thoughtful and interesting take on the possibilities of the life of the man known as Jesus the Christ. It is ultimately and interesting an thoughtful piece with an outstanding and inspired performance by Willem Defoe and guest performers such as John Lurie and David Bowie. Mr Scorsese's casting choices are always a big part of his creative collaboration and process. Universal Studios was demonized for the movie, most of the protestors had never even seen the movie. Mr Scorsese was somewhat surprised by the reaction.

In 1990, Martin Scorsese returned to the screen with what would be considered an entire and utter Classic: GoodFellas. Up to this point possibly his best film ever. A great script, performances by De Niro, Pesci and Ray Liotta that stand the test of time, a return to the Italian American experience that Mr. Scorsese knows very well. Awards from every important film organization and three of the big Academy Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay.

In 1991. Mr Scorsese brought us a remake with Cape Fear. Another strange, dark and menacing drama that pits Jessica Lange and Nick Nolte, whom the director had worked with in his section of a three short story feature : New York Stories, which also starred a new face on the screen: Steve Buscemi of Boardwalk Empire fame. 

In 1993, Mr Scorsese took on what might be considered his classic film renditions. One can see his love of great classic films such as Gone with the Wind in this film: The Age of Innocence. A giant colorful tapestry laden with lush food, flowers, costumes and the beginning of a great collaboration with actor Daniel Day Lewis, who would return to the Scorsese camp for Gangs of New York almost a decade later. More Nominations: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, etc ...

In 1995, A return to the big Italian American genre that brought us Mean Streets and Goodfellas, a completion of what may be considered his italian trilogy, the epic film: CASINO. De Niro and Pesci return to the scene as well as interesting casting choices like Don Rickles as a casino pit boss, who would have thought of that ? An incredible and tour de force performance by Sharon Stone putting her front and center as a powerful actress in top notch form, deserving of dollars & respect. possibly one of his best films up to that point in his career. A classic loved by all.

In 1997, Mr Scorsese, visits the asian inspired, Kundun. A tibetan tale of struggle and politics that surround the tibetan country and it's people. Some said he was out of his element here, but, even when Mr Scorsese stretches his boundaries as he did here, there is enough on the screen to inspire, teach and yes, entertain.

In 1999, Scorsese teams up with Nicolas Cage in this adrenaline fueled story of an ambulance driver and his nightmare like work place: The streets of the big city. A sort of Taxi driver like return to working class obsession and hallucination. Cage puts in a performance of a lifetime, while John goodman watches his partners slow descent into an insomnia induced insanity. The camera work here is fabulous. Another street film that utilizes the city itself as a character and even as the villain.

In 2002, a return to the big costume period film genre that was hinted at with Age of Innocence, but this time with the proper amount of guts and glory that seem to inspire this director and satisfy his audience. A large and difficult film that combines historical aspects of Scorsese's beloved New York City with the struggles of early Americans, religion, politics and dramatic storytelling. With performances by Leonardo De Caprio, who will become one of Mr Scorsese's greatest collaborators time and time again: The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island and this years The Wolf of Wall Street. The Gangs of New York is an epic tale that brings back Daniel Day Lewis in a terrifying performance as Bill The Butcher with a Who's Who of acting from both American and European Actors, straddling the dangerous territory of accents, costumes and acting styles that are difficult to put on the screen in one entire production. This is Mr. Scorsese as oil painter extraordinaire, his largest series to date. A difficult challenge indeed. We begin to see Mr Scorsese's use of the digital format utilized here in outrageous shots, set pieces and tunneling like transformations from full shots high above the city to close ups entering a characters pupils. This is the master film maker having a field day with the best actors, designers & collaborators on the planet. Amazing. Nominations All Around

In 2004, Mr Scorsese and De Caprio return to give us an inside look at the much talked about life of Howard Hughes. An interesting film with both Vegas, Hollywood and the insanity of being an artist, creator and inventor as well as the burdens of success in all walks of the American dream. A paranoid yet somehow innocent and success driven story with interesting performances and some would say incongruous casting choices, though still and all, great efforts by all involved. A dark, lush film shot with a somber and rich palette. Mr Scorsese is an artist first, film maker second, historian third. it shows here and this is a compelling film that thrusts us into Hughes world, and leaves us at his door step at the very end. Broken, battered, wondering. Nominations All Around. 

In 2006, Mr Scorsese takes on the Irish Boston mob scene with The Departed. Working with Jack Nicholson, who was famously cajoled by the likes of Mark Wahlberg and De Caprio to participate in this picture. A return to the Goodfella's like genre complete with FBI Agents, Irish Gang Ethos and codes of conduct. This film is driven mostly by great performances by both Wahlberg and De Caprio. One can see there keen interest in the project and their enthusiasm and ability carries the film up and over whatever limitations exist within the written material. Best Director Awards across the board: The Academy, Golden Globe, Everyone agrees Martin Scorsese is a master film maker who tells stories that are true to America.

In 2010, Mr Scorsese and Leonardo De Caprio stay several steps ahead of their audience in this strange, psycho drama of the old school variety: Shutter Island. A head scratcher to say the least. A psyche out of the Hitchcockian variety: Rear Window with Shutters on it. Another dark and rather difficult film to view. Leonardo De Caprio twisting and retching about in a manner reminiscent of his early and incredibly naked performances such as his role in Gilbert Grape. Another brave & discordant rendition that is probably a bit ahead of it's time. Many of Mr Scorsese's films are decades ahead, creating entire genres & a new crop of film makers who fill a certain void: Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, Paul Thomas Anderson. In 2011, Mr Scorsese utilizes the digital media to create a life long dream project: HUGO. Which is a much more mainstream project that catapults his popularity into the mainstream for audiences of all ages. Over 35 nominations from film organizations around the world recognize his talent, efforts and contributions.

Which brings us to 2013, The Wolf of Wall Street. Starring Leonardo De Caprio, one of his greatest collaborators, based on a great book, Mr. Scorsese always does well with adaptions. A story line that Americans will indeed be interested in & already everyone is talking about this film. We are looking froward to seeing it and you will find a review on these pages. Of course the Documentaries have not been mentioned in this appreciation, but Mr Scorsese is a fine and thorough documentarian: Contributions to WoodStock, The Last Waltz, The Blues, Shine a Light, George Harrison and a slew of important short films. Mr Scorsese is also the executive producer and pilot creator of important cable film series such as Board Walk Empire on HBO Home Box office.

PARIS,TEXAS at 30 YEARS 

Directed by Wim Wenders Based on The Motel Chronicles Written by Sam Shepard  

Starring: Natassja Kinski, Harry Dean Stanton, Dean Stockwell, Hunter Carson , Aurore Clement, John Lurie & Bernhard Wicki 

Paris Texas: what a film! One of those translation projects that are the perfect blend of producing, writing and directing. So seldom does a European director truly understand the work of an American writer that he or she can take the original source material and arrive at something as epic, important and truly American as Wim Wenders did with this film. Paris, Texas is loosely based on the Motel Chronicles by Sam Shepard: writer, actor & all around influential poet, playwright, essayist. Author of The Rolling Thunder Logbook, an 'on tour' diary with Bob Dylan. Friend to Patti Smith, author of Fool for Love, True West and countless other original & important plays. Most of our readers will remember Sam Shepard as Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff, the space film that opened up an entire genre. Sam Shepard is sort of the last of the real cowboys, he is a pure root connection to the West. Mr. Shepard understands the myths, the values, The Old West and The New West. Wim Wenders understands Shepard wholeheartedly, creating a fabulous combination that works from start to finish. 

"In the 1980's, if you were studying writing, acting or directing, there were three major influences & original styles in which you had to overcome:  Sam Shepard,  David Mamet  and  Charles Bukowski. If forced to add a fourth, it would have been, for me: Luis Valdez."

In the 1980's, if you were studying writing, acting or directing, there were three major influences & original styles in which you had to overcome:  Sam Shepard,  David Mamet  and  Charles Bukowski. If forced to add a fourth, it would have been, for me: Luis Valdez. On the one hand, you could not ignore their presence, on the other hand, you had to learn what they had to offer and forge ahead to create a style and a body of work that was all your own. Not everyone in my peer group was able to overcome and or accept those lessons, very few would ever forge ahead and fewer less are even still trying to this day. This film, much like many of Shepard's plays, tracks the lives of two brothers. Not exactly Cane and Abel, though, there is a touch of that, without the harsh judgements. The film stars Harry Dean Stanton in one of his rare, serious & thoroughly leading roles as Travis, a down and way out figure of a man who crumbled, then quickly disappeared after the tragic break up of his marriage. Leaving behind a young son, who is now being raised by his brother and the brother's wife.  This is a family mystery without any obvious genre's or influences to compare it. A wholly original film that was an influence on many of the film makers working in the nineteen eighties. Paris, Texas put Wenders on the map. 

Natassja Kinski plays the long lost wife to Travis and the missing mother to Hunter, their son. A completely fresh & flawless child performance, by the actor of the same name Hunter Carson, not seen on the screen since the likes of Gem  & Scout in the classic film,  "To Kill a  Mockingbird". The film takes us from Mexico into Los Angeles & eventually into Huston, Texas, in a search for the meaning of life, relationships, love and resolution. A pitch perfect soundtrack & score by Ry Cooder [ The Havana Social Club] . Fine Art Cinematography by the master film maker Robby Mueller. Adapted to the screen by  L. M.  Kit  Carson, who has taken the source material and transformed it, by also lifting all the textural hooks, symbols and basic symbology from the Shepard canon of works to create this masterpiece of a film. From the first frame, to the last, we are given a faded piece of Americana that one finds in Hank Williams' songs, old scrap books, sun faded photographs, classic cars, antique stores & long lost love letters. Travis slowly comes back to life, piecing together his troubled past, meeting his son after many years and finding himself in an identity crisis. As a father, a brother and a human being living in the modern world.                                 

Dean Stockwell [ Blue Velvet ] plays the brother, Walt, who runs a billboard company. Upon their awkward & unexpected reunion, Travis excitedly exclaims, " So you're the guy who makes those… " unaware of worldly issues.  Travis is a tragically poetic human,  trapped in the past,  a total innocent. A throwback to another time and another place, obsessed with his parents lives, myths & the legends and little known facts that some times make up our lives. Where it was that our parents first met, what daddy often said while introducing mother at parties. The past looms large in Sam Shepard's plays and here, in Paris Texas, that past is everything. "Daddy would say that momma was from Paris and he'd wait to get their reaction before saying, from Paris, ... Texas."  The film picks up a certain pace, charm and bravado once Travis and his son Hunter take to the road. A beautiful and funny, heartfelt search for the woman neither has seen in several years.  

The search for the love of ones life. The search for mom. The search for a broken past. The search for some kind of a resolution. Hunter and Travis bond on the road, when it comes time to call home, Travis tells Hunter, "You have to do it." And indeed he does, in a phone booth, at sunset, the call completely startles the would-be foster parents, thoroughly delighting the audience to see father and son take to the road in the great American journey in search for the future, the past, and in this case, the present. Armed with toy walkie - talkies, a vintage car and nothing more than a few memories enlivened by old super 8 movies, the duo get to know one another, father and son changing roles along the way. Hunter leads the search, while Travis drifts into a mental absentia. Eventually, the bond is forged. Father & son eventually find mom. This is pure cinematic poetry. A one time effort that could never be repeated. A French/German production filmed in America with an international cast. One of the best films made in the Nineteen Eighties Canon and possibly one of the best films about America ever made by a European Director.

BUREAU FILM SCORE: To Kill a Mockingbird   

By Joshua Triliegi

Elmer Bernstein's score for To Kill a Mockingbird may just be the most perfect understanding of Literature, Cinema and Musical Orchestration ever created. Mr.Bernstein, who was blacklisted, some years later, made a fabulous comeback with, of all things, his score for John Landis's Animal House. By pulling great musical stunts as a straight man to Landis' pranks. Remember the score to that film ? Heroic like anthems, every time Belushi and his cohorts take on the conservative views of The University. It worked wonderfully and Mr Bernstein was back in business again. I recall meeting Elmer Bernstein at The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, where he presented and discussed To Kill a Mockingbird in - depth. It was quite an evening. A wonderful man. Not just his music, not just his understanding of the human drama, nor his ability to forgive an industry that turned it's back on him, but the man himself. He was a winner and after all these years that score still  rings true to me and to millions of cinema lovers around the world. Most folks agree that the book written by Harper Lee and the film by Robert Mulligan and Alan Pakula are incredible. But why ? The acting, yes, quite amazing with performances by two incredible children actors. And of course the apex of Gregory Peck's craft as actor, humanist, artist. But it is indeed the music. The opening theme, a sweeping and steady mid west warmth reminiscent of Mr Bernstein's early influences and one of his mentors: Aaron Copland. Copland encouraged the young musician based on his improvisations and suggested teachers, courses and a direction that led to more creativity.  

Elmer Bernstein's was a part of a world where, if you were interested in the arts, that meant every facet: he studied acting, dance and performed on Broadway as a child. He was recognized as a painter early on & even approached Clifford Odets on lessons in writing fiction. For over a decade he was a concert pianist and some years later taught at USC's Thornton School of Music. He composed over 200 themes for Television and film and also created some great music for the experimental films of Charles and Ray Eames. He also worked with Martin Scorsese more than a few times. And after his score of Animal house, became a regular for scoring comedies such as Ghostbusters, Airplane! , Stripes and The Blues Brothers. Elmer talked about his inspiration for the score to To Kill A Mockingbird and how he wanted to pierce the imagination of the child mind. What would a child play ?  Listening for a simple melody to draw upon. Especially his theme for the foreboding character of Boo Radley, played simplistically by a young Robert Duvall. Keeping the score simple was Mr Bernstein's entire approach to creating the impetus for the melodies and later building them into orchestrations that simply lift us above the earth and or break our hearts. The gentleness, the drama, the curiosity, the fun & the maddening injustices that the world provides, so well presented musically.                                            

                     

"With Mockingbird, I'd read the book. Robert Mulligan and I were old friends, before we even shot a frame. "  He goes on to explain, "Aaron Copland was my biggest single musical influence. Apart from my teacher, he was the first person to hear anything I wrote. Copland was good friends with my teacher who took me to meet him in his apartment. I was 12. Copland was 30, but not yet famous. My teacher made me play for him, asking if he thought I had any talent. Let's give him some lessons and find out! ", he replied. That's really how my composition career started."

Imagine that you are given a Pulitzer Prize winning novel and told that it is your job to conjure what it sounds like ? Imagine what these words sound like. To pull, out of thin air, sounds, melodies, orchestrations, themes that represent what a classic book might sound like, that's quite a task. Film composers do it daily. Bernstein employs the flute, violin, harp, clarinet, oboe and strings. For a full review in complete detail, check out the work of Craig Lysy whose done a wonderful job of explaining the score in detail and had this to say about the music, "The main lyrical theme is a masterpiece cue that gains Bernstein immortality. It is timeless and in my opinion takes it place in film score lore as one of the most beautiful and memorable themes ever composed."  I couldn't agree more.  Heres a link : http://moviemusicuk.us/2010/11/06/to-kill-a-mockingbird-elmer-bernstein/  

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Soundtrack Track Listing:

Main Title (3:19) / Remember Mama (1:07)/ Atticus Accepts the Case/Roll in the Tire (2:05)

Creepy Caper/Peek-a-Boo (4:09) / Ewell’s Hatred (3:30) / Jem’s Discovery (3:46)

Tree Treasure (4:22) / Lynch Mob (3:03) / Guilty Verdict (3:09) / Ewell Regret It (2:10)

Footsteps in the Dark (2:07) / Assault in the Shadows (2:25) / Boo Who? (2:59)

End Title (3:25) / Running Time: 41 minutes 57 seconds

Music composed and conducted by Elmer Bernstein. Performed by The Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Featured musical soloists; Penny Haydock, John Grant, Edward Paling, Pauline Dowse, John Clark, John Cushing, Stephane Rancourt and Christophe Sauniere. Recorded and mixed by Jonathan Allen. Album produced by Elmer Bernstein and Robert Townson.

Other film Scores by Bernstein recognized by The American Film Institute:

The Age of Innocence (1993) / Far from Heaven (2002) / The Great Escape (1963) / Hawaii (1966) / The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) / Summer and Smoke (1961) / Sweet Smell of Success (1957) / The Ten Commandments (1956) / Walk on the Wild Side (1962)

MARLON BRANDO: The WILD One

Marlon Brando is the quintessential original wild one. He broke down the barriers for acting styles. He conquered Shakespeare, Hollywood and Racism. He is The Godfather. He owned an island. And like all the great ones, he had his demons and had to walk back down the flight of steps that he walked up to begin with and meet all the same people on the way down. Many of them never got to the top. It's cold up there and you are all alone, thats the way it is when you are number one. When you are the highest paid, the most revered, the greatest, the best, the most talented, the one. The top of your game can only last a lifetime for some, decades for others, a few seasons for most, and for many, just a few days, but for most: never. That explains why we honor, respect, revere and enjoy those that have it going on. It also explains why many do the exact opposite and try to strip that all away,  they never had it,  never will and wouldn't know what the hell to do with it,  even if they had.  

Marlon Brando told the world to fuck off. He stood up against white property owners in the 1960's, thankfully accepted his first Oscar from Hollywood and years later, sent a Native American to say, basically: No Thanks. He knew when film makers and studios were going to make millions off of him and so, he flipped the script. He's more than a legend: he's real, a man, flesh and blood. Actors will tell you that he was their original inspiration. Everybody sights Brando as an inspiration. He is alive, exciting, scary, unpredictable, sexy, funny and underneath it all, he's vulnerable. Simply and quite honestly: he's a big baby. But what a beautiful baby he is. He is intuitive, curious, mischievous, sly, brooding, delving, stubborn: all this and so much more. Fill  in  the  adjective(s)                    . 

Marlon Brando seemed to personify a time and place in America, a glimpse into the psyche of men in transition. Post War American men came back from the war, toughened, suspicious, some damaged, others with a certain confidence and reinstated rebelliousness. Brando's career follows the trajectory of post war America and parallels that line straight through to Apocalypse Now. From The Nineteen Forties straight through to the Nineteen - Seventies he's in the game. The comebacks are phenomenal and the mistakes and fumbles are equally outstanding. Brando's dancing in Guys & Dolls is simply amazing. To see a man that large, with a boxers physique, move so cat - like with a cool daddy - o style that seems to precede a sort of beatnik smoothness is a joy to behold. A man who admitted few regrets publicly, though whole heartedly exclaims that he wished he had treated James Dean with more respect and attention during his short lifetime. There is no James Dean without Brando. Its safe to say there is no: Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, the list goes on and on. We are talking about explosiveness, sex appeal and raw magnetism, mixed with a perfect sense of craft, curiosity and hard work that makes up what we call great and unparalleled acting. And thats just the American list. Some times, we in America thinks its always about us, hate to burst your bubble here, but people around the world are influenced by our greatness and that effects their work too. Brando often made films in Europe and his influence can be seen in actors like the great Toshiro Mifune of Japan. Brando's roles are often an explanation for the very thing that is wrong with human kind and some times he is there to fight against that very thing. The photograph by Phil Stern is a Hollywood Classic and a perfect example of a man at work, like any other man. Well,  that's stretching it a bit.  Maybe it's more honest to say: A Man at Work,  Like No Other Man.

FILM : THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING 

" In The Kingdom of Kitsch "

In 1988 director Phillip Kaufman brought to the screen a novel by Milan Kundera. Mr Kaufman has always been at least, a decade ahead of the times. His films have constantly created genres, influenced directors and bravely translated literature & historical events to the screen. His adherence and loyalty to source material is unmatched. The Wanderers, The Right Stuff, Henry and June, to name a few, have inspired and set the stage for other films within the genre, consistently raising the bar on truth, quality, reverence to the originator and entertainment well beyond the current trends. Mr. Kaufman brings to life words with a keen sense of detail and a wide world view which brings the viewer into a realm of reality or fantasy that seems to punctuate humanity and specifically the boundaries with which life presents.The Unbearable Lightness of Being might be considered his masterpiece, although, due to his prolific and influential output in other genres, it is safe to say that Kaufman will not be remembered for any one film. He is under rated, in terms of being what they call a house hold name. But to directors in the industry, film students and international film festivals, associations and aficionados: Mr. Kaufman is heroic. 

"The Right Stuff opened the door for a slew of astronaut films including Apollo 13. Kaufman practically created the genre. By setting an absolute tone, fabulous casting, flawless research and collaboration with top costumers, photographers and producers, his influence is felt far beyond the time and the place with which his films are released."

The Right Stuff opened the door for a slew of astronaut films including Apollo 13. Kaufman practically created the genre. By setting an absolute tone, fabulous casting, flawless research and collaboration with top costumers, photographers and producers his influence is felt far beyond the time and the place with which his films are released. In The Unbearable Lightness of Being a stellar cast of actors bring to life historical events. Politics, passion, literature and history meld into a contemporary take on a situation which relates to and possibly rivals director David Lean's, Doctor Zhivago. Film history relies on itself to continue certain traditions. Film makers grow up watching films which inspire works of art that later influence the next generation and so on. As Zhivago was based on a great novel about love that just so happens to be placed in a time of political upheaval, so to does the source material for Milan Kundera's novel. 

Daniel Day - Lewis spreads his wings in this production which for the first time truly employs his talents to an international audience in a story that juxtaposes his love for life, women and country and the complications that arise between politics, change, revolution and expressing one's self as a writer while making a living at another trade, in this case : brain surgery. One can imagine Mr. Kaufman's desk covered with book options through the years and muttering to his producers cliches' such as, 'It's not rocket science.' or 'It doesn't take a brain Surgeon.'  But for Kaufman it definitely is rocket science & as far as this writer is concerned, it is brain surgery, for Kaufman is a genius. I never use the word and yet there it is on the page. There is something about his films that generate a certain amount of passion, interest and bon vivant. His take on life is liberated, his characters are on the edge of history, pushing the envelope into a new time & place. Sam Shepard' s characterization of astronaut Chuck Yeager in the Right Stuff is a perfect example. Characters who break boundaries and later seem to go uncredited or under the radar. Or bringing to life the triangular love relationship between Henry Miller and his lovers. Source material that few directors would know how to approach, let alone, how to raise the funds for and bring to life on the screen. 

Unbearable Lightness of Being also visits this type of triangular passion and complicated relationship that make for great drama. Kaufman's take on life, love & history are dramatic, but laced with a pathos, irony and humor that keeps one interested through out. He has a rare viewpoint that illustrates life's issues and relationships in an original & complicated way. With stellar performances by Lena Olin and a fresh faced newcomer on the scene, Juliet Binoche. Supporting cast includes Stellan Skarsgard. This erotic, yet human feature film takes us inside Czechloslvakia during a particularly tumultuous time in their history with an oppressive an invasive Russian takeover during the nineteen sixties. Politics, passion and provocation abound. Kaufman's films almost never come in at the usual commercial time of ninety minutes. He is an artist, most of his features are two hours or more. Unbearable Lightness of Being comes in at an epic 172 minutes, just under three hours. Every scene, every line, every moment is fresh, alive, undeniably truthful, unabashedly human & heartbreakingly real. Originally a part of the Orion Pictures catalogue. Produced by The Saul Zaentz Company. A brave and bold historical film well worth celebrating. 

This has been an appreciation of UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING. An ongoing Series of articles marking the Films, Books & Artworks that  are worth remembering, re-watching, re-reading and re-celebrating time & time again.

ORSON  WELLES 

Orson Welles is the real voice of America. He scared the living hell out of us on October 31st 1939 with The Historical radio narration of "WAR of The WORLDS". A somewhat naive public had tuned in to hear the usual musical concert brought to you live by so and so from such and such a location and instead was told that, "The Martians were landing in New Jersey," and a full on invasion of America was taking place. The 'Boy Wonder' as he was called by some, had looks, guts, a voracious appetite for fame and a deep male voice that held passion, wisdom, roots, defiance and bravado. Orson gathered a group of actors and called them The Mercury Players, including a young Agnes Moorehead, Vincent Price, Joseph Cotton, Everett Sloane, Ray Collins, Martin Gabel, Anne Baxter, Judy Holliday, Geraldine Fitzgerald and other future stars of sound and screen. Orson Welles wrote, acted, directed, narrated and produced. He took classic literature and related it to current issues including Shakespeare's Julius Caesar with a twist toward the growing fascism in Europe of the late 1930s. He went on to create radio adaptions of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Huckleberry Finn, Our Town, The Heart of Darkness, Five Kings, and Native Son. The Legend of Welles has created many a great film and literary adaption in its own right. "RKO 281" starring Liev Schreiber as Welles is a good adaption of events leading up to his entry into Hollywood and filmmaking. "The Cradle will Rock" by Tim Robbins is another fine and thorough film which brings to life The Theater chapter of Welles experience in New York City with the WPA and censorship in America. Orson Welles' All Black MacBeth commonly known as VooDoo Macbeth, set in Haiti, was an out and out success, every line in Shakespeare's play was kept intact. The production, "Exceeded its original play dates in New York and had a popular tour of The country". 

It also began an animosity surrounding Orson Welles that continued to follow his career leading up to his masterpiece which chronicled the life and times of a once powerful media mogul and newspaper magnate, in all its highs and lows: Citizen Kane. Both Peter Bogdanovich and Henry Jaglom spent a good amount of time with Orson late in his life and each have interesting stories to tell, in both book and film. "The Cats Meow" a film by Bogdanovich tells a dark chapter related to media mogul William Randolph Hearst of Citizen Kane fame and Jaglom's book, "My lunches with Orson" transcribe taped conversations with the late great master filmmaker and magician. Some twenty years after Citizen Kane created a revolution in film, censorship and battles between the artists and the media in Hollywood, Bogdanovich had organized a retrospect of works at The Museum of Modern Art in New York and years later posthumously published, "This is Orson Welles" in 1985. Controversy courted Welles at all levels, especially with his collaborators and creating partners, including The Bogdanovich book which, was lost in storage, later found, put on hold by Welles himself, having been offered funds for his own life story and later published with full approval. Some called it a failed career, others know damn well that Welles was out and out blackballed from the industry and ten years later, hundreds of left leaning artists, writers and filmmakers were witch hunted by not just, The Industry, but by their own government. Orson Welles was a real voice for American Radio and being a real man in America can be a dangerous game. Citizen Kane is commonly called One of, if not, THE, Greatest Modern American Film of all time. Welles took the newspaper techniques utilized by Media Moguls of the time and flipped them right back in their faces, taking tawdry facts and innuendo and skewering the all powerful modern day millionaires of the day. It was a beautiful and defiant move that scared the pants off of the powerful and at the same time, empowered the individual artist. Unfortunately, the price Orson paid to make that statement ended his own career, created a legend, set the tone for decades to come and even taught a weary government what tools could be used to dupe the public into submission, fear and war. To this day, film, radio & literature as well as newspapers are all fooling society daily.

QUIZ SHOW at TWENTY

Robert Redford is a Master Film Director of  The American Landscape.  His style is so deeply rooted in Realism that even when the story hinges on magical realism, such as, "The Legend of Bagger Vance," we as the audience are taken in, wholeheartedly. "A River Runs Through It" took Brad Pitt and insured that his career would not be one of how a handsome man can become successful, Redford pushed the actor to find a personality that would surpass looks and it worked. "Quiz Show" takes on the almighty Power of  Television and puts it on Trial.  Today, we take a look at "QUIZ SHOW" on The 20th Anniversary.

This is a large film, with a brilliant cast, a flawless tone and leading actors that include John Turturro as the whistle-blowing contestant Herb Stempel and Ralph Fiennes as Charlie Van Doren, a wealthy second generation Columbia University teacher who gets sucked into cheating himself, the public and his families reputation simply by allowing the network's television producers of The Quiz Show entitled, "21" to, "… give him the answers." Which are said to be, "… sealed in a bank vault." Enter investigating lawyer and Harvard graduate at the top of his class, Richard Goodwin, played here brilliantly by Rob Morrow. A former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Frankfurter, who is on the legislative subcommittee for oversight. The film begins with undertones of the times, "Mack The Knife" by Bobby Daren is the films musical opener and on the radio, we are told that, "The Russians have launched Sputnik and all is not well in America." Redford knows the American historical backdrop well and informs his dramas opener with tones suggesting preceding events between 1950 and 1959, the year this film takes place. Alluding to the dreaded blacklist, which somehow connected the Russian communist fear of an invasion with Jewish writers and leftist entertainers who were demonized by Joe McCarthy. More than once, Goodwin tells his fellow associates and his wife, "This is not McCarthy-ism here." Goodwin is a careful prosecutor, by some standards, too careful.

"He is ordered to give the wrong answer to a  question that everyone in America knows and is given the number of a psychiatrist free of charge, welcome to the network." 

Attempting to explain that he is simply going after the fact that the answers were being given to contestants and the public was duped into tuning in night after night while the sponsors of these shows reaped in millions. The film marches in step between four worlds, Herb Stempel's blue collar neighborhood in Queens, Charlie Van Doren's upper crust family in upstate New York, Richard Goodwin's moderate post graduate career life and the big and awe inspiring world of major network television with all its new bells, whistles and "APPLAUSE" signs. Early on, an ad executive, played by Martin Scorsese, warns the television producers that Herb Stempel, who has been the winning contestant for several weeks is, 'not working'. The producers say that Stempel has that, "Everyman quality…" and that he represents the idea that anyone from New York can make it in America, The Ad Exec exclaims, "Queens is not New York …" and soon Herb Stempel is told he must take a dive.

Dan Enright, the shows producer, delivers the bad news over steak and wine. When Stempel begs to stay on the show, he is reminded that, "It's an arrangement, It's always been an arrangement." He is ordered to give the wrong answer to a question that everyone in America knows and is given the number of a psychiatrist free of charge, welcome to the network. The Stempel character breaks and eventually demands some restitution from the television producers who quickly move into cover up mode by launching Charlie Van Doren into the stratosphere of T.V. fame and fortune, he eventually makes upwards of 120,000 thousand dollars, surpassing even his famous father and uncles riches awarded by simply great writing, Pulitzer prizes and the like. By the time Charlie Van Doren graces the cover of Time magazine, Herb Stempel, who is schlumping around like a schmuck without a life, goes to the district attorney and an investigation ensues. The judge on the case, who regularly plays golf with the president of the network, conceals Stempel's statement to "protect reputations from an unstable whistleblower."  The concealment is the first of any such case in New York in the past hundred years, attracting the likes of Richard Goodwin & things begin to heat up from this point on. In motion picture history, there have been other television expose' style films preceding and since "Quiz Show." Paddy Chayefsky famously wrote "NETWORK," which was a dark and comedic opera like parody of television with brilliant performances by William Holden as a burnt out television executive and Fay Dunaway as an upwardly mobile television producer who will do anything for ratings. "Network" brought us the now famous line, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" with a bust out performance by Peter Finch as the broadcaster gone made who is deified into a modern day mad man, hero & eventually martyred on the air, all in the name of good ratings.

There are no tricky camera angles, 

        nothing brings attention to the story 

                 accept simply great performances …

Since the making of QUIZ SHOW, George Clooney directed the somber, yet honest, story of Edward R. Murrow's fight with the networks to tell certain truths that were better left untold. This is also a brilliant film told in black and white with performances by a cast of incredible actors all working in unison to bring this chapter of network television to the fore. Clooney, who was a child of TV knows very well how to explain the tone of advertiser vs truth and he delivers well. Quiz Show sits somewhere between these two versions, both cinematically and sequentially. Redford's realist style and tone are not colored in any expressionistic way whatsoever, this is not a parody like NETWORK, nor is it a black and white report, like Clooney's, "Good Night, And Good Luck". Redford plays it straight and allows us to simply experience the events in real time, from all angles of a four cornered world. The film rolls out like a giant 1959 American made automobile, sexy, classy, bold, he's working with an ample budget, an outstanding cast and crew and top of the line costume, camera and production team. The film is timeless, its arc is perfect, its idiom unique.There are no tricky camera angles, nothing brings attention to the story accept simply great performances, a brilliant and balanced screenplay, as usual, Redford always works with the most perfect script that encompasses the act one - two and three - format that then goes one step further and adds both a preamble and a post event wrap up that often leaves the audience informed, entertained and enthralled. With Quiz Show, he hits the trifecta: This is pure Cinema. 

As Richard Goodwin begins to investigate The 21 Show, he is given personal contact information about Van Doren and the two strike up an unlikely friendship. Goodwin, who is Jewish, a Harvard Grad at the top of his class, a brilliant lawyer and a keen mind himself, is slow to suspect Charles Van Doren of any wrong doing. The two lunch at high brow restaurants and run into Charlie's father, who is a famous literary figure among a circle of writers such as James Thurber and Edmund Wilson. It is not until Goodwin's wife pushes him to dig deeper that the drama really cranks up and Goodwin does indeed uncover the scandal. All along the way, previous contestants deny any commiseration, they all know too well the power of the networks and just when it seems hopeless, a Greenwich Village artist and former contestant submits an unopened, self - addressed - stamped - envelope with the questions of the show mailed to himself, several days prior to the actual live television airing. Goodwin now has evidence and gets his teeth into the television producers pant leg. "Your a very disruptive young man," he is told by Dan Enright, the show's hapless producer and network stooly who eventually flees to Mexico when the shit really hits the fan. Portrayed here by David Paymer. Meanwhile, Richard Goodwin and Charlie Van Doren play poker, go sailing and celebrate Van Doren's father's birthday with background commentary from family members exclaiming that, "Charlie's famous, like Elvis Presley." The senior Van Doren has never seen his son Charlie's appearance on television and so, for his birthday, he receives a TV set from Charlie.

At one point, Goodwin tells Charlie, 

   "I know your lying."  Charlie retorts 

         with a simple response, "Bluffing ... 

                                     The word is, 'Bluffing'."

 By the time that Richard Goodwin gets to actually speak to television executives, he is given a list of Herb Stempel's psychiatric bill and a recording made while Stempel was heatedly unravelling. When Goodwin speaks to Stempel again, he admits that he was given the answers and goads Goodwin on to go after Van Doren, exclaiming, "Just 'cause you went to Harvard, you think you have a stake in the system ?" The TV Exec's convince Charlie Van Doren that the investigation will not reach him and that Stempel is just a crackpot. But with Goodwin on the case, the other contestants self addressed letter and an impending investigation by the subcommittee, Charlie begins to buckle. During a poker game with a bunch of wealthy pals of Charlie, Goodwin begins to 'QUIZ' Charlie, who happens to be working on a book about, of all people, 'Honest Abe Lincoln'. At one point, Goodwin tells Charlie, "I know your lying."  Charlie retorts with a simple response, "Bluffing, the word is, 'Bluffing'." This particular exchange is what makes Redford's world so damn compelling, he is a master of the slow but steady storytelling that unravels on the screen as a great book unravels on the page. Bob Redford is probably one of the most well respected and truthful directors when adapting books of the popular or well written variety in the past several decades. He simply works with great writers and those able to adapt a screenplay into something incredibly special from very thick & exhaustive source material. Meanwhile, the television executives offer Charles Van Doren fifty-thousand dollars and a morning show to teach children about, 'literature and the importance of reading'. He accepts the offer and is sucked even further into the networks spider web like prizes. 

By the time Goodwin nails the television producers to the floor, they actually offer him his own show, he declines and instead suggests that they implicate the network. The producer admits that if he said a single word that, "They would never let me through the door again."  Goodwin pauses, looks at the man and simply states, with a Bogart - like - cool: "I have a feeling you're not walking through that door anyway." By this time, the film and it's impending investigation roll forward with a non stop pace that is both rewarding and gratifying. Not surprisingly, the networks are untouched and the producers, we are told in the final scene, returned with popular quiz shows some years later. In a final tit for tat dialogue exchange between Goodwin and the head advertising executive played here by Martin Scorsese, the ad exec exclaims, "It isn't about what I know, it's about what you know… The Public has a very short memory, but corporations, they never forget… Look young man, you have a very promising future, watch yourself out there." About the time that the elder Van Doren, Charlie's father exclaims that, "All this talk about cheating on a quiz show is like plagiarizing a comic book," Charlie comes clean, "Dad, they gave me the answers." His father's reaction is total surprise, "They gave you the answers ? Oh my god Charlie, How are you going to tell the committee ?"  Then Charlie asks dad to back him up. 

In a final scene, in front of the subcommittee and a host of swarming reporters, Charlie Van Doren finally admits to wrong doing in a speech that starts, "Everything came too easy…"   which is an echoing line from one of Robert Redford's earliest successes as an actor, his portrayal of Hubbel in, "The Way We Were." Redford's character writes a story which begins with the opening line, "Everything had come too easy…" and so we come full circle. The entire committee begins to congratulate Charles Van Doren for coming clean in an overly acceptable and non critical manner, until finally, a working class representative steps up and exclaims, "Although, I think it is commendable … I am from another part of New York … and I don't think by simply telling the truth you should be so easily forgiven." The audience begins to applaud, the camera view is now from high above the proceedings and a gavel pounds for order. We hear Richard Goodwin's voiceover, "I thought we were going to get television, the truth is, television is going to get us."  Which is true in more ways than one as even Robert Redford's Sundance Channel now has just as many commercials between independent films, as the big three network broadcasters. One thing for sure, nobody would ever have expected Robert Redford the actor to ever even dream about, let alone realize his ability to direct films at the level with which he has delivered time and time again. Robert Redford is one of America's best and brightest, we love his work, respect his artistic output and honor his contribution to the art of fine filmmaking. 

JAMES DEAN :  The ACTOR 

James Dean. He was not simply an actor in search of a project, he was a human in search of a world, a son in search of a father, an orphan in search of a mother, a new kid in search of a friend, a worker in search of wealth, a comedian in search of a tragedy, he was an outsider in search of the inside and when he got inside, he did what anybody with integrity and curiosity does, he searched for the exit and found it. But before that and most of all, James Byron Dean was an American in search of America. Maybe that is why we empathize with him so deeply and even then, cinema fans from around the world loved, admired and even worshipped him. James Dean was more than an American. He was a symbol of truth in the eye of fakery, anger in the face of complacency, passion in the face of blandness. James Dean was ahead of his times and when the world caught up, he was already gone. He was beautiful, angry, funny, reflective, moody, original, sexy, expressive, quiet: he was small and he was large, figure that one out. He had studied the best and took from the rest, adding his own style of acting. Dean had the bravado of Marlon Brando on his right and the quietude and gentleness of Montgomery Clift on his left and he knew it. He had the urgency of a person fully aware of the ticking timepiece on the wall of life. A voracious appetite for learning everything that was worthy of learning: Acting, Dance, Photography, Music, Racing, Basketball, Philosophy and Filmmaking to name a few. Who knows what he would have done with his power had he stuck around longer than the twenty - four years that he walked the earth ?  

"James Dean was more than an American. He was a symbol of truth in the eye of fakery, anger in the face of complacency, passion in the face of blandness. James Dean was ahead of his times and when the world caught up, he was already gone."

Because Dean was a method actor and delved deep into his roles, it is safe to say he may have become an outstanding businessman, in the same way that actors such as Mark Wahlberg has become or possibly an award winning producer in the way that Brad Pitt has or possibly an activist in the same way that Martin Sheen and Sean Penn have done. James Dean was extremely progressive in his own life, but also served the characters he played first and foremost to the utmost degree. His friends were from all walks of life. That may sound easy in these modern times, but in the nineteen fifties, that was rare. James Dean was, as they say, born cool. But actually, the truth is, he acquired his coolness from a compendium of individuals: poets, writers, actors, beatniks, hipsters, underdogs and over achievers, he was all of the above. Those he worked with found him to be mesmerizing, defiant, romantic and honest. Younger actors such as Dennis Hopper wanted to know his secrets. Older actors such as Rock Hudson found him to be more focused than any actor ever. Sal Mineo stated that Dean, "Never took any nonsense from anyone in a higher position, he would stand up to them no matter what the situation. It is no wonder we love him so, wouldn't we all want to do such a thing ? Demand that our parents be honest with themselves, as he does in Rebel without a Cause ? Exclaim to our wealthy employer that we are going to be, "Richer than all the rest of you …" as he does in Giant or to seek out the family secrets and recover our fathers lost investment as he does in East of Eden ? Dean is confused and he is searching for clarity, he is angry, but he is looking for peace, his is young, yet he yearns for experience, he is hurt, though he blames no one. James Dean personified characters written by John Steinbeck, Edna Thurber and Stewart Stern, top of the line writers each with a streak, a sparkle, a deep understanding of the human condition and a flare for drama and reality. Dean dabbled in television and theater, but discovered that film was the big medium and he found his way to the screen with a steadfast and meteoric rise that was not unlike a freshman climbing to the graduates position by avoiding half the steps to the top and eventually jumping entirely into the abyss when he got there. The list of musicians, actors, writers & performers that owe a debt to James Dean is so vast that it would be meaningless to even begin to categorize. Every single scene in every single film is authentic. To this day, he is undeniable real, undated, fresh, as if the scene was shot yesterday. Dean's performances are so authentic and urgent that even the periods with which the films are set, have no real consequences to the viewer, the fact is, he was the perfect actor for the medium and for that, we are eternally inspired, enthralled and entertained to a degree that is almost impossible to describe. The James Dean legacy is beyond compare. After all is said and done, it is not about Dean's death, but his life, and so on the eve of the sixtieth anniversary of his passing, we celebrate the life of James Dean. 

AKIRA  KUROSAWA 

Akira Kurosawa is a great contribution to The Asian World and indeed he is a National Treasure to Japan. To Us in The West, he is a teacher, a scholar, a storyteller, a raconteur, a moralist with a much wider view point than the average. Ultimately Kurosawa is a Film maker of the rarest variety, lastly, he is an Artist. Today, we honor Mr Akira Kurosawa. 

Akira Kurosawa is the youngest child of a large family, third generation from the Edokko. He is exposed to film early on by an older brother and eventually finds his way to filmmaking by assisting and script writing. His meticulous nature and perfectionist qualities concerning accuracy are exemplary. Eventually his adaptions of early literature and his knowledge of Art expand the ideas of a what a film actually is. Kurosawa garners attention with innovative techniques, pushes the limits on former traditional ideas of right and wrong. After ten films that were mostly seen in his own country, Kurosawa has a creative breakthrough, which leads to International acclaim and a resounding success.

Kurosawa's Adaption of several short stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa in 1950 for the film entitled, "Rashomon," received The Grand Prix at The Venice Film Festival and led to American distribution through RKO. The film went on to win both the National Board of Review prize and Academy recognition for the Best Foreign Film in Hollywood. At the time, Art Films were usually recognized more from countries such as France, Sweden or England. The fact that a Japanese film had make an international sensation and actually made money in large metropolitan cites such as New York was historical. Film reviews in the New York Times, the Saturday Review and the Christian Science Monitor were complimentary. Reviews in The New Yorker and the Times London were perplexing, as we look back at those negative reviews, some sixty-five years later, they seem tainted by a prejudice that has haunted the Asian culture since time immemorial. You may notice that this publication has no time, need or desire to TELL the reader what is good or bad. If it is in the publication, you may assume it is good, if it is not in the publication, you may assume whatever you like. Rashomon went on to great heights of conjecture and recognition and to this day is compared to great films that have transcended both time and trends. It could be compared to Orson Welles' great Classic, "Citizen Kane," in that regard. The success of international recognition brings scrutiny and even envy within the inner circles of a great artist and without a doubt, the surprising popularity of Rashomon, did just that. Kurosawa follows it up with an early literature favorite from Dostoevsky. He eventually creates the masterpiece, "Seven Samurai," which inspires another popular filmmaker to adapt it into, "The Magnificent Seven." Later, more such adaptations of Kurosawa films, both loose and exacting will create films like George Lucas' extremely popular film series, "Star Wars."

Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg and Paul Schrader are just a few of the internationally known American filmmakers who owe a great debt to the legacy of the man they call, Akira Kurosawa. One of the important aspects of Kurosawa and his influence on cinema is both his pre-war and post — war activity in filmmaking. He is assisting and in training throughout the period before World War Two. Kurosawa becomes a director in 1943, though his responsibilities as an assistant in previous productions had prepared him entirely. All throughout the War, Akira Kurosawa makes films that are influenced by what he sees and feels, but also by many of his Western influences such as writers like Georges Simenon. Kurosawa is blatantly honest about his many influences which include: D. W.  Griffith, Ed McBain, Dostoevsky, Shakespeare and the frailty of mankind itself. Years after the war, Kurosawa openly discusses his acknowledgment of, "War Time filmmaking and National Code policies that both hindered and influenced his ability to make the films he had intended to create. A must read book for any persons wishing to understand the films of Akira Kurosawa is the comprehensive manual, "The Films of Akira Kurosawa," by author Donald Ritchie, "Something of An Auto Biography," by Kurosawa himself and of course the many books written about each film, the scripts and stories they are based on, and to view the films themselves. I also believe that comparative film viewings are a great way to understand the relationships that we as artists, filmmakers and storytellers have with one another. If you watch, "The Hidden Fortress," as a double feature with, "Star Wars," or "The Seven Samurai," with "The Magnificent Seven," you may learn something of the interrelated quality which the arts provide this world. The unification of the human experience itself, on an international level, depends highly on the arts. 

The films of Akira Kurosawa play a key role in the international discussion and dissertation on our relations as people of the world. Another keen and important aspect to Akira Kurosawa's contribution to film itself is his deep knowledge and curiosity regarding philosophy, literature and the visual arts. As Kurosawa's popularity rises, he is more and more, able to make the type of film that he originally intended to create. In "High and Low," a detective story based on a book by Ed McBane, Kurosawa's positioning of characters in relation to their body language is so artistically defined and designed that it raises filmmaking to the level of high art. The single frame pictures in this production, especially the interior shots with four or more characters are simply masterpiece art paintings, fine art prints or highly developed photographs by a complete and utter artist of the highest order. Further, the images relate directly to story, emotion, narrative interpretation and culminate into what a film must be to succeed: Entertainment as well as Education. Kurosawa goes onto create a series of films that have created a legacy of outstanding cinema that have aligned themselves with his own country, with Asian history and traditions as well as the concerns of humanity as a whole. An artist will create works that reflect their personal interests, views and concerns as well as experience. At the same time, there are collective experiences that relate to one's nation, one's place in the world and one's very existence. The Akira Kurosawa catalogue is steeped in each afore mentioned example. His later works, such as, "Ran," and "Dreams," are a testament to humanity, history and proof that, Akira Kurosawa, from the first film to the last, set a great example and raised the bar of excellence as well as imagination. I do not pretend to be a specialist in Asian studies. I do not assume I know anything more than you do about Oriental culture. I do not profess to have the answers to the deeper questions that great art provides. I do know that the work of Akira Kurosawa has educated my knowledge, his films have informed my curiosity, his ideas have answered many of the deeper philosophical questions. And so, today, we honor the great Asian Artist Akira Kurosawa. 

                                                                                                             - Joshua A. TRILIEGI

BUREAU FILM : THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY 

 Directed by Hans Petter Molland  Starring Damien Nguyen Written by Sabina Murray

 Reviewed by Joshua A. TRILIEGI    /  Reprinted From The BUREAU Of ARTS AND CULTURE Archives 

The Beautiful Country is a heartbreaking journey which helps any American born stateside to understand fully the difficulty in being born elsewhere, but having ones heart set on America and the dream it holds for so many. Half American, half Vietnamese, our lead character leaves his native country to find his American born father by birth. Hated by the locals, un-accepted by his mother' s family and friends. He takes a leap into the abyss of the unknown world. From small town to boat, from concentration camp to ship and on into a story of struggle, pain, not belonging, outsider status and the search for the father ultimately becomes the search for self. With little brother in tow and a fist full of foreign bills, he leads us into a luckless trip full of sweet & sour sorrow. Befriending other American dreamers along the way: a dissident, an attractive young lady, a sick old man, fellow refugees who have sold themselves to get on over. None of these friendships make the trip any easier. Prostitution, resistance, political oppression & the search for that ever elusive American dream embroil into a game of dangerous proportions with death at every turn. Humans trapped on a chess board of heroic sacrifice and humble beginnings. A beautiful and touching film with excellent writing and directing, very well produced and career making performances by newcomers as well as stalwart pros. Tim Roth is the captain of the ship and the incomparable Nick Nolte is the father, an ex GI living on a farm in Texas. Survival, death and opportunity all mix into a volatile cocktail of moral values versus the market place of human trafficking. With allusions to death camps of both post and pre war eras, and the promise that, "You' ll all get rich in America," our characters are trapped in a carrot dangling process of hunger for both food and a better life elsewhere: A life in America. 

"A heartbreaking journey which helps any American born stateside to understand fully the difficulty in being born elsewhere, but having ones heart set on America and the dream it holds for so many."

Another brave production by Ed Pressman, Terence Malick and San Nazarian, who put up the funds. A return to the kind of films that Americans were known to produce in the heyday of classic 1970s and again in the 1990s period of real film making. All too often, cartoons, machines and digital effects have taken center stage over story, acting and simply great film making. The Beautiful Country is a return to the kind of film making that made the entire world look to Hollywood with love, respect & honor. A sorrowful film with heartbreaking proportions. A sort of love letter to the after effects of war, peace, exodus and the price paid to not only make it in America, but the price paid to actually get here. Fellow inmates play a game of who can mention the most American icons in a tandem roulette — like fashion : Clint Eastwood, Mickey Mouse, NFL, etc ... The basic subjects that we as Americans take for granted, others do not. America is indeed ' The Beautiful Country ,' but a whole lotta ugly can sure be dished out by those wishing to dangle carrots, abuse their power & use immigrants as tools, objects and or devices for their own personal gain. With nothing more than a photograph, an address and a name, our hero, heart in hand, finds a way to survive the journey, help others along the way and somehow retain integrity & self respect in a world full of deceit, dishonesty and destitute situations . He loses family, gains friends and ultimately finds his father. In a particularly heroic effort he challenges the ships bullying drug dealer who leads the games which pit passenger against passenger. Putting a stop to the games by ultimately out quoting him with a list of American icons that include : The Miami Dolphins, George Washington, Huntington Beach, Minnesota and the 10 Freeway, A touching scene which employs humor, pathos and sadness with a punch to the gut for anyone with a heart. Finally after several deaths, detours and degradations, our hero does indeed make it over. Only to find out that any Vietnamese with an American father is allowed to fly into America free of charge. All in all our hero retains that sweet human trait we know as 'Grace'. The final chapter between he and his father, is elliptical, touching and open.

DO THE RIGHT THING 

Twenty  -  Five   Year   Anniversary 

by Joshua Triliegi  April 2014 Edition of Bureau of Arts and Culture Magazine

Motion pictures that are created at the end of a decade tend to encapsulate, envelope and regurgitate that time and place. Sometimes, they throw the entire experience back at us, either in celebration of it, or, as is often the case, rebelling entirely against the values of that time and of that place. These films, for some reason or another are important, they are the ' punctuation mark ' at the end of a stylistic sentence. Sometimes a simple period, other times a question mark & rather effectively, every now and then, the ever defiant: exclamation point. Looking at the decades in a linear fashion allows the viewer to put in perspective the decisions being made by the film maker.In 1939, films like Gone with The Wind, The Wizard of OZ and The Hunchback of Notre Dame expressed a certain something of the decade that was.  In 1949, it was,  All The Kings Men, The Third Man & Twelve O'Clock High. In 1959, North by Northwest, Imitation of Life and Some Like It Hot.  In 1969,  Midnight Cowboy,  Easy Rider,  Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. 1979 gave us: Apocalypse Now, Being There and Norma Rae. In 1989, we were given films such as Sex, Lies and Videotape, Batman and My Left Foot. 

The film we are discussing is Spike Lee's, opus feature, Do The Right Thing. An exclamation point film that entirely coughs up the indulgent  artifice  that  we  now  know as  The  Nineteen  Eighties. A completely retro progressive time and place, a decade for the so-called white man.  Conservative values, commercial qualities and a return to the 1950's America, which, deep down inside, was a bigstep backwards from the cultural and ethnic advances made in the 1960' s and 1970' s, especially for a young African American such as Mr. Spike Lee. An out-spoken Brooklynite through and through. The son of a Jazz purist, raised in the 1960's and 1970 's in New York City. The  center  of  defiant cultural celebration and often upheaval. "I was raised in a household where we were all encouraged by my parents to speak your mind.", the film maker admits and indeed in Do The Right Thing that is exactly what most, if not every, character does. A 'speaking of the minds' often leads to some form of friction, and with the melting pot experience, the mix of origins, ethnicities, values and the long hot summer in the city, friction leads to fire and fire leads to ashes, with ashes, there is closure and then a rebirth. 

Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing is indeed an American Landmark Film. I recall viewing the film on opening weekend with a rather light skinned audience on Wilshire boulevard in West LA, by the end, there was confusion. By the time the ever famous trashcan scene ensued, even I was a bit embroiled in a recognization [ new word ] of values. Did Mookie, the pizza delivering protagonist quote unquote : Do The Right Thing ? We had to ask ourselves, what happened here ? A man was killed, there was an injustice, no one in authority seemed to care, there was a 'cover up' of the facts. There was a history of this type of act and someone, somewhere, somehow needed to make a statement, Mookie, [ played here by Spike Lee] made the statement. Even to this day, it can be debated, wether Sal' s Pizzeria should have bit the dust. Which is exactly what makes this film important, All too often, films answer the questions that we as humans need to ponder. Original, author style films don't answer questions, they ask questions, leaving the viewer to delve, wonder and eventually ask and maybe, even answer, for themselves, what the right thing to do actually is. For a film to stand the test of time, there are several criterion. Does the film hold up to audiences today?  Does the film still speak to any social truth or endearing value ? Does the film encapsulate a time and a place as a historical document which is worth preserving ?  Yes. Yes. Yes. Do The Right Thing is not a 'perfect ' film, in terms of balance or so-called structure, or narration, but it is a very original, truthful and heartfelt film with a certain 'energy' that is difficult to describe here. 

The film has a visual style not unlike, West Side Story, with rich colors, costumes, ensemble cast choruses & of course the clashing of cultures on the streets of New York City.  African, Italian, Puerto Rican, Asian and indeed White or Anglo Americans vying for their own space to live, to walk, to inhabit in equal parts. Add to that rules, mob mindset and one long hot summer and you have a great drama with many touches of humor, slice of life moments and heroic situations: Such as Da Mayor saving the life of a young boy recklessly crossing the street. Spike Lee has Woody Allen on his left: humor, love of women, family story telling & a 'do it your own way' style. On his right, he has Martin Scorsese : bold visual style, muscular camera movements, music appreciation & a 'this is the way it really is' style. But no one can say he is overly influenced by any director, writer or film maker. Nor is he the 'first African American director' to have success. Spike often sites Charles Burnett and Gordon Parks, but like any great director or artist, Spike Lee has an appreciation for film history . In that way, he is like Mr. Scorsese, a sort of encyclopedic like mind for his craft, it's rich history and why we love, make and celebrate the art of film making. The question rises here as to wether Spike Lee would have received the kind of accolades that he did not receive [ at Canne Fim Festival ] for instance, had he not played the character of Mookie, the person who is ultimately responsible for the demise of Sal' s Pizzeria ? The connection audience members make on a visceral level can often effect the general judgement on a larger level. Mr. Lee is a writer and a director playing a fictional character in a movie that he has written and directed. 

Something that Spike has in common with Woody Allen, another influence on Lee, specifically his first film, She's Gotta Have It. Film makers take what they know, film history, life experience, social concerns, story telling and when they step up to the hoop, walk into the ring, take the bat, the utilize the skills from previous players / directors and give it their all. So what if Spike Lee is outspoken ? Since when has that become such a big deal, to speak your mind ? Is that not what we are all about here in America ? Did we not, originally enter onto this beautiful continent, to have a few more freedoms? And did we recently forget that, also brought on ships involuntarily, were a group of people who had no say in many of the goings on here ? That after a few hundred years we finally have an African American President ? And at this years Oscar ceremony Best Picture went to Twelve years a Slave directed by Steve McQueen, an African-English director. Sometimes it takes an outsider to tell the inside truth. So Spike Lee is outspoken, good for him, what's your problem ? Cat got your tongue ?  People often tell me that I am too outspoken. Well, I guess I am in good company then. My people went through a form of slavery, years of oppression, even an attempt at extinction. Spike Lee's films are inspiring, energetic, funny, outrageous, risky, engaging, sexy, socially relevant, even dangerous: that's the stuff of good story telling. 

If Spike Lee had been Latin, Asian, or Swedish & still made the films he had made, this appreciation of Do The Right Thing would still remain the same, with the exception of the previous paragraph. I did not graduate from film school, though I am a film maker, screenplay writer & film critic or historian, if you will. One of my teachers, informally speaking, is Spike Lee. His books & diaries published after making,  She's Gotta Have It,  his first feature,  were instrumental in helping me to overcome  any  obstacles  that  ever  stood in my  way. For many of us, his career is our career, someone from the so-called neighborhood made it happen, one of us got to tell our stories. Do The Right Thing is turning Twenty-Five this year and it is time for a new generation to discover this film and ask themselves those important questions.  The film also has a cast of actors that will go on to have careers that include: Samuel L. Jackson, Rosie Perez, John Turturro, Martin Lawrence,  Roger Guenveur Smith and  Giancarlo Esposito. Many already had stalwart creds such as Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, John Savage and Danny Aiello . Another way to test a film for longevity factor is:   Do the characters still exist in your minds eye ? Where are they today, when you think of them ?  Mookie, Da Mayor, Senior Love Daddy, Buggin Out, Smiley, Tina, Sal, Vito, Mother Sister, Jade, Ahmad, Ella, Sonny and much more importantly, Radio Raheem, where would Radio Raheem be today ? That is the real question. Do The Right Thing doesn't claim to answer that question. You have to answer it.  Like Da Mayor tells Mookie early in the film, "… Always Do The Right Thing.", Mookie answers back, "Thats It, I got it, I'm Gone." 

TRIUMPH OF THE WALL

a Documentary by Bill Stone First Run Features

A documentary which chronicles the building of a wall ? Yes. Funny. Inspiring. Thought provoking. A well made film which looks at the dogged decisions that humans make to accomplish the un accomplishable. Expecting to complete the making of a thousand foot long wall and finding that it will take more than a few years surprises, frustrates and ultimately inspires both the subject(s) as well as the filmmaker of this interesting & funny film. Chris Overing decides on a whim that he wants to make a lasting work of art by hand: A Stone Wall. He finds that life, art, craft and obstacles that get in our path are just a few of the problems along the way. Bill Stone ( All puns intended ) follows Chris on the journey, camera in hand, a sort of reluctant documentarian searching for the perfect subject and finding life's larger questions looming behind every crack & crevice in the project as well as in his subjects bravado attitude.

The camerawork is brilliant. The voiceover narration is both funny and poignant. An ongoing philosophical ramble which is entertaining and ultimately inspiring. Artists often get themselves into some terrible situations when they decide to make a work of art. If no one was watching, maybe they would not continue, but with a built in audience, there is a need to follow through. Chris and Bill bond through this strange experience, like brothers or partners and through it all the audience is taken on a journey. Eventually, the filmmaker is given a grant for the film and his subject is joined by a rock & roll duo, moonlighting as helpers.

When the filmmaker tires of Chris' antics, he travel overseas and we learn about the craft of building stone walls from a few elder craftsmen in Europe. These older men are magical in their awe for nature and building stone walls by hand. Their patience rubs off on the filmmaker, the film and the original subject and goal. An unexpectedly interesting documentary due to it's craftsmanship, commentary and painstakingly beautiful camerawork and editing. Highly recommended for those needing to complete any long term project or inspire artists and or art students to commit themselves to the fine craft of creating art for a living. One thinks of the long arduous art processes centuries before filmmaking: The Pyramids, Easter Island, The Sistine Chapel, what we might have seen and heard had there been someone such as Bill Stone nearby. We are highly suggesting this film. Brought to you by the brave folks at First Run Features. Look for more reviews as we focus on their catalogue of Documentaries throughout the season. www.FirstRunFeatures.com 

THIS SITE IS ONLY A SAMPLER OF THE ENTIRE 200+ PAGE MAGAZINE 

THERE ARE [ FIVE ]ALTERNATE COVERS FOR THE SUMMER 2015 EDITION 

HERE ARE THE FREE DOWNLOAD LINKS TO EACH  MAGAZINE EDITIONS: 

Welcome to The SUMMER 2015 Edition of BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE MAGAZINE. This Edition contains The BUREAU ICON Essay on Georgia O'KEEFFE, A Photographic Profile on Robert FRANK's Classic Book The Americans, INTERVIEWS with Photographer Alex HARRIS, The Portrait Painter Jon SWIHART, The Legendary SURF Photographer Jack ENGLISH and The BUREAU Summer Guest Artist: Irby PACE. CINEMA: On The Set of The Classic Film RAGING BULL. CUISINE: PALMS Beverly Hills & Pedro INOSCENCIO, Heir to The Throne: Jamie WYETH, BOOKS: David BROWNE's Opus on The Grateful Dead. Herb RITTS in Boston, Charles RAY in Chicago, Andy WARHOL in Phoenix, Peter BLUME in Hartford, FASHION: The Dandy LIONS Photography and New FICTION by Linda TOCH. +An Interview with The Bureau Editor's Mom, Maria Francesca TRILIEGI on her New Book. We are pleased to have New Readers in The SOUTH: Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Louisiana at our Newest Community Site, BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE: THE SOUTH. Links to Summer Events across the USA including, The CHICAGO Blues Festival, AUSTIN Biker Festival, Scorsese Collects in NEW YORK, 4TH of July Celebrations + so much more. The BUREAU EDITORIAL DIS - Organizations: Are Groups in America Abusing Power ?MUSIC: Lets ROCK at Fahey / Klein Gallery in MIAMI, MUSEUMS: National Gallery of Art, PORTRAITS: Native American Portraits from The YALE Collection of Western Americana. Plus Links to Our Eight Different Community Sites Celebrating The ARTS Across AMERICA . The Social Media Sites serve More as a look back at Previous BUREAU Editions+Features

THERE ARE FIVE ALTERNATE COVERS FOR THE SUMMER 2015 EDITION 
 HERE ARE THE FREE DOWNLOAD LINKS TO EACH MAGAZINE EDITION :

THE GEORGIA O'KEEFFE:
 https://www.dropbox.com/s/9vmexjpu97uzwzg/2015%20SUMMER%20EDITION.pdf?dl=0 

THE HERB RITTS : https://www.dropbox.com/s/k30xbheejgfdcu4/2015%20SUMMER%20Ritts%20Cover.pdf?dl=0 

THE JACK ENGLISH :https://www.dropbox.com/s/v4to8i7ahdcjdv8/2015%20SUMMER%20English%20Cover.pdf?dl=0 

THE IRBY PACE : https://www.dropbox.com/s/86s8uq20icdlc0u/2015%20SUMMER%20Pace%20Cover.pdf?dl=0 

THE JON SWIHART :https://www.dropbox.com/s/xb1lr2gpje1pedk/2015%20SUMMER%20swihart%20cover.pdf?dl=0 

INTERVIEW GUEST ARTIST: IRBY PACE

Joshua TRILIEGI: How did the idea for the Smoke series originally come about?

Irby PACE: I had the idea of starting this project a few years before leaving graduate school in 2012, but initiating the series always seemed to get pushed back because of other priorities I had at the time such as school, teaching, etc., but it stayed in my mind and in my sketchbook. Occasionally... weekly... monthly... I would go back through my sketchbook and just absorb or contemplate new ideas or revisit old ones, even the ones that failed. After graduate school I became part of an artist run collective, 500x, which inspired me to do something new from my previous artworks.

Starting any body of work is complicated, at least for me it is, because I have a specific visual image and I have to see it come to fruition before I can continue to explore within the given work. I failed with the Pop! series more times that I can count and I continue to do so. On average I make anywhere from four to five setups for every successful one final photograph. But this challenge keeps me motivated, I feel like I’m always fighting the elements, wind, lighting, etc.

Another challenge I wanted to explore was to do everything “through the lens.” This is what keeps me on edge and it makes it all of the hard work worth it when everything just lines up perfectly. With the work I was thinking like a painter and a photographer combined. I wanted to add these clouds to these physical spaces much like a painter would manipulate a space with oils or acrylics, but the photography makes it hyper realistic because it’s actually happening. It is in these small split second moments that I really truly live as a photographer.

Joshua TRILIEGI: Experimentation and hard work are always a big part of finding an original idea in modern art, your art catalogue shows clearly that you have earned your position and yet the smoke series seems so simple. Tell our readers a bit about your ' search ' for the art image.

Irby PACE: I, and other artists, live in a time where it is seemingly harder and harder to make an original piece of “art.” Yeah I know... that’s a trite statement. Its the mantra of undergrads and artists and everyone. Well, I can’t say everyone, but how about a majority of people. But, it is surprising to me how common that statement is. Even non artistic people say that, or at least I’ve heard a few here or there say that. Maybe the old adage that “everything has been done before” really is true. Maybe it’s bullshit. Maybe we need to move on from this self imposed pity party and start trying to make some original shit happen. But how do we do this? When I hear “nothing’s original” I step up on a soapbox and let them know that every new piece of technology that is being introduced daily has the potential to be an outlet for an art making practice, tool, etc.Experimentation is what makes this process difficult. We’re conditioned to make something “right” then to continue to rinse and repeat this process. But you have to take the time to deviate from the path, to try something new, and to be willing to fail. Failing isn’t necessarily desirable, but that’s my barometer to know when I’m on to something. 

To Download The Entire INTERVIEW Tap This Link : SUMMER EDITION PACE:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/86s8uq20icdlc0u/2015%20SUMMER%20Pace%20Cover.pdf?dl=0

BUREAU ART in AMERICA : TEXAS

Tap To Visit On Line: NasherSculptureCenter.org

DALLAS Art Pick : THE NASHER SCULPTURE CENTER

The Nasher Sculpture Center is located in the heart of Dallas’ thriving downtown Arts District. This summer, the Nasher Sculpture Center will present a major exhibition of the work of British sculptor Phyllida Barlow. Barlow employs commonplace materials—wood, plaster, concrete, cardboard, and strips of colorful cloth or tape—in extraordinary, monumental, ramshackle, hand-built structures that expound a dizzying array of novel sculptural forms. Recent projects at the Tate Britain in London and the New Museum in New York have showcased the prodigious talents of the now 70-year-old Barlow, who, after a distinguished teaching career at the Slade School of Art in London, is finally enjoying the broad international recognition her work has long deserved. Her exhibition at the Nasher will feature new work inspired by, and created for, the unique spaces of its galleries. Like several of Barlow’s recent projects, these new works will challenge accepted notions of sculpture, blurring the line between constructed form (sculpture) and constructed environment (architecture), and providing a powerful counterpoint to the refined surroundings of the Nasher’s Renzo Piano-designed building. More than simply a presentation of unique objects, the distinct sculptures in Barlow’s installations create a coherent, if varied, environment, linking to one another through materials, method of fabrication, or color palette. 2001 Flora Street Dallas, Texas 75201 214 . 242 . 5100

TAP HERE TO VISIT BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE: THE SOUTH SITE 

BUREAU NEW SITE: THE SOUTH

Shigeo Gochō, Self and Others Series, 1975–77, printed 1992, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum © Hiroichi Gochō

MUSEUM OF FINE ART HOUSTON TEXAS

The Museum of Fine Art Houston is home to The Films of Robert Frank as well as a fabulous permanent collection of Art and Temporary Exhibitions that rival any Art Institute across the United States. Currently on View through to July 12, 2015

FOR A NEW WORLD TO COME: Experiments in Japanese Art and Photography, 1968–1979

The late 1960s and early 1970s marked a period of political and social turmoil in Japan. The country was struggling to forge a new identity on the world stage, and Japanese artists were seeking a medium that could adequately respond to these uncertain times. For a New World to Come: Experiments in Japanese Art and Photography, 1968–1979 explores in depth, for the first time, the role of photography in the formation of Contemporary art in Japan. 250 works: photographs, photo books, paintings, sculpture, and film-based installations. The unprecedented survey demonstrates how 29 Japanese artists and photographers enlisted the camera to make experimental and conceptual shifts in their artistic practices during a time of radical societal change.

Tap The Link to Visit: http://www.mfah.org

SUMMER OF 2015 EVENTS IN AUSTIN TEXAS

MONIKA SOSNOWSKA ART: The Stairs Opens MAY 10, 2015

On View at Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria

LAGUNA GLORIA 3809 WEST 35TH STREET AUSTIN, TEXAS 78703 512 458 8191

TAP TO VISIT: http://www.thecontemporaryaustin.org

The Republic of Texas Biker Rally June 11TH to June 14 2015

Travis County AUSTIN: Center & Sixth Street / The state's largest motorcycle Gathering of Bikers for rides, Parades and music. TAP TO VISIT: http://www.rotrally.com

The Austin Fourth of July Fireworks and Symphony

Auditorium Shores: The Austin Symphony hosts an annual concert of Patriotic Music 

culminating in a spectacular fi rework display over Lady Bird Lake. www.roadwayevents.com

Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival August 23rd 2015

Fiesta Gardens : If you wanna beat the heat this summer then you gotta eat the heat! Join 

The Austin Chronicle for one of the world's largest hot sauce festivals. www.austinchronicle.com

PHOTOGRAPHER:  VICTORY TISCHLER BLUE 

There are Rock Star Photographers. There are Photographers who shoot Rock Stars. There are even Rock Star Photographers who shoot Rocks and Stars, Victory Tischler Blue is a combination of all three. We discovered this image and knew nothing about the photographer who apparently has been a bass player for The Runaways, made an appearance in Spinal Tap and is a serious photographer with some of the most interesting images of the American Desert Landscape that we have seen lately. Ms. Blue's desert is haunted, hallucinated and hallowed. This is Sam Shepard's desert with long lost gas stations, deserted automobiles from other decades, satellite response gear, dried out cacti and ancient artifacts that still provide the mysteries that behold the great American West. Defunct signage from an old cafe that once hosted stories such as The Petrified Forrest stand defiantly like an erect statue in Time Square. And yes, as is so often the case, there is just a hint that maybe , somewhere out there, some living being has landed, will land or is just passing by on it's way to another galaxy not so far, far away. This incredible Image was originally exhibited at The Spot Photo Works Art Gallery in Los Angeles, California U. S. A.

Spot Photo Works 6679 Sunset Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90038 USA 

The Gallery: SpotPhotoGallery.com The Artist: SacredDogs.com The Lab: SchulmanPhotoLab.com

The PAINTER: GEORGIA O'KEEFFE

Georgia O'Keeffe, as a person, was precocious, defiant, intelligent, unwavering and spirited. Throughout her education and early years as a painter, she produced an original abstractionist style that had preceded a group of New York painters of the male variety that has, to this day, remained wholly original, breathtakingly expansive and sexually charged in a way that empowers feminine energy and iconography. O'Keeffe rejected analysis of her works from start to finish, from her early years in New York, to her later years in The West, everyone seemed to get it wrong. So then, let us look again at the paintings and life of Ms. Georgia O'Keeffe and see if we can put this incredible body of work into a new and contemporary context with a fresh eye and revisionist look at this phenomenally bold American. 

      Georgia  O’Keeffe  Black Patio Door, 1955 Oil on canvas, 40 1/8x30  in. Amon Carter 

Museum of American Art,  Fort Worth, Texas.  (O’Keeffe 1283) © Copyright 2015 Amon 

Carter Museum of American Art Special Thanks to Crystal Springs Fine Arts Center 

THE BUREAU ICON : GEORGIA O'KEEFFE

Georgia O'Keeffe is born in Wisconsin in 1887 to Irish - Hungarian parents. By the time her years equal her fingers, she discovers art. Early study of watercolors leads to college, art school in Chicago and the Arts Student League in New York City. She recalled, later in life, "I only remember two things that I painted in those years - a large bunch of purple lilacs and some red and yellow corn." Subjects and colors she would return to throughout her life. By her twentieth year, she is awarded prizes and still seems to reject the praise, due mostly to the fact that her art education seems to reward technique over originality. Adding, in those later reflections, "… I never did like school." While in New York, she and a group of fellow students visit the progressive Art Gallery, 291, eight years later, her own drawings will land in the hands of 291's founder, Alfred Stieglitz, who will become one of her greatest friends, confidants and legally, her husband. In the interim, Georgia O'Keeffe quits painting for four years straight, then, at the University of Virginia and later while studying for a teachers credentials at Columbia College, she falls under the tutelage of Arthur Dow and is set free to pursue something new and wholly original. "I decided to start anew - to strip away what I had been taught, to accept as true, my own thinking. This was one of the best times in my life. There was no one around to look at what I was doing - no one interested - no one to say anything about it one way or another. I was alone and singularly free, working into my own, unknown - no one to satisfy, but myself." This particular statement is extremely important to the core of her character, as it displays O'Keeffe's disdain for any particular reactions to the work, either casually, by fellow artists or formally, by the art critics. As a woman who was decades ahead of her contemporaries, in terms of abstraction in both form and color as well as feminine energy personified freely and independently in an iconic manner: O'Keeffe took a beating by the critics. Some of the blame often falls on Alfred Stieglitz and his in depth photographic series of Ms. O'Keeffe in all her natural beauty as a young woman. Unfortunately, the public discovered Georgia O'Keeffe as the muse of an older male rebel on the front lines of intellectual battles which included, photography as art, the importance of european abstraction and American art as a whole, before they had gotten to discover the original paintings and watercolors of O'Keeffe as Artist. The timing was off and Ms. O'Keeffe, although celebrated on a national level in art circles, was also widely dismissed through the lens of new psychological trends that included the great Freudian fraud which attempted to minimize the feminine energy that Georgia O'Keeffe's work so boldly personified. Once again, from the beginning of time and written history, the female is minimized by rhetoric & ideology through the powers that be, when all along, Georgia O'Keeffe is actually winning the game. From the modern perspective of 2015, it is time to liberate O'Keeffe's eroticism.

O'Keeffe's journey into public notoriety had all started through a mutual friend in 1916 when Stieglitz famously receives a series of charcoal drawings by a young Miss O'Keeffe and immediately is smitten by the originality, the boldness and no doubt by the fact that the drawings are created by an American who is both young and female. He has seen nothing like it before and in a letter that is formally typed and mailed to O'Keeffe, he expresses his admiration. "What am I to say ? It is impossible for me to put into words what I saw and felt in your drawings. As a matter of fact I would not make any attempt to do so. I might give you what I received from them if you and I were to meet and talk about life. Possibly then, through such a conversation I might make you feel what your drawings gave me. I do want to tell you that they gave me great joy… If at all possible, I would like to show them." O'Keeffe would later describe the 291 gallery, "The things you saw at Stieglitz's place sent you off into the world, just like his conversations did… It was a place that helped you find your own road: It was the only place." 

"The things you saw at Stieglitz's place sent you off into the world…" 

Alfred Stieglitz and his artistic efforts had been on the verge of the vanguard since the early 1890s. In the beginning, through his own photography in New York City and later in Austria, Italy and Germany. His trips to Paris and his friendship with Edward Steichen had exposed him to the works of Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso and Rodin, all of whom would later be exhibited at 291 Gallery. Culturally speaking, there was a fight for the new and Stieglitz had taken the side of The Moderns, "The search for the truth is my obsession." he describes, "The camera fascinated me and photography became my life." While many people enjoyed the new found art of the photograph, there were purists, such as Baudelaire, who hated photography. Although, at the same time, a new group of painters, also in search of truth on American soil, began to create a new type of painting, which became known as the Ashcan School, painters such as Bellows, Shin, Luks and Sloan, who did not shy away from everyday people, subjects and locations of the populist working class lifestyle. 

Alfred Stieglitz walked the streets of New York from 1893 to 1895 capturing photographic images of everyday life. He came from a wealthy family, married into another wealthy family & soon found incompatibility, he took refuge into photography. In 1902 Stieglitz started a magazine, opened a gallery and founded a new group of photographers with Edward Steichen called The Photo Secessionists, by it's very name and definition, it was a rebel act of separation from the norm and it began a steep and unsteady incline towards a peak of cultural defiance that would slowly lead upward to the very top. At the start, Alfred Stieglitz's fight was for photography as art and he indeed found supporters and subscribers. Eventually, he began to fight for modernism at all levels, which included much of the art from the newest and most outrageous European painters. In 1907, while on a ship headed for Europe, Stieglitz has an epiphany through a photographic image that, as he describes was, "A Step in my own Evolution." 

Georgia O'Keeffe Pedernal with Red Hills 1936 oil on linen, 19 3/4 x 29 3/4 inches. Collection of the New Mexico M.O.A Bequest of Helen Miller Jones

While in Paris, Alfred Stieglitz photographs Rodin, he views Cezanne's new cubist watercolors and Picasso's paintings, including, "Madame's De Avegnons." A year later, in 1908, his exhibition of the sculptor Rodin's drawings causes a stir by their very nature and erotic simplicity, again, he is ahead of the pack and slowly loses the photographic subscribers who originally supported 291 Gallery and the magazine. In 1911, Stieglitz's Gallery is the first American gallery to exhibit the drawings of Pablo Picasso.

"Alfred Stieglitz's 291 Gallery is the first American gallery to exhibit the drawings of Pablo Picasso"

The public reaction to Picasso's new modernist and primitive approach is abhorrent and with only a single sale, Stieglitz felt obliged to purchase a work himself. His magazine, "Camera Work," was the very first to publish the writings of Gertrude Stein, who would go onto become a modernist wonder of literature and a champion of Picasso's work around the world. Then in 1913, The New York City Armory Show pierces the veil of modernism and justifies many of Alfred Stieglitz's prior decisions. Soon he realizes that the struggle for American Art is lagging behind the europeans and his next cultural battle is for the validity of an American modernist art form by American artists. 

Why all this history, you wonder ? I thought this was an article about Georgia O'Keeffe, you ask ? Yes, dear reader, it is, but to comprehend the importance of the beauty, the freedom and the defiant nature of Ms. O'Keeffe's work, you must first understand the fight that preceded her grand entry and the very importance of the simple fact that Georgia O'Keeffe was a very solid American woman with ideas and images stirring inside her imagination that would come into existence and be related directly with a man that had been searching for just such an ideal for over a decade. 

"Everyone began talking about the search for… The Next Great American Thing."

When Stieglitze found Georgia O'Keeffe, he had found: "The Great American Thing." As Georgia O'Keeffe herself had described time and time again, looking back at those heady times, "Everyone began talking about the search for the next Great American Novel, the next Great American Poem, the next Great American Painting, The next Great American Thing." Well, my dear readers, I am very happy to inform you that Georgia O'Keeffe not only filled that void, she had been working on the equation, without actually defining it as such, from the time she was ten years old. Now she was twenty-nine years old, had been discovered by Stieglitz and was about to take center stage.

Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986) Yellow Cactus, 1929 Oil on canvas, 30x42 in. Dallas Museum of Art Texas. Courtesy Colorado Springs FAC

The world of the 1920s and it could be argued, that the world of today, is a male dominated world, where woman are subjugated to second class citizenship. Georgia O'Keeffe along Steiglitz's other contemporary painters including John Marin, Marsden Hartley and Arthur Dove helped to define a new and original abstract form in painting that had never, ever, been expressed before. Ms. O'Keeffe did not copy, she did not follow, she did not supplicate, she Invented a whole new 'Thing' and it had all been based on her inner life, her female power, her very sexual and erotic nature. 

"The Interesting thing about O'Keeffe is her ability to learn from the Steiglitz gang and the opposing faction of artists commonly called the precisionists ..."

It was new, it was beautiful, it was bold, it was sensual, it was exciting, it was tempestuous, it was authentic, it was avant-garde, it was unblemished, it was purely Georgia O'Keeffe and above all: It was a New American Art Form. The Interesting thing about O'Keeffe is her ability to learn from the Stieglitz gang and the opposing faction of artists commonly called the precisionists group, which culled inspiration from factories, architecture & machinery, leading the way into modern pop such as Andy Warhol's work. O'Keeffe's work includes both a very personal inner emotional and naturally inspired oeuvre and a very precise and overall interest in architecture & modernism. She won by simply using techniques, ideas and methods that did not devote themselves to any school or group. 

Pelvis IV, 1944 Georgia O’Keeffe Oil on Masonite 36 x 40 (91.4 x 101.6) Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

But not so fast, there is still so much to say, so much more to explain, this is really just the beginning and yet, due to O'Keeffe's consistency, in both style and technique, the works she will produce, from 1918, when she moves to New York, up to her big abstract art exhibition in 1923, compare, very much in power, in expression and in composition with the works she will produce for the rest of her life: Amazingly so. Georgia O'Keeffe the artist, was seldom in search of a style, if anything she had abandoned her own original approach briefly, only to return to it and then held steadfast to what has now become the O'Keeffe method, with a clearly recognizable iconic brand in todays contemporary world of art. Her move from teaching in Texas to living with Stieglitz in New York happened relatively easily and her adjustment to the big city, where she had briefly studied was seamless. Having been promised by Alfred Stieglitz that she could work for a year straight, without interruption, the original vow had turned into the pledge of an entire lifetime. Though, there were times when his photographic objectification not only was a hinderance to her personal space, it did ultimately damage her perception in the public's eye and personally, she was hurt by the mainstream reaction, especially by the critics. Two years prior to her one person abstract exhibit, Stieglitz displayed 145 new photo works, many of them were of his new muse and lover, Georgia O'Keeffe. 

Pelvis Series, Red with Yellow, 1945 Georgia O’Keeffe Oil on canvas 36 1/8 x 48 1/8 (91.8 x 122.2) ) © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

The images of O'Keeffe are comparable, in modern times, to that of, say, a celebrity power couple such as Jay-Z and Beyonce'. The sexualization of Georgia O'Keeffe had begun. Lets remember, this is by no means the 1930s with Clara Bow or the 1940s with Greta Garbo or the 1950s with Marilyn Monroe or the 1960s with Bridgette Bardot or the 1970s with Raquel Welch or the 1980s with Madonna or the 1990s with Sharon Stone or the 2000s with What's - her - name: This is 1921. On top of that, we are talking about a very serious artist, not a broadway showgirl, not a singer, not an actress, an intellectual visual artist who, in the words of Arthur Dove, one of the male painters in the Stieglitz art gallery stable, "…Is Actually Doing What All The Guys are Trying to Do." O'Keeffe's Abstract Art show is more than impressive, but due to the harsh criticisms, she gives up abstraction for the next few years and switches to representational objects. Though, her choice of subjects such as fruit and flowers is a rather subtle change. If we look closely at the psychology behind this maneuver, we can see that it was entirely calculated and was actually a bold move toward flipping the script on the subjective mind-scape that had pervaded the times via Freudian theories that were trendily in vogue. By creating representational works that still contained a fierce and even blatantly sexually charged nature, Georgia O'Keeffe was tempting critics to fall on their own swords. The critics had originally tried to intimate that she was a sensual animal, expressing her hidden desires through her paintings. Two years later, when O'Keeffe showed up with pears, apples, flowers and the like, all incredibly and beautifully rendered, with the definite possibility of being interpreted as orifice - like shapes and feminine curves that one might taste or touch, she had set a trap for the critics and still marched on into the next sixty years doing exactly as she had from the very start. 

Black Hollyhock Blue Larkspur, 1930 Georgia O’Keeffe Oil on canvas 30 1/8 x 40 (76.5 x 101.6) © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

On the one hand, O'Keeffe had won the battle, on the other hand, we still must wonder what might have been, had the critics not been so foul. It seems that in Georgia O'Keeffe's very nature, there was a sly, humorous, independent human being with a philosophical bent that took each challenge, like a boxer might take a rap on the chin, she simply shook her head and got right back in the ring. A year later, Stieglitz handed her a different type of ring and the two began a journey that would last up until his death in 1949, he was twenty-three years her senior. Many years after his death, O'Keefe described their relationship in the simplest of terms, "I was interested in what he did and he was interested in what I did: Very Interested." Decades later, Georgia O'Keeffe had also taken a much younger lover and partner, shocking those around her and creating the same type of stir that had originally started her career in the first place. Her life had come full circle. Georgia O'Keeffe's first visit to New Mexico in 1929, five years after their marriage, started a new love affair with the landscape, which included annual summer stays and eventually a permanent home that would provide an entirely new style, technique and viewpoint which harkened back to her earliest works, before the critics had tried to sexualize, demonize and project a nasty glaze over her very robust, sensually charged paintings that, to this day, will get just about anyone thinking about the beauty of love. If I find myself looking at an O'Keeffe for very long, well, there is no other way to put it, I get turned on. Anyone who says different is either sexless, afraid or most likely, simply too young or a virgin. O'Keeffe's images simply approve of passion, desire and the art of lovemaking. It is also safe to say that, were she alive today, O'Keeffe would most likely dismiss this entire analysis. The fact of the matter is, for a painter so, 'In Love with Color,' language, words and any verbal communication seemed almost rudimentary compared to the purity of visual expressions by a genius.

The BUREAU ICON : Georgia O'Keefe / Summer 2015 / Written By Joshua A. Triliegi 

To Download The Entire MAGAZINE ARTICLE  FOR FREE SIMPLY Tap This Link : SUMMER EDITION O'KEEFFE 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9vmexjpu97uzwzg/2015%20SUMMER%20EDITION.pdf?dl=0

GEORGIA O'KEEFE EXHIBITIONS AND RELATED LINKS

GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MUSEUM: Georgia O’Keeffe: Line, Color, Composition

May 8 – September 13, 2015 TAP THE LINK: www.okeeffemuseum.org

PHOENIX ART MUSEUM: From New York to New Mexico: Masterworks of American Modernism June 7—September 7, 2015 TAP THE LINK : phxart.org

FINE ARTS CENTER COLORADO SPRINGS: Eloquent Objects: Georgia O’Keeffe and 

Still Life Art in New Mexico June 27 – Sept 13 2015 TAP THE LINK: csfineartscenter.org

SCHEINBAUM & RUSSEK LTD: Representing Photographs by Todd Webb & Myron Wood

TAP THE LINK : www.photographydealers.com

TACOMA ART MUSEUM: TAP THE LINK : www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART : Georgia O'Keeffe in The Permanent Collection 

TAP THE LINK : www.DMA.org

ALEX HARRIS : PHOTOGRAPHER

Alex Harris's Photographs are Quintessentially and to the Core: American. He is a Master Photographer with decades of consistently important, relevant and revelatory images. From the early Nineteen Seventies with a socially conscious black and white portfolio and a degree from Yale, Harris captured images on the front lines of culturally significant moments. In The Nineteen Eighties he founded the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. In the Nineties, he co founded the groundbreaking photographic magazine, Double Take. He has received fellowships from The Guggenheim & Rockefeller, has published fifteen books and is a Professor for the Practice of Public Policy and Documentary Studies at Duke. His work in CUBA was very Influential to many of his contemporaries. We are very pleased to bring you the very first of several Photographic Essays Celebrating The Art, The Experience and The Conversation of One of America's Best and Brightest Living Photographers, Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Mister Alex Harris.

Joshua TRILIEGI: What initially attracted you to Photography ?

Alex HARRIS : I was attracted to photography before I really had the words to express that attraction. My grandfather Alexander Eisemann, used his camera with great wit and precision to chronicle my mother’s life before I was born, and then the life of her young children and family – me included. I was so attracted to the stories he told with his pictures and the albums he put together, the stories of an intact family living together, full of joy and humor. In fact I was more attracted to that story than the reality of my family life, which must have been fraught with difficulty as my parents separated and divorced by the time I was six and moved to separate homes. When I graduated from high school, I can’t think of one family in my neighborhood that had remained intact or remained in their original homes. Looking back I see its not an accident that my first projects as a required me to immerse myself in some of the most intact, long-lived communities in the United States, the Hispanic villages of northern New Mexico and the Inuit villages in Alaska. 

Joshua TRILIEGI: Describe how one image leads to another in creating a Series. 

Alex HARRIS : I began shooting color landscapes and interiors in New Mexico in 1979 with the premise that I didn’t want the photographs to be about color so I would try to ignore color with my camera entirely, to photograph color blind. And for about six months I successfully photographed colorblind while making absolutely uninteresting color photographs! One evening at dusk I saw the way the light was hitting my neighbor George Romero’s yellow front porch, and I stopped to photograph it. The porch post visible in the picture was painted blue, white, and red. A shadow from a second post off-camera made it appear that shadows were falling in the wrong direction. I allowed myself to respond to this scene and to color. From then on I looked for color as an aspect of culture, as an essential part of the way the people express themselves with their homes. I was able to go back to the people, homes and fields I had visited over the years as a black-and-white portrait photographer and to photograph would have been the backgrounds to those portraits, now as the foreground and subject of the picture, making what I began to see is another kind of portrait, a portrait without people. I tended to work with one theme at a time:, so bedrooms and other interiors of homes, close-ups of objects and possessions, photographs of villages from a distance, landscapes with signs of human presence, landscapes as seen through automobiles. And I would move back and forth between those series. 

Joshua TRILIEGI: Lets talk about this series we are currently sharing with our readers. Tell us how the dashboard images came about and describe the juxtaposing the interior with the exteriors. 

Alex HARRIS : When I had the idea to photograph the landscape of northern New Mexico through the interiors of the cars of people who lived there, I’d been living in northern New Mexico on and off for almost 15 years and working in color there for about five years with a view camera. I saw myself as making the portrait of this region without including any actual people in the pictures. So I photographed extensively inside homes, whose decoration was primarily the domain of women, and the outsides of homes and in the fields, which was primarily the domain of men. In photographing these spaces, in a sense I was portraying the people who had created or shaped those spaces over the years. I wanted to represent the younger generation, and the spaces they controlled and decorated were the interiors of their cars. It seemed uninteresting simply to photograph the dashboards and interiors wherever the cars happened randomly to be parked. I had the idea that if I could balance the light inside and outside the car, I could use my camera to make a connection between the car interior and the landscape that person lived in or often drove through. I thought my pictures could represent what it felt like for people in the villages to see their own landscape and community, for the viewer of the photograph to see their world through the frames they had decorated and that they themselves often peered through. The best portraits make a connection between a person’s interior world – in a sense their life history – and the world that surrounds them. That’s what I was looking for in these pictures.

To Download The Entire INTERVIEW WITH A FABULOUS PHOTO ESSAY AND TEN QUESTION INTERVIEW WITH ALEX HARRIA Tap This Link : SUMMER EDITION 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9vmexjpu97uzwzg/2015%20SUMMER%20EDITION.pdf?dl=0

Archie Thompson and Albert Rudin American, active c. 1935 Shoes, c. 1940 watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil on paperboard overall: 32.3 x 42.4 cm (12 11/16 x 16 11/16 in.) Courtesy of National Gallery of Art Washington D.C. USA

THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

In Washington D.C. deep inside The Archives of The National Gallery of Art lay objects, images and great works of art that have defined who we are as Americans. For some modern day Americans, a defining object might be the washer and dryer at the local laundromat or a half a gallon container of homogenized milk for the baby or the metropolitan bus that takes them from one end of town to another. The significance of an object is sometimes related directly to the importance of that object in relation to the Artist who creates the portrait, the drawing or the work of art, be it a drawing, a musical composition or a piece of literature. We have chosen several images from the gallery for no particular reason, other than the very fact that these everyday objects are indeed a part of our American history, which we can never forget. The Artists in America have become the heroes of this country, not because they died in it's defense, not because they were forced to actually sacrifice their lives to be remembered, but because they simply loved, adored, reflected on and represented an object, an idea, a rendition of their life in America, in Art, in Music in Words.Today, We salute The Artists of America.

Daniel Marshack American, active c. 1935 Woman's Gym Suit, 1935/1942 watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paperboard overall: 45.5 x 30.2 cm (17 15/16 x 11 7/8 in.) Archives of The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. United States of America

BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE MAGAZINE: CINEMA

Academy Award Winning Actor Robert DeNiro as Jake "The Bronx Bull" LaMotta in RAGING BULL / United Artists

ON THE SET: RAGING BULL

By Joshua TRILIEGI 

A man in a hooded, leopard skin robe walks down a long hallway while a group of men push aside those standing in his path. We hear a crowd of thousands cheer the man on, "Jake Jake Jake …" they begin to chant. He is wearing boxing gloves, this is a championship fight, the crowd is dressed in their finest, the men are wearing suits and hats, the women are wearing jewelry, the place is filled with cigar and cigarette smoke, sailors, businessmen, middle aged characters scream the man's name over and over, the women smile as he passes by, his trainers walk in front of and behind the man as he walks down the pathway toward the ring, the volume of the crowd amplifies as the man gets closer and closer to the large roped off square canvas at the center of the arena. The man in the leopard skin robe enters through the ropes, a nondescript fellow with a microphone introduces the man in the robe, the crowd goes wild with frenzy, people are shouting, clapping, everyone is yelling something and then, suddenly, a quiet gent behind a camera yells, "cut" and the place goes silent, the action ceases, everyone settles and a pensive discussion between the crew behind the camera ensues. A few changes are discussed, several people make notations and we do it all over again. I am barely a teenager. It is a first time experience and I am collaborating with the finest in the business. My father and I are working together on the film set of a classic piece of cinema with the Actor Robert DeNiro and Director Martin Scorsese. This is On the Set Raging Bull, thirty-five years later & this is all true. 

Academy Award Winning Actor Robert DeNiro as Jake "The Bronx Bull" LaMotta in RAGING BULL / United Artists

I get home from school and, once again, my parents are having a debate and it is about me. This has happened a few times, once, when my brother wanted to take me to an important surf contest on a week day and another time, when we got stuck at the border of Mexico and America late one Sunday night and didn't get home until early Monday morning. Today's negotiation is all about what is more important ? For me to attend school or for me to participate in making a film? The prior debates were also surrounding weather a day in real life would mean more to my education than a day at school. My dad had always felt that real life events had a gravity that would inform much more than the controlled environs of a formal education. In the past, his debating skills would convince mom that this was true and after some heated discussion, he wins her over. Now, we have to figure out how a thirteen year old kid with shoulder length hair is going to fit into a film that takes place in the late 1940s and early Fifties. First, he offers to cut it and I say no. Then, my hair is tied into a pony tail and stuffed up into a woolen cap that my old man had worn since he was a barber down on Prospect Avenue in Milwaukee. Back then, my mother had found herself single, with three kids, she was italian, she was beautiful, she was liberated and although the barber had barely begun his own life as a bachelor and hadn't entered college, when my mom walked in to get my older brother's hair cut, he fell for her and at six months old, he and I become pals. Through the years, we seldom had to deal with any of the father & son bullshit that can ruin a great relationship, we were often, simply friends or roommates or just happened to be living together. We both had to answer to the same lady, for him, it was the love of his life, for me, it was my mom, who made me clean my room, do chores, wash my own clothes and do my homework before running out for the day and get back by nightfall.

Academy Award Winner Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci play The La Motta Brothers in RAGING BULL / United Artists

We have been through some tough times together as a family and come out unscathed. But things are about to get really rough. In about six months, mom is going to move back to Milwaukee for a stretch, my brother and I will stay in California and my sister will go with mom. We did fifteen years without a separation, but my mom is coming into her own and my dad is freaking out. We get up at five in the morning and drive downtown to the Olympic Auditorium, where my old man is moonlighting nights as a security guard. The Olympic was the place, back in the day, where boxing matches happened every weekend. The great American boxing tradition was much bigger and wider spread than most people realize today. A few kids from just about any working class neighborhood, would start fighting in the ring, very early on, certainly kids my age did. There was the Golden Gloves, usually sponsored by a local newspaper and there was the Diamond Belt, often played live on local radio stations. My grandfather fought for these competitions in the late 1920s & early Thirties. He and his friends even started a boxing club, the Battling Bombers. They'd get up in the morning, run along the lakefront, work out at the gym and then go to work all day. He was a great fighter, he naturally had the correct build, could take a punch, had a mean right hook, but one thing he didn't have, was the reach. And if you can't reach your opponent, nothing much matters. In any event, my dad was very aware of my grandfather's history as well as the talent that lay in director Martin Scorsese. My parents had seen Scorsese's early films, but when, "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," was released, both my parents had noticed that my precocious behavior compared that of Alice's son.The big screen rapport between the boy and Alice had undertones of my own relationship with mom.

Actress Cathy Moriarty plays Jake LaMotta's Wife, Vicki in RAGING BULL / Image Courtesy of United Artists

We get to the set and already thousands of people are filling the auditorium. I am dressed in jeans and suspenders, a cap and tennis shoes. He is wearing a suit and tie. Because my dad is actually an employee, we have all access. The scene we are shooting today is a famous 'single take' that Martin Scorsese will later make into one of his trademark style techniques. A favorite example of which would be the incredible scene in, 'GoodFellas' when Henry and Karen walk into a nightclub through the kitchen, to avoid the lines out front. They stroll through the door, down a hallway, into the kitchen, where Henry greets the chef, past a couple, who Henry chastises for always meeting here and on into the club, where a table is placed directly in front of the entertainer, who then sends Henry and his date a bottle of champagne. It is an amazing and exhilarating piece of cinema. The scene we are about to shoot uses similar elements. The first time we shoot the scene, the camera is behind Jake and he walks from dressing room to hallway to entryway of the arena and down the long path to the ring, where he makes a sharp left, past the judges and a right into the ring. My father and I are seated just above left of camera, the crew is situated below us, to our right. In between takes, and I can only assume that because my dad worked at the auditorium, or because it was meant to teach me something, or because he thought I would 'be discovered,' he began to call over production techies and assistants, asking questions about this or that adjustment. All these years later, having worked on films, directed and produced, I still can't believe what guts my dad had for the way he participated in the actual filming of the day. I mean, we were just extras, actually, we weren't even that, we were bum rushing the entire experience and here he is actually, 'participating' in the filmmaking process.

Actors Frank Adonis, Joseph Bono and Frank Vincent in RAGING BULL / Image Courtesy of United Artists

The first, 'adjustment,' we notice, is when Martin Scorsese moves an extra on the right hand side of the scene from visibility. The man is dressed to the nines, in suit and hat. This is a crowd scene with thousands of people. At any one time, the camera is taking in from twelve to twelve hundred people. This is Mr Scorsese as a master oil painter, creating a giant fresco, placing each individual exactly where he wants them, every now and then, within the single take, an individual character may express an action that will end up on the screen for maybe a second or two. An older, portly man in the hallway, reaches out to Jake outside his dressing room, a middle aged man in a mustache, turns to his left while Jake passes by, clapping, a young woman cheers Jake on as he turns to the left towards the ring. When my father calls over one of the crew members and inquires about the particular change of position, the man simply looks at my dad, then looks at me, then gets on the talkie and finds out. A few minutes later, he comes over to inform us that the well dressed man is in an outfit that resembles one of the main characters and could be confusing to the overall film. This is the first of several inquiries that alerts the crew that either one of Marty's close pals is in the audience or a renegade security guard with kid in tow is taking notes. For now, we are still flying under the radar. We do the scene again, this time, the camera is in front of Jake, the sound of the arena is deafening. This is the moment, in the story & script, where Jake LaMotta finally gets the title fight he deserves. After several editing techniques of a wide variety, mostly, extremely fast and short clips, his shot at the title is pronounced, with this extended, single take and in the final film, it works out beautifully.

Joe Pesci and Nicholas Colasanto, The Neighborhood Don in in RAGING BULL / Image Courtesy of United Artists

We break for lunch. The entire auditorium is practically full with thousands of extras and somehow, my dad is able to situate me right next to Robert DeNiro. To this day, I still don't know how he did that, but I have a few ideas why. All these years later, looking back on that very important day in my life, I can see clearly that he wanted me to have the opportunities that existed here in Hollywood. As it turns out, he was a natural born bum rusher, who, on several occasions had done this type of thing before. One example, that stands out, is the time he got backstage at a concert and handed Waylon Jennings a tape with a bunch of songs he had written with his cousin. I should also say here that my old man was definitely a gambler, but he also had talent, he wrote poetry, painted, he knew music very well, was a master craftsman, he had charisma and the gift of gab, he was handsome and had a great heart, but to me, back then, he was simply the guy I had lived with, that my mom had loved, since I was six months old. That said, here I am, eating lunch with a silent Robert DeNiro, who is donned in hood and robe, no one else dared to sit at that table. While I am chowing down with Bobby, my old man is chatting up the crew, he's, no doubt, getting that high that can easily be had when on the set of a great film, probably doesn't even realize it. I look up and he is now talking to the real life Jake LaMotta, getting his autograph, introducing me to people, we are no longer, under the radar. After lunch, a crew member stops by and explains that because I am not an adult, and there are no tutors on the set, the law requires that half day rules apply to actors under eighteen and so, we will not be able to stay for the full day. My old man tries for a second or two to appease and convince, then realizes, ultimately, that we have already succeeded, it has been a great day at the roulette wheel of life. We walk back to our car and drive home. Ten years later, I buy my first film camera, write my first screenplay & produce my first short film. The screenplay is a finalist for the Sundance Film Festival's writers workshop and the short film wins nominations elsewhere. 

Academy Award © Winning Actor Robert DeNiro as Jake "The Bronx Bull" LaMotta in RAGING BULL / United Artists

Raging Bull, as a film, is ahead of it's time. The critics, who had, just a few years earlier, lauded Sylvestor Stallone's, 'Rocky' as a winning, feel good boxing film, did not know what to do with a film as brutally honest and unapologetic as Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull. The film was actually, a project that Robert DeNiro had been working on, for quite some time. After the success of The Deerhunter and Godfather II, he was able to put projects together which suited his goals and challenged the audience. For the first time in film history, an actor had gained a record amount of pounds, to play a character in a 'later in life' sequence, setting the bar several notches higher for techniques utilizing one's physique. Even the best film critics are not quite ready for the honesty of Martin Scorsese. America wanted another feel good film about boxing, and what it got, was a stark, reality based film that exposed the brutality, realism and masochism that surrounded Jake LaMotta's life. Not to mention the art house aspect of filming the entire project, with the exception of a few color home movies, in classic black and white. A bold, artistic decision that has, since then, garnered "Raging Bull" the reverence and deep respect of film lovers and cinema creators around the world. All one needs to do is study the film stills and camera work of Michael Chapman to realize why this film is a work of Art on almost every level. Even the sound design is especially mesmerizing, specifically how each crucial punch, in every single fight scene, is given a special mix of audio effect. It is a mesmerizing work of art and a testament to great cinema, without a doubt. At that years Academy Awards © Ceremony, Robert DeNiro walks up the isle, people are cheering, they reach out to him, applaud his performance and he gladly accepts the Oscar Award for Best Actor. Although my dad is unable to read this, I would like to thank him, Marty, Bobby and the Academy: We Made IT.

HERB RITTS : THE PHOTOGRAPHER

25 YEARS:NOW A CLASSIC

ON VIEW NOW THROUGH TO NOVEMBER 8, 2015

The Herb Ritts catalogue is now over twenty-five years young. A recent Exhibit at The Boston Museum of Fine Arts gives us a chance to reassess the work of a fundamentally commercial photographer who wanted dearly to shatter the worlds perceptions of Art, Commerciality and Fashion. He had access to the worlds best models, personalities and locations and through it all, had the simplicity and potency to create iconic imagery that harkened back to the earliest days of photography. In looking at The HERB RITTS catalogue, we can see the influence of another great American photographer, Walker Evans, whose work was first celebrated 50 years before Herb Ritts would go onto create some of his most exemplary images that actually defined the times he lived in. Although Walker Evans subjects included the downtrodden and the disparaged, due to the very struggles that occurred economically in the 1930s, Ritts takes that clean, straight ahead style and points his camera at celebrities and clothing in the way that Evans might document a wrench or a trowel. The excesses of The 1980s allowed Ritts, budgets and portfolio commissions, that to this day, seem extreme. And yet, he filtered it down into something very basic, taking a creative note from the architect Mies Van Der Rohe's ever famous quote: "Less IS More." 

Considering other influences, we must also mention photographers such as Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz who had both fought a tedious battle to affirm that photography, in the hands of an artist, could indeed be an 'art' and that the by product of this new instrument called a camera, was indeed an Art-form which could rival and compare to great paintings created by great painters and therefore photographs could, should and would be considered: a great art. 

The very fact that Herb Ritts' work is now residing within the walls of an institute such as The Boston Museum of Fine Art is a testament to those early battles.It is often said that an object becomes valuable and collectible at its 25 year mark. Many of the images in this exhibition were valuable the day they were taken, but we can also see, with that mellowing, like a good whiskey in the barrel, that yes indeed, The Herb RITTS Portfolio is gathering a value that is now vintage value and all the while his works are earthy, sleek, deceivingly simple & purely classic.

Tap To Visit HERB RITTS at The BOSTON MUSEUM of FINE ARTS: www.mfa.org

Madonna, Tokyo Herb Ritts (American, 1952–2002) 1987 Photograph, gelatin silver print 

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Herb Ritts © Herb Ritts Foundation

Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 

Mick Jagger, London, 1987 by Photographer Herb RITTS at The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 

1.Naomi Campbell, Face in Hand, Hollywood, 1990 2. Backflip, Paradise Cove, 1987 3. Sylvester Stallone and Brigitte Nielsen, Long Island, 1987 Images Related to this Bureau Article : Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Herb Ritts © Herb Ritts Foundation Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 

image: Guest Artist Irby Pace                                                                                 Courtesy of Gallerie Urbane

SO MANY ROADS: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD

By Joshua TRILIEGI 

David Browne has written a grand opus of a book on, of all things, the greatest rock & roll accident that has ever occurred: The Grateful Dead. No other band in Rock & Roll history can be compared to 'The Dead,' as they have been commonly known by fans and professionals alike. From the early days in Palo Alto California to the later days across the entire world, Mr. Browne has fashioned an exhaustively researched book into an easily readable tome of sorts. The writer for Rolling Stone magazine has taken an original and interesting approach and given us a portrait of the band through a very straight forward concept that fits well with his style, his experience and his day job, writing about music in digestible amounts. Mr. Browne breaks down the careers and characters that make up the Dead, from start to finish, by simply creating complete and utter portraits of various days in the life of The Grateful Dead. Days in which Mr Browne felt that a significant window into the soul of the band could be glimpsed. It is a smart concept considering that Mr. Browne was not an insider. He did not tour with the band, so he was well aware that this book would not compare, nor did he wish to compete with the previous books which have preceded this fine piece of history. Through his research methods, which seem to be exemplary, without all the show off style that can sometimes leave a bitter taste in the reader, and his experience at Rolling Stone magazine, Browne takes us into the forming of the band, their many transformations and delivers portraits of each member with the greatest care and delicacy available. Its a complex story, told with an exacting style. 

By the fifth page of The Prologue, the reader is hooked. I personally cannot think of a more easy reading style, chocked with so many actual facts, insights and observations in a very long, long time. Sometimes his acuity is just as strange and off the cuff as the formulas and elements that make up The Grateful Dead's original and one of a kind style of music. For instance, Jerry Garcia's early concerns and fears regarding the Cuban missile crisis in America is a real eye opener, which on first impression seems slightly heavy handed, but upon consideration of Garcia's age and experience, entirely fitting. Browne interviewed surviving members, had access to The Grateful Dead Archive in Santa Cruz as well as a multitude of interviews directly from his office job at Rolling Stone magazine. But he didn't stop there, apparently there has been more literature in connection with the Grateful Dead than one would ever imagine. From sources as diverse as Tom Wolf'e, Electric Kool - Aid Acid Test, written in 1968 to the source that broke Watergate, The Washington Post. Everyone has seemingly spent some time ruminating on the indescribable elements that make up the iconic sound that originated such classic pillars of Rock & Roll History like, Truckin', Casey Jones & Uncle John's Band. Mr. Browne has received attention previously for writing about, brace yourself: The 'Importance' of John Tesch. Lets not hold that against him, maybe, like The Grateful Dead, he was intoxicated or simply mixing and matching inspiration and improvisation. Either way, this author has delved deep down into the facts, the myths and the fiction surrounding Garcia and his band of bad boy compadre's and has surfaced with a nice read that newcomers as well as hardcore fans will surely dig. Mr. Brown has also written about: Sonic Youth, Jeff Buckley and James Taylor. As a writer who occasionally hitchhiked to and from preschool in Northern California, with my mom, and on more than one occasion received rides home from members of The Dead: I wholeheartedly approve of this 

book. Now available on Da Capo Press. Worth every dollar spent on the 482 pages it offers readers.

DaCapoPress.com    DavidBrowne.com   RollingStone.com

ANDY WARHOL IS IN ARIZONA ! 

How a genuinely curious and simply child-like Individual took over the entire Art World… Is Probably how I would begin a story describing Andy's entire career and trajectory into and then out of the stratosphere of Culture. He used genuine experiences, friendships, new technologies, interest's and even phobia's to reflect on and represent what he saw, but most of all, he used and honored: the experiment. Willing to fail but determined to succeed and sometimes achieving both concurrently. A personal failure could easily become a professional championship win in Warhol's World. A professional failure could lead to personal triumphs. Andy used the world and the world's inhabitants returned the favor. The Story of Andy Warhol can never be told in a single sitting, nor should it be. All good artist's should simply be viewed one image at a time. That is the nature of art and artists, stories and writers, photographs and photographers, musicians and music: One word, One Note, One Image at a time is as ample a device as any to experience what need be.

ALL ART IMAGES: Courtesy of The PHOENIX ART MUSEUM and The Andy Warhol Museum,
Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
Phoenix Art Museum 1625 N. Central Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85004

TAP TO VISIT MUSEUM EXHIBIT / ANDY WARHOL PORTRAITS at : phxart.org

What is Sacred ? What is Holy ? What is Original ? What is American ? They tell me that Football, McDonalds & The Automobile are American. Although, the only thing that seems to me that is holy, sacred, original and also American is: The Native American. The original ecologists, with a deep understanding of the natural sciences, including astronomy, keeping time, recording natural and spiritual occurrences in regards to evolution. They are the storytellers and record keepers in tune with nature, animals and the planet earth. We are Americans and we are now out of balance. We are struggling with our identity, as a country, as a people and beyond that, as human beings. How will we make peace with one another ? How will we solve the riddles of our history ? In 1492, "Columbus sailed the ocean blue…" 500+ years later, we are left in the dark, regarding race relations, regarding peaceful understanding of our diverse lifestyles, regarding the history of Slavery, regarding how we all speak different languages, regarding our different religions and the fact that all our official political representatives have boiled down each and every argument into a request and or a bequest of financial gain or loss. We are in denial, ecologically, ideologically and in general. Native Americans lost much of this great land and what it meant to them, they sacrificed and they survived. Will we as modern day Americans also experience a similar take over of this Beautiful Country by handing it over to Big Business ? What will be left in the aftermath ? Take a look around, I have a sneaking suspicion that it's happening now or maybe it already did.

ROBERT FRANK: VISUAL POET 

Photographers around the world revere Robert Frank's contributions to the image pool. Museums of the National and International variety create anthologies, catalogues and booklets attempting to put into perspective the precise importance of Mr. Frank's work. Art galleries and private dealers invest tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in reproducing and reselling the Robert Frank catalogue to new collectors at higher and higher prices each year. Robert Frank's photographs have become iconic, the images are American to the core and yet, he was an outsider, a beatnik, an immigrant, a visual poet. It is almost impossible to define why and what and how the impetus, the formula, the motivation surfaces within an individual artist, but within the example of Mister Robert Frank, it is safe to say that this honest man, with a most basic and unadorned tool in hand, was indeed on a quest for that rare and delectable entity known quite simply, plainly & rather straightforwardly as: The TRUTH. 

All Photos © Robert Frank / Courtesy of The Stanford University and The Cantor Arts Center 

Mr Robert Frank is Represented by The PACE / MacGILL Gallery In New York City N.Y. USA

Robert Frank travelled the United States in search of America and Americans: he found both. Seeking the truth, leads to knowledge, with knowledge comes responsibility, with responsibility comes wisdom and somewhere within the wisdom, sits some version of truth. What if the truth you find has something in it that is just the slightest bit askew ? What if your parents fled a dictator for a place that was safe and secure and then you were to gamble all that away for a place that spoke of a much larger idea and when you went out to find that idea, it didn't actually exist ? Like many immigrants, like my ancestors and many of your ancestors, we as a people came to discover America and quickly, we realized that America didn't really exist in the way we thought it did. Within that realization also comes a comprehension that although America is not everything we were told, it is now ours and as Americans, we can collectively & individually make a contribution, and in that offering, in that very active step forward into our lives, we make America what it is: You and me. Frank turned his eye on America and took its picture. He did not flinch, he did not turn away, he did not judge, he did not separate, he did not categorize, he did not modify, he did nothing but document, and in that study and within his vignettes, his so-called snap shots, something quite real surfaced, it expounded well beyond the veneer and eventually he found what many of us can only hope to fathom: Mister Robert Frank had simply discovered America & made it his own. He was not the first to, 'discover,' America. Columbus had discovered America in 1492. Washington and his boys followed suit and decided they liked the place more than they did their own homes. Who could blame them ? This place is awesome. The big difference with Robert Frank's discovery is that he did not conquer, nor did he enslave, he just simply captured the image and after all: image is everything. When America actually viewed it's own portrait shortly after World War II and in the decade to follow, it was somewhat shocked at the signs of poverty, the segregation, the somewhat disheveled look. The melting pot of life had seen it's own reflection and turned away, blaming the mirror. The Portrait of America and Americans by Mr. Robert Frank has gone onto have a lasting effect on the populist, the politics, the entire cultural landscape, which in the mid fifties was about to undergo a major shift in values. These images of America immediately influenced an entire generation of writers, artists and activists that had both preceded and coincided with this very new and emerging America. A recent exhibition presented by The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University unveiled many works from Mr. Frank's famous AMERICANS Series that had never been publicly displayed. 

All Photos © Robert Frank / Courtesy of The Stanford University and The Cantor Arts Center 

Mr Robert Frank is Represented by The PACE / MacGILL Gallery In New York City N.Y. USA

At seventeen years of age, Frank learns to develop and print photographs with a neighbor who also introduces him to modern art, the apprenticeship lasted a year. At about this same time, fascism and the rise of Hitler's influence in Germany, where his family emigrated from, his father is German, his mother Swiss, effected the young man's perspectives. Frank, who was of Jewish descent, surely knew, growing up in Sweden, that he was different. His parents were both culturally astute, his father could quote Goethe in two languages, his mother created drawings. When a cousin of Frank's came to visit, her parents, who had stayed behind were eventually victims of the holocaust. The memories of Frank's parents recoiling from the sound of Hitler's hatred remained with him forever. In 1942, Robert Frank studied at Wolgensinger studio in Zurich, where he became influenced by the New Photography and an ethic that, in his teacher's own words, "Photography is the representation of reality - its mission is to convey essence, form and atmosphere." Frank learns to light, print and organize his works as well as contact sheet his 2 1/4 negatives. Two years later, he lands a job developing works for the largest photo studio in Switzerland, by day, he prints their work, by night, he prints his own. By 1946 Frank produces an impressive portfolio entitled, simply 40 Fotos. With the end of World War II, he travels to Paris, Milan and Brussels and by 1947, with a rebellious streak of independence and stories of American culture engrained in his psyche by literature and world events, Mr. Frank boards a ship to America. He recalls sitting between a wild, gangster-hatted American who eats with his hands and a Bishop with rosary and red sash: a scene straight out of a movie. Frank briefly worked for Harper's and a year later, he travelled to Peru and Bolivia. By 1949, he was back in Europe traveling to Spain, France, Italy and later that year is published in Camera magazine, with a prophetic declaration, "We believe Robert Frank can teach us how to see …"

All Photos © Robert Frank / Courtesy of The Stanford University and The Cantor Arts Center 

Mr Robert Frank is Represented by The PACE / MacGILL Gallery In New York City N.Y. USA

Robert Frank travelled between Europe and America several times in the early nineteen fifties. He married, had a child, applied for and received a Guggenheim grant & drove across the United States documenting a very real America. He had already captured iconic images in England, Scotland, Peru and Spain, including top hatted Londoners, coal miners in Whales, workers in LaPaz, bullfighters in Barcelona. He was now in search of the American image, outside of the big cities, rural America. It is fitting that the author of, "On The Road," Jack Kerouac and Robert Frank would eventually collaborate on a film. Kerouac also wrote the preface to Frank's seminal mid fifties survey work that was eventually published in 1958, entitled simply, "The Americans." Mr. Franks entry into America in 1947 and his many travels coincided exactly with author Kerouac's own pursuit and invention of a New Prose language in America. It was the perfect alignment. Frank's search for the truth in images, his abhorrence of commercial situations, where he quickly realized that, "There was no spirit there … the only thing that mattered was to make money," was in total unison with the emerging beatnik movement. Which eventually led to the cultural revolution and a new generation of values that included women's rights, civil rights and alternative lifestyles. Frank was also very much in line with the new school of painting that had taken hold by the likes of New York action painter Jackson Pollock, who had graced the cover of time in 1947, the year Frank first arrived in America. He states, regarding the new found style, after a conscious exodus from his New York commercial assignments, "I was very free with the camera. I didn't think of what would be the correct thing to do. I did what I felt like doing. I was like an action painter… I was making a kind of diary." 

The tools Frank selects become even simpler when he begins using a point and shoot 35mm Leica, suggested by his boss and mentor at Harper's Bazaar, Alexey Brodovitch, rather than his 2 1/4 inch box camera. It is very possible that Robert Frank was one of the few modern photographers to be fully conscious of his intuition, utilizing a philosophy of following one's heart as opposed to one's mind. The 35mm camera made this very particular and personal transition that much easier. Frank was also very aware of the myths that had surrounded photography since World War II, with the adventurous roving journalist tradition of photographers such as Robert Capa, who later co-founded Magnum Photo Agency, the first agency to be run by and for photographers. There were times in Frank's early career when lack of sales and rejection from the large magazine publications only fueled his motivation. He strived to break free of the style, story concept and basic mainstream presentation of imagery that pervaded the publishing industry: the beginning, middle & end formulas that LIFE magazine so heartily represented. Frank began to present his layouts and book design works without many words or narration and juxtaposing images such as Christ on the cross with a Ballon at a parade, titled : Men of Wood & Men of Air. Though, even more effective and minimalist are images presented with no text at all and no image juxtaposed, simply an image on one page and a blank page next to it. In this way, Robert Frank elevated the conversation by allowing the viewer to do some thinking, to read the symbols, to project themselves into the image and decide for themselves what was going on. By doing so, he also added a much needed element that had been missing from the photography of the nineteen fifties, Mr. Frank brought back a sense of curiosity to photography and in doing so, he created a new visual poetry with various meanings to each viewer.

All Photos © Robert Frank / Courtesy of The Stanford University and The Cantor Arts Center 

Mr Robert Frank is Represented by The PACE / MacGILL Gallery In New York City N.Y. USA

No Less than ten minutes into the documentary entitled, "Leaving Home, Coming Home: A Portrait of Robert Frank," Mr. Frank rejects the films process, unveiling a glimpse into his very true character as a kind of idiosyncratic jazz purist. Up to this point in the film, the filmmaker's have decided to do a, 'connect the dots' biographical take, asking Mr. Frank to discuss and recall all the known biographical facts that have been so well explored before in books and catalogues, such as the very detailed essays by Sarah Greenough of The National Gallery of Art in Washington D. C. where much of Frank's photographic work resides for future study. These biographical essays can also be found in the very extensive book entitled, "ROBERT FRANK Moving Out" on Scalo Press. In the middle of a question and answer session, Mr. Frank is asked to repeat an earlier observation, because the film crew had actually run out of film. He responds with a fiery exchange: "Well, look, forget it. Look, I'm not an actor, you know. I can't go through this shit, you know. I mean… theres no spontaneity in this, it's completely against my nature what's happening here. So, if the crew can't get it together with the film, let's go out to Coney Island, lets play a Beckett play there and lets look at the landscape with my photographs and see that this man is looking for something he did fifty years ago." In the next shot of the film, Mr Frank is seen on the street in Coney Island asking a cop on a horse, "Sir, do you know where this is ? I took this picture almost fifty years ago," The cop answers, "No, I don't know." Mr Frank turns to the camera in response, "Let's find a real old guy, he would know." Suddenly we get some authenticity and a peek into what it Is that Robert Frank does so well: He connects with real people. Eventually, a young african american man points out the location, "It was right there," he points across the way, "So then, you knew it as a kid ?" Frank asks and the young man answers, "Yeah." There is a very heart felt parting glance, Franks says, "Thanks a lot." Then, suddenly, the young man reaches out his hand and Mr. Frank grabs the young man's wrist, their eyes meet and they relate. It's a small, yet beautiful moment where two strangers have connected. We get the sense that 

Mr Robert Frank is Represented by The PACE / MacGILL Gallery In New York City N.Y. USA

Mr. Frank's pictures, his early and entire catalogue were also indeed created with this special human need, for a man, alone with his art and his ideas, to connect with his people, with his immediate surroundings and with the world at large. At another point in the documentary, Mr Frank is riding a bus, looking out the window, recalling an earlier series of works taken from the windows of moving buses. He looks out the window quietly reminiscing in a solitary manner. As an admirer of Mr. Frank and his work, to watch him with no camera in his hands, was literally, for me, quite painful. When a human being you love turns ninety years of age, as Mr. Frank currently has, it is high time to celebrate his life, his work, his experiences. It is also time to ensure that this human being has everything he needs, that he knows how very well loved, well respected and well deserving he is of life's gifts. When both of my Grandfather's had turned ninety, I dropped everything I was doing and focused on them, we made documentary films together, we created images, we conducted interviews, we ate together, we discussed their lives, we set the story straight. Now, both of those men no longer walk the earth, they have moved on to another world. As I look at Robert Frank's world of images, as I look at Robert Frank's life, as I look at Robert Frank's experience at my own 'middle age', I get invigorated, I get inspired, I get turned on to life again and a new phase of creating begins. The power of the Individual is awe inspiring. Very few singular Artists, Writers or Filmmakers have set the bar to a new standard in the way in which Mr. Robert Frank has done. He is stubbornly passionate, defiantly individualistic, decidedly authentic, unabashedly truthful, culturally curious and it is very safe to say that Mr. Robert Frank did not sell out. He influenced and continues to influence The Arts, Advertising, Musicians, Writers, Filmmakers and of course photography, every single decade since his first appearing on theses shores. He is a living legend and most likely, he would shun that appraisal. Which is neither here nor there, the fact is, he did his job, the images remain, end of story.

All Photos © Robert Frank / Courtesy of The Stanford University and The Cantor Arts Center 

Mr Robert Frank is Represented by The PACE / MacGILL Gallery In New York City N.Y. USA

ROBERT FRANK 

 VISUAL POET : In His Words

ON PHOTOGRAPHS: "I like images and so to make images became kind of natural."

ON PARIS: "I never really had a concept for something. It was really the intuition before I really saw it. So, Paris was very good for me.

ON LONDON: "It was wonderful, because, they didn't pay any attention to you. Which, today, they would tell you to fuck off or turn away, you know."

ON NEW YORK CITY: "New York is a very good city, wherever you look around, it has a character. and you know, It isn't a pretty life, it isn't a sweet life, it's, it's the real life, that I looked for, and that I got.

ON AMERICA: "In America I wanted to do it differently. There was no more romanticism really, a look at a country that I didn't really know, I had only been here a couple of years. The Americans was the first time I made a trip across the country… I really felt something very strong from the people. I looked at poor people, how they tried to survive, what a lonely time it can be in America, what at a tough country it is."

ON EARLY INFLUENCES: "You grow up in a place and the culture of that place or your parents or your situation, it influences you. There was a war going on, Switzerland was a place that was closed off from everywhere, you couldn't get out and you were afraid that the nazi's would invade … so of course, it had an influence on a jew."

ON RACE RELATIONS: "Also, I saw for the first time the way blacks were treated, it was surprising to me, but it didn't make me hate America, it made me understand how people can be. You know, you learn a lot traveling and you learn a lot when you are a photographer and thats what probably what makes the difference, if you have some brain and some feeling for people, you are going to be a good photographer."

ON PERCEPTION OF HIS IMAGES: "The reaction surprised me, because people thought it was an anti-American story, so then, it took ten years till that changed, but I do like America, so I became an American and thats what I know best."

ON CREATING PICTURES : "The Pictures have to talk, not me, and so be it." 

TAP: THE CANTOR ARTS CENTER AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY CALIFORNIA U. S. A.

TAP: THE PACE MACGILL GALLERY LOCATED IN NEW YORK CITY N. Y. U. S. A.

TAP: THE FILM "LEAVING HOME, COMING HOME: A PORTRAIT OF ROBERT FRANK"

All Photos © Robert Frank / Courtesy of The Stanford University and The Cantor Arts Center 

Mr Robert Frank is Represented by The PACE / MacGILL Gallery In New York City N.Y. USA

Mr Robert Frank's Images are Archived in The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. USA

THE BUREAU CUISINE : PALM

The Palm Restaurants have been around since the early Nineteen Twenties, first in New York City and then the world. There are very few American establishments that can boast existing for three generations, being owned and operated by the Original Family and retaining a reputation with new trends in cuisine. Palm in Beverly Hills, their newest flagship, does all this and more. 

We recently visited with Chef Pedro Inoscencio over dinner to discuss the Palm in Beverly Hills. The new space is an incredible improvement from the former location in West Hollywood. The Palm regulars will feel they have some spacious new breathing room, while newcomers will simply enjoy the vibe. Comfortable booths, high ceilings, private dining sections, a quiet table in the back, or front and center and a bar that has you easily chatting over the best cocktails money can buy. Many of the famous trademark celebrity artworks and drawings have been tastefully transferred to keep the original flavor intact as well as the tried and true recipes and yet, Chef Pedro Inoscencio, who has worked at Palm for twelve years, climbing the ladder, one rung at a time, is always looking for new ways to entice his budding clientele. Beverly Hills has always been about retaining a tried and true customer with new and consistently healthier recipes. Executive Chef Inoscencio knows very well, from experience, how to do so. "Food is really an Art," he explains over a glass of Fourteen Hands Merlot and a hearty salad made of baby kale, pine nuts, currants and romano cheese tossed in oil, dijon & lemon, "I found out early on, how much I actually enjoyed creating food and so, after working in the kitchen on a summer job, I went back to school and got a degree in the culinary arts." His first job out of school was with the Ritz Carlton, working with the best in the business inspired the young up and comer to continue honing his craft, that was over fifteen years ago and now he is at the top of his game. It's inspiring & a pleasure to discuss cuisine with the best in the biz.

CHEF: PEDRO INOSCENCIO

One of the newest aspects of Palm Beverly Hills is a returning original tradition of the freshest meat and steaks available by having an in-house butcher and closely watched aging process. Chef Inoscencio describes the advantages of this capability, while I simply marvel at and enjoy both the New York Steak and the local selections. "Everything is done in-house, drying and selecting here makes the end result much more tender. All of our meats are hand selected by the president of our company." One of the advantages of working in the culinary industry from entry level to Executive Chef, Inoscencio relates, is a deep comprehension of the entire business, "I appreciate everyone's job, because Iv'e done it, I know what it takes, I know how hard it is and I understand." It is this mix of humble know how and skilled expertise that makes Inoscencio someone special to Los Angeles. An example of Pedro's modest attitude would be the time he was offered Head Chef position and declined. "I simply wanted to learn every aspect of the management side, so I could be successful at the executive position, so, I turned it down." Luckily, Palm's management was patient enough until Inoscencio felt he had mastered his craft and some five years later, he was offered the job again, this time, he was ready. Pedro comes from a large family, he was born in Mexico and travelled to America at twelve years of age. The very fact that his position as Executive Chef has coincided with this new location makes this particular progression that much sweeter. We have to hand it to both the Palm's management for allowing and nurturing an entry level employee to work their way up to the top as well as Chef Pedro for waiting until he felt his time had come. Watching him walk from the kitchen to our table with the gravitas of a seasoned pro, one immediately observes, first hand what over fifteen years in this industry provides: Inoscencio simply belongs here."This new location in Beverly Hills has been a goal and dream come true to the owners of this company for a long time and to be offered this position at this location is an honor and I feel pretty proud of it." As he heads back into the kitchen, I walk into the bar, thinking to myself, "Someone very cool has just made it." 

" I appreciate everyone's job, because Iv'e done it, I know what it takes, I know how hard it is and I understand. "

- Pedro INOSCENCIO 

 Executive Chef 

PALM Beverly Hills 

PALM RESTAURANT IN BEVERLY HILLS

267 N CANON DRIVE BEVERLY HILLS CA 90210 PHONE : 310 550 8811 FAX : 310 278 5334  THEPALM.COM

North Carolina Museum of Art

James Prosek, American Bison, 2014, oil, acrylic, and mixed media on panel, 45 x 56 in., Courtesy of the artist and Schwartz  Wajahat, New York, © 2014 James Pros  2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh,  NC 27607  www.ncartmuseum.org

Image: Martin Scorsese in London England 1996                  Photographer: Raymond Depardon / Magnum Photo

ON THE SET: RAGING BULL By Joshua TRILIEGI for BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE Magazine / 2015 SUMMER Edition

TAP LINKS BELOW TO VIEW RAGING BULL FILM CLIPS RELATED TO THIS ARTICLE

TAP TO VIEW: THE OPENING SEQUENCE OF "RAGING BULL"

TAP TO VIEW: THE CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT SINGLE TAKE

TAP TO VIEW: ROBERT DE NIRO GET THE ACADEMY AWARD

TAP TO VIEW: THE ENTIRE FEATURE FILM PAY PER VIEW

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BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE: Scorsese Collects

THE FILM and ART PICK NEW YORK: May 30 – October 25, 2015

In celebration of New York City director Martin Scorsese’s enduring commitment to the preservation of international film culture, MoMA presents 34 works from the Scorsese Poster Collection. The installation is centered around a rare, billboard-size poster for the 1951 film Tales of Hoffmann, and features other large-format pieces representing the work of directors such as Michael Powell (The Red Shoes, 1948), Max Ophuls (The Earrings of Madame de..., 1953) and Jacques Tourneur (I Walked with a Zombie, 1943), and key designers, such as Italy’s Anselmo Ballester and Britain's Peter Strausfeld. In addition to European art house and American genre films, Raoul Walsh’s silent classic The Regeneration (1915) and Howard Hawks’s Scarface (1932) (represented by a rare lobby card) are included. The Film Poster Art Exhibition will be accompanied by the Film Series, Scorsese Screens in August 2015.

MOMA: The Museum of Modern Art 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019  Tap To Visit On Line : http://www.moma.org

THE BUREAU PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY: YELLOW

 PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY : YELLOW ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT © TRILIEGI STUDIO 2015 LOS ANGELES CA USA 

Image by Guest Artist : Irby Pace                                          Courtesy of Gallerie Urbane 

THEY CALL IT THE CITY OF ANGELS

The Original Fiction Series: " THEY CALL IT THE CITY OF ANGELS," began two years ago with Season One. An interesting experiment that originally introduced five fictional families, through dozens of characters that came to life before our readers eyes, when Editor Joshua Triliegi, improvised an entire novel on a daily basis and publicly published each chapter on-line. Season Two was an entire smash hit with readers in Los Angeles, where the novel is set and quickly spread to communities around the world through google translations and word of mouth. Season Three begins in August 2015 and the same rules will apply. The entire final season will be improvised and posted publicly on a weekly basis beginning, Friday August the 7th 2015 and continuing each friday to the stories final completion of Book One. "Improvised," in this instance, means: The writer starts and finishes each section without taking any prior notes whatsoever and publishes the completed episode on all Community Sites. Season III is The Finale'. 

TAP THIS LINK TO: RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF SEASON ONE & TWO

READ A NEW EPISODE EVERY FRIDAY IN AUGUST 2015

BEGINNING ON AUGUST 7TH / 14TH / 21ST / 28TH

INTERVIEW : JON SWIHART 

THE PORTRAIT PAINTER

Joshua TRILIEGI : Lets discuss, Commissions. You were recently commissioned by Brad PITT to create a portrait in relation to his wife's new film project on the American war hero Louie ZAMPERINI. Discuss how this came about, how you approach the assignment and how much time you may spend on a daily basis for each overall portrait. 

Jon SWIHART : The whole experience surrounding Louie Zamperini really felt like kismet, because before I was commissioned by Brad Pitt to paint Louie, I had been approached a few months earlier to paint his portrait for an organization. At that time, I read Unbroken and was enthralled and clearly envisioned how I would portray Louie dressed in his old WW2 bomber jacket and officer's cap, his body deteriorating but his spirit still resilient and unbroken. So,it was hugely disappointing when that first commission fell through. Then out of the blue, fate gave me a second chance when Pitt saw my recently completed portrait of the artist Don Bachardy, which gave him the idea of having a portrait of Zamperini painted as a talismanic gift for Angelina Jolie. Laura Hillenbrand had written the book, “Unbroken”, telling the amazing story of Louie’s life through WWII. After spearheading efforts to bring this epic story to life on the big screen, Angelina Jolie was also directing the picture. While doing her research, Jolie became very close to Louie, admiring him and taking strength and inspiration from his indomitable spirit. I went to Zamperini’s home to do the photo shoot and had the opportunity to visit with him for a bit. It was obvious that behind the 96 year old façade was the same determined and precocious young man from the book. Even in his frail condition, he exuded a zest for life that was inspiring in itself. Louie was known to those close to him, for an expression in his eyes, so with the family’s help, I was able to capture this expression for the painting. Now, inspired by the book, but even more so by the man himself, I set out to do the painting. I was extremely honored and excited, but also, a little intimidated by the task at hand. 

  

I was confident about getting a likeness, but unsure about striking a balance between the reality of his frailness and the dignity of the man and his history. For instance, in reality the bomber jacket was much larger on Louie’s shrunken frame, so I had a friend come over and pose in a similar leather jacket so I could accurately compromise between reality and the painting. The portrait took 6 weeks, working about 8 hours per day. When the painting was completed, I brought it to Louie’s home so he could see it in person and I could get his feedback. I thought I was confident about the final result until I got a big thumbs-up from Louie and felt this huge wave of relief flow over me. His family was also very happy with the portrait, which meant a lot to me. Formalities over, I spent the next hour listening to Louie tell stories and had the opportunity to ask him questions. I had been wondering about the ethereal music he heard late in his time on the raft while marooned at sea and wondered if it would be recreated in the movie. Louie said he did remember the tune for some time afterwards and had been whistling it in the prisoner camp when another prisoner who was a musician asked where he heard that wonderful piece of music. Over time, he forgot the melody and, unfortunately it hadn’t been written down. I made one more visit to bring Louie a framed photo of the painting for his 97th birthday. He was in good spirits, making plans for a birthday dinner and happy to have more visitors. Unfortunately, this would be the last time I saw him. This commission was the most meaningful of my career. I have painted many ‘famous’ people, including ex-presidents, movie stars and astronauts, but I felt that in honoring Louie, in my small way, I was also honoring all of the thousands of men and women in uniform with untold stories of courage, determination and character.

TO DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE JON SWIHART INTERVIEW WITH PORTRAIT IMAGES AND TEN QUESTION SIMPLY TAP THE LINK 

JON SWIHART : https://www.dropbox.com/s/xb1lr2gpje1pedk/2015%20SUMMER%20swihart%20cover.pdf?dl=0

TAP HERE TO VISIT THE BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE : LITERARY SITE

THE BUREAU LITERARY SITE

Literature has a Power and a Scope All It's Own. We originally founded the publication and the magazine to become part of the great history of writers, editors and publishers of the world. Interviews with writers Luis VALDEZ of ZooT Suit and La Bamba Fame and The Great Fiction Writer T. C. BOYLE have been instrumental in grounding that original goal. The BUREAU of Arts and Culture Literary Site gathered readers quickly through Google Member Readers and followers/subscribers. We wrote about writers as diverse as Rod Serling, Paddy Chayefsky, Ernest Lehman and offered resources for Writers, Publishers and Booksellers around The World from London to Paris and beyond. Our Coverage of The Los Angeles Book Fair brought us in touch with Art Book makers and small press publishers around the world. We interviewed authors and artist from Germany, Portland, The U.K., and plenty of East Coast booksellers. Now we also create the BUREAU Literary Edition which is e-mailed directly to 100s of Bookstores in the USA and abroad. Contact us with your next Literary Event or Book Reading or have your Publisher or PR firm Request The Bureau Interview.

LITERARY SITE http://TheyCallItTheCityofANGELS.blogspot.com

JAMIE WYETH : AMERICAN PAINTER

There are very few American Artists, who are self taught, third generation and bent on creating works that are studied, intuitive and strikingly original, Jamie Wyeth, Son of Andrew Wyeth, Grandson to N.C. Wyeth is one of the rare few. In a show that originated at The Boston Museum of Fine Arts and has since then travelled to The San Antonio Museum of Art and will next be in Bennington Arkansas at Crystal Bridges, Mr. Jamie Wyeth exhibits a survey of works, from the earliest drawings to recent projects with a stunning series of paintings and drawings that display a life's work of the highest magnitude. The Wyeth Legacy is one of America's greatest contribution to the arts and through Jamie Wyeth, that legacy is alive and well. I recall my father describing the first time he had viewed a Painting by Jamie Wyeth depicting a man on a motorcycle, facing the viewer head on. He had studied the works of Andrew Wyeth and had grown up reading the literature which N.C. Wyeth had illustrated, but upon viewing the masterwork of Jamie Wyeth, he gladly handed over the reins to young Jamie, then he looked at me and smiled. Since then, I have always respected the Wyeths and their family, their lives, their art at a level which can only be described, not in words, not in metaphor, but simply as it is. 

Tap The Links: https://www.mfa.org https://www.samuseum.org http://crystalbridges.org

Maria Francesca Triliegi is an Author with an upcoming book, a personal counselor to a very wide variety of people, from everyday working class folks, to some serious public figures that include both the worlds of politics and entertainment. Maria also happens to be The Editor of this Publication's Mother. So then, the other day, I called my Mom and we discussed her new book, her career and what it is like to do what it is she does by personally counseling people. 

BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE: BOOKS

Let’s discuss the new book that is being released later this summer. Although you have been working on a number of book projects recently, you decided to release The book of forty essays entitled, "LIFE IS GOOD: When You Do The Work". Why this book first and why now?

Maria Francesca Triliegi: I have been doing my work as an astrologer, teacher and retreat leader for over 30 years and have had a myriad of clients with so many different challenges and life changes as well as a curiosity for understanding themselves. Each time I meet with a client, I am excited to share with them their individuality and yet through it all I have noticed we human beings are so similar. There are basic tenets in life that remain certain and trustable. These are what we humans have a tendency to take advantage of and these are essentially what the essays describe. I adore words. I always have. I’ve been a reader since childhood and have kept journals through the years. The reason I decided to write and release LIFE IS GOOD now is because with the speedup of time we can easily lose track of what makes life good. 

"There are basic tenets in life that remain certain and trustable. These are what we humans have a tendency to take advantage of and these are essentially what the essays describe."

No matter our circumstances, situations or challenges there is much about our lives that, if we are willing to pay attention and notice more about who we truly are, collectively and individually; as well as how much the Universe, God, Goddess or whatever we call the essence of life we have been given; we will find that it is possible to choose to live with the mantra that LIFE IS GOOD. The added tagline “When You Do the Work” is, I find, a necessary component in how to live one’s life respectively, responsibly and with a consciousness of alive integrity and passion. The beauty surrounding us in the natural world along with the compassion and kindness innate in each of us is in itself something to strive to protect and enjoy. After that there is so much one can do to pay closer attention to how to honor the gifts each one of us is given. The essays are my way of expressing my thoughts collected through the many years of being an observer of all of life. I see with eyes that care deeply about the simple pleasures that we all have access to. I want my book to be a reminder of how to observe, appreciate, enjoy and take responsibility for all that we have been given at what seems to be very little cost.

TO DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW WITH MARIA FRANCESCA TRILIEGI SIMPLY TAP THIS LINK AND RECEIVE THE ENTIRE SUMMER EDITION FREE : 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9vmexjpu97uzwzg/2015%20SUMMER%20EDITION.pdf?dl=0 

The Italian Straw Hat, 1952 Oil on paper on board, 22 1/4 x 30 3/8 in.Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT, The Schnakenberg Fund, 1955.32 Art © The Educational Alliance, Inc./Estate of Peter Blume/Licensed by VAGA, New York

Peter Blume

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art 

600 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103

Tap to Visit : http://www.thewadsworth.org

TAP HERE TO VISIT BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE COMMUNITY SITE: SAN DIEGO

THE BUREAU IN SAN DIEGO

SAN DIEGO is another one of those Cities that unless you visited more than a few times, you might not realize what a great Community it actually is. As a Photographer, I find the place to have a very special sort of light that keeps me returning again and again. La Jolla, Mission Beach, The Lamplight all with something to offer tourists, locals and professionals. As a writer, visiting San Diego is a boon of simple and earthy characters, with a fine mix of working class individuals, retired professionals and a bevy of wealthy folks. The magazine has taken readers into original design interviews, the Museum of Modern Art, Photographic Essays into Old Town San Diego, Interviews with local Theater Productions, An In Depth Surf Interview with Community Surf Hero Bird of Birds Surf Shack in San Diego, Inside The La Jolla Athenaeum and a constant relationship with Dennis Wills of D.G. Wills Bookstore a legendary location visited by The best Writers in the world. It's been a wild ride San Diego. Next Up: A Photographic Essay of The Coastal Walkabout from Solana Beach to La Jolla, Articles on Eateries such as The Cottage, Mary's English Kitchen and Juice Crafters, Plus an Interview with Roman Palacios Local Opera Singer and Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire ...

SAN DIEGO http://BUREAUofARTSandCultureSanDiego.blogspot.com

BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE 

 presents

SURF INTERVIEW: JACK ENGLISH

Joshua TRILIEGI: Your catalogue is beautiful, diverse and modern and yet, at the same time, your images have an original and purist aesthetic that harkens back to the 1970's. Discuss style in surf photography and explain how you go about 'picturing ' images.

Jack ENGLISH: I love being different and getting a different shot from the next photographer which in the surfing world is so very challenging. If your on the North Shore of Oahu and their are 20 pros out well you're going to have at least 20 photographers on the beach and 20 in the water shooting the same shot and for the most part shooting the same angle. When I do my shoots here in California I always make sure I am the only photographer or if I show up to a place like Malibu on a big swell and their might be 3 other photographers there I will try to sneak down the beach and get an angle in which they aren't getting in hopes that I picked the best location in or out of the water. Every photographer has their own style, but I always try to imagine the shot I am going for months in advance for a specific surfer or location. I rarely show up to a spot and just start shooting. I put everything together with the surfer before he goes out in the water. It's like he is my model and I communicate to him or her what type of shot or move I would like them to do. I like to be involved on what their wearing or what board their riding. I like to direct my shoots and be just as much involved if not more then the surfer. I am not like go out and surf and I will take your picture - it's not like that for me. I am a director of my own shoots.

Joshua TRILIEGI: Surf culture is now a worldwide thing, for those of us on the West Coast, who grew up with it, it was and is a way of life. For the audience, its exotic and a commodity of sorts. Explain how you view the trajectory of Surf culture in the recent decades .

Jack ENGLISH: Maybe it's not safe for me to say this based on [ the fact that] I eat, breathe and sleep surfing and surf photography, but it's kind of boring now to an extreme. Kind of like everything has been done. To me, the late 80's into the early 90's was the best. The 80's had the bright fluorescent wetsuits and the early 90's had the momentum generation: Kelly Slater, Shane Dorian, Ross Williams, Rob Machado, etc… They took surfing to it's highest level. These guy's weren't trying to dress all groovy, they just ripped at surfing. They we're untouchable. You have guy's now that pretty much suck at surfing, but they try to dress the part kind of like, hey I am not that good at surfing, but I will try to be the hipster or groovy guy that way I can still get paid to surf. Companies fall for it for whatever reasons based on their are so many dam brands nowadays and all of them want or think they need to sponsor someone. 

Joshua TRILIEGI: Share your views regarding Digital versus Film and the future of photography.

Jack ENGLISH: Digital is such a f*cking copout. It's like a musician who needs all these machines to make their music for them. Take someone like an Elton John who just needs a piano and he will kill it. All these digital photographers became photographers because it was easy, cheap and mostly no cost for film and processing. I have one friend who told me he would never had shot photos if it we'rent for digital. I think in the past before digital you had the true photographers who really loved photography. The photographers that loved going to the photo lab dropping off their film and then hours later racing back to the photo lab praying they nailed the shot. The photographers that loved the smell of the photo labs or the smell of film. On the flip side I can't speak for the digi guy's and say they don't really love photographer or their not really photographers, that's not it. I mean if I was brought up after the film era I to would most likely just be shooting digital and always question what is film. But I was brought up int he film era and my heart is for film. I have passed a point where I hate digital. I hate hard drives, cords, cards, all that shit just bugs me and then have to worry if my hard drive crashes I loose everything. I can't handle that. How am I suppose to shoot so many wonderful images and then I am to rely on some hard drive not to crash, fuck that. I much rather have a folder full of tangible slides or negatives on my shelves and be done with it.

TO DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW AND MAGAZINE FOR FREE 

WITH SURF PHOTOGRAPHER JACK ENGLISH ON COVER  TAP  LINK: 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v4to8i7ahdcjdv8/2015%20SUMMER%20English%20Cover.pdf?dl=0

TAP HERE TO VISIT BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE COMMUNITY SITE SANTA BARBARA

Santa Barbara California is a very Beautiful Community. Recently, I was asked by someone in the big city, "Why did The Magazine focus on a City such as Santa Barbara ?" I found myself having to defend, rather easily, a place I have grown to Love. So many of our greatest writers and actors have also fallen in love with Santa Barbara, but it's rather difficult to describe why. There is a first class Film Festival, top of the line Wineries, A Coastal Beauty that compares to any coast, in any country around The World. And all the while, It's laid back. With lots of Surfers, Bikers, Real people, living their lives everyday. No matter how respected this magazine gets in New York City or Los Angeles or even overseas, I personally spend more time in cities such as Santa barbara, more quality time than I have ever expected. After all is said and done after the work is over, there is nothing quite like a Glass of Wine or a Swim in The Oceans at Santa Barbara County. So far, we've brought readers into The Santa Barbara Winery with Photo Essays, Audio Interviews at The Lost Horizon Bookstore and Adama Vegan Cuisine and an in depth Interview with Santa Barbara's Award winning Board Shaper Wayne Rich.

SANTA BARBARA http://BUREAUofARTSandCULTURESantaBarbara.blogspot.com

BUREAU EDITORIAL DIS-organization[s]

What has happened to today's organizations ? There was a time when being 'organized' meant doing something that improved life for the group of people you were associating with. Is today's society embroiled in a power struggle that allows Members Only to be favored exponentially ? Are organizations and associations wielding their power in a manner that could be abusive ? Have you noticed that individuals and heads of particular departments, including the mouthpieces in media outlets and those in the public eye are using their platforms in a disingenuous manner ? If you have answered, 'Yes' to any of these questions, you are not alone. From Churches to Non - Profits, from Television networks to Newspaper publishers, from Markets to Corporations, from Neighborhood to Region, from States to Cities & Counties: we are now experiencing a shift in the ideology of a Group vs The Individual. 

Of course there are the exceptions, sometimes within an organization, one will find a partial, fair and exemplary individual & even the occasional entire organization as a whole. Though, we should always remember that many clubs, schools, religions and membership style affiliations are exactly created for the sake of empowering that particular group and sometimes rewarding it's members for their behavior within the group. A membership radio station will reward it's listeners with occasional gifts, a membership film festival will rewards its members with discounts to events, a membership museum will allow priority access to its members and a membership religion will go as far as offering jobs, counseling, a social activity and sometimes even life after death. The membership markets offer admission and discounts to products, all sounds fair, yes ? Well, maybe. What happens when non members wish to participate in a related event ? What happens when non members wish to promote or interview or even celebrate something related to this group, be it, radio or museum or marketplace or film festival or even religious ? There is room for abuses of power here and often times exclusive privileges depend on the very rejection of outsiders, non members and 'interlopers.' 

There are times when actually making an example of an individual is all part of the membership and organization game. Either on the grand scale, for instance, when someone like Edward Snowden is admonished for sharing secrets, he is made to no longer freely live in America as an American, he is forced to make choices which drive him away from his country of origin. On a smaller scale, due to the many facets of groups and group thinking that have slowly but steadily spread into industries such as entertainment and publishing, being a member, is now being offered as entry into an industry, acceptance as an artist and eventually: success. Thats a very dangerous game. I recall visiting a small community on a tropical island, where the original group of natives had been, for many, many 100s of years affiliated with a particular religion. Because I was a visiting person with business contacts in the West, many of the people I met exclaimed how they had converted to a religion which is very popular in the West. I saw how there was a connection between business opportunities for converts and it startled me. Since that time, I have become more and more aware of this dilemma and must confess that I would personally prefer failure to success due to affiliation through a group of members of some sort. There are entire Arts Publications whose only contributors are members, graduates and teachers and or students of that school of thinking. There are entire theaters that exist solely to exhibit the talents and works by graduates of a certain school where people have studied art or film or music. 

So then, the financial aspects of this debate now creep into the room. If your parents can pay for your entry into a school or a University, then, talent allowing, you may have a chance. The problem with this dilemma is that, eventually, it sets up a much larger paradigm wherein a whole other group is conversely created, one in which non whites or non asians or non mexicans or non _________ [ Fill - in - the - blank ] are excluded. Thus creating a world of clubs, cliques and collectives without respect, regard or reward for non members. Unfortunately, I believe we have now arrived at this particular destination and within the very borders of each city, state and country, the infantile philosophies surrounding this way of thinking are handicapping our ability to progress as a society, a country a planet: we are in trouble people. Had I not been raised in Los Angeles or travelled throughout the world or even been respectful, curious and a learned student of International films, art and music, maybe I would not even be fully aware of this dilemma. Editing and creating a magazine that seeks to speak with the best artists, actors, filmmakers, culturally aware individuals has indeed been an education in this regard. 

"Every now and then, I meet an incredible individual 

            who seeks only to offer the beautiful thing that 

                                    their institute is actually there to offer…"

As was mentioned, every now and then, I meet an incredible individual who seeks only to offer the beautiful thing that their institute is actually there to offer. An example of that would be every image you see in this edition of the magazine from a gallery or museum. Though, unfortunately, more often than not, we receive a cold reception or worse a manipulated, contrived and down right embarrassingly false set of circumstances that include denial of full access, a series of bureaucratic levels which hinder the goal or simply being lied to or delayed or ignored, resulting in a particular due date having since than expired, thus creating the inability to sponsor, participate or include a contribution of some sort. Sometimes, non members are offered some form of limited access, which is than manipulated to show the 'non-member,' how great life could be, if only they joined the club of conformists, believers, non-believers, etc… Playing the game to get what you want. These social traps are set on a daily basis. More often than not, walking away is the best bet, though, as a publication, with a goal oriented schedule to promote, affiliate and sponsor social events that surround art, music, film, science, culture and eventually receive advertising dollars to provide a service to the institutes, organizations and companies or non profits, my concerns sometime lead me down the path to investigative journalism: where I am often aghast at the quote un-quote 'members' of some of these organizations. Sometimes this includes a local market or a non profit or an art gallery or even a member of my own government. How far will all of this member versus non member go before it blows up in our faces ? Or is that the point ? Look around at your world. Look around at your organizations. Look around at your own religion, your own so - called group. If you like what you see. Cool. But, if you notice that your superiority is based on the fact that you are a so-called 'member' of a group, that is either based on belief, income, non-belief or lack of income, race, color, age, sex, education, admission fee, a particular lifestyle or some other in-crowd superficial aspect, it may be that you are not superior at all. Quite possibly the exact opposite may be true. 

Norman Seeff : The Ramones New York, 1977 © Norman Seeff Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Miami

LET'S ROCK

Now Through JUNE 13, 2015

Rock & Roll Music has always been affiliated with the medium and Art of Photography. Performances only last a few minutes, hours or the duration of the current tour. Musicians found early on that the power of the image from last years tour could sell tickets and albums to next years tour and the fusion or marriage between the camera and the music was complete. Let's Rock, the current exhibit at Fahey / Klein's new Gallery in Miami, Florida takes us through the History of Modern Rock and Roll with photographs by the best in the biz. Including: Jim Marshall’s iconic shot of Johnny Cash flipping the bird, Barry Feinstein’s  image of fans peering into the window of Bob Dylan’s limo, Frank Stefanko’s Bruce Springsteen at the beginning of his career and Harry Benson’s playful photograph of a Beatles’ pillow fight. 

Led Zeppelin (In Front of Plane) New York, 1973 © Bob Gruen, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Miami

Lets Rock, is an important photographic exhibit because it balances the grit with the glamour, the guts with the glory and the guys with the gals in all that bare truth that Rock and Roll Music was originally meant to express. Lets not forget that this was a music in touch with it's anger, in touch with it's passion, in touch with it's feelings, it's roots, it's working class upbringing. Surely Mick Jagger is the face of the Stones, but without a working class pal such as Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones might just have been another Hermans Hermits. As Rock & Roll becomes more and more appropriated by millionaires, museums and extremely wealthy non profit entities, it may be a good time to remind them all, that Rock & Roll, belongs to The People. We saw these same trends with William Shakespeare, who originally wrote for the people and Classical greats such as Ludwig Van Beethoven.We The People Own Rock & Roll, we own Rap, we own Country, we own The Blues, we own Jazz. This is All Peoples Music, much of it originated in America, so then, we own America. Take pride in great music America, you made it happen. It's Yours : Lets Rock.

Norman Seeff Keith Richards Los Angeles 1972 Courtesy Fahey / Klein Gallery Miami

Gered Mankowitz : Jimi Hendrix (Classic), 1966 © Gered Mankowitz, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Miami

FAHEY / KLEIN GALLERY in MIAMI 4025 Northeast 2nd Avenue Second Floor Miami Florida 33137 U.S.A

On 2nd Avenue, between 40th and 41st St. In the Miami Design District. Across 2nd Ave from the newly established Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami. Fahey/Klein Gallery Miami is on the Second Floor of the Chrome Hearts building. Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11am – 7pm.

BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE SEATTLE

The BUREAU of Arts and Culture Seattle Community Site will be featuring neighboring Cities such as Tacoma and Portland's Museums, Galleries, Music Events and Special Cultural happenings as well as ALL The Subjects that The Magazine brings you regularly: ART . FILM . MUSIC . DESIGN . CULTURE . ARCHITECTURE . ECOLOGY . INTERVIEWS + More …Coming Soon : Exclusive Interviews with local Artists, Musicians and Museums Including Rock Hushka Chief Curator at The Tacoma Art Museum. In Depth Articles on Seattle & Washington's Cultural Touch points including: Jimi HENDRIX, ECOLOGICAL Concerns,  The PORTS of Washington, Native American Issues and Historically significant Moments in it's History. 

The SEATTLE BUREAU http://bureauofartsandcultureseattle.blogspot.com

TAP HERE TO VISIT THE BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE IN MIDWEST SITE

BUREAU FASHION: The DANDY LIONS

Dandy Lion: (Re) Articulating Black Masculine IdentityNow Through July 12, 2015 

All too often in America and across the world, we are exposed to a negative image regarding people of color. Within the mainstream media and often times in films and publications, we are given cliched versions of life on every level. Stories and images are pushed in our faces with a determination to send a larger message to the populist about the populists.Anyone who is pretty hip can see through this device and yet, after a while, we have to simply oppose this tool by simply showing the world a whole other side of the coin. These images from the Exhibit, Dandy Lions:(Re)Articulating Black Masculine Identity, are on View at The Chicago Museum of Contemporary Photography.

Dandy Lion: (Re)Articulating Black Masculine Identity features work from emerging and renowned photographers and filmmakers from the US, Europe and Africa, including Hanif Abur-Rahim, Jody Ake, Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, Rose Callahan, Kia Chenelle, Bouba Dola, Adama Delphine Fawundu, Russell K. Frederick, Cassi Amanda Gibson, Allison Janae Hamilton, Akintola Hanif, Harness Hamese/Loux the Vintage Guru, L. Kasimu Harris, Jamala Johns, Caroline Kaminju, Charl Landvreugd, Jati Lindsay, Devin Mays, Terence Nance, Arteh Odjidja, Numa Perrier, Alexis Peskine, Radcliffe Roye, Sara Shamsavari, Nyugen Smith, Daniele Tamagni, Richard Terborg and Rog Walker. This exhibition is guest curated by US-based independent curator Shantrelle P. Lewis. 

The Museum of Contemporary Photography Columbia College in Chicago 600 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60605 USA  Tap to Visit the Exhibition online Now : http://www.mocp.org

Charles Ray: The American Sculptor

Charles Ray is one of the very few artists alive today to combine both humor and pathos in a way that is equally foreboding as well as strangely understated. Unlike Jeff Koons, who is considered one of Ray's contemporaries, Mr. Ray comes off as just a bit more modest, not just in scale and subject, but in the actual, 'Selling' of the idea. Mostly due to the size, surface and finishing styles of the actual sculptures. Mr. Koons, whose work is magnificent in the same way as, say, a Salvador Dali, is what we might call a 'Hard Sell'. Koons' candy coated surfaces are reminiscent of a famous 1950's Car Commercial by Earl Scheib who promised to paint any car for $39.95, of course the prices went up as time went on and so too for these Sculptors. Ray is represented by Matthew Mark$ and Koons by Larry Gago$ian. This retrospect entitled Charles Ray: Sculpture 1997-2014, had us thinking he passed away last year. But, like The Art World, the title is deceiving & this is simply a survey of those years. Charles Ray lives in Los Angeles and as Dr. Frankenstein exclaimed, "IT'S ALIVE!"

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO 

Charles Ray: Sculpture 1997 - 2014  

Tap to Visit On line: http://www.artic.edu

Images Related to this Bureau Article : Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Herb Ritts 

© Herb Ritts Foundation Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 

 NEW FICTION: KAZUO ALONE 

A Short Story by Linda Toch / Little Tokyo Story Contest Winner 2015

Kazuo embraced Mondays like no other and that was because of its silence. Mondays were sweet, a sweep of semi-peace in the streets of Los Angeles. The typical street-crawlers were in school and the typical tourists at their nine to five jobs, and so Kazuo chose Monday to roam, map, conquer his neighborhoods unperturbed. Mondays were a convenience only when eighty five of your years had passed and your company along with it. It was nice timing for those who desired solace. The old man had fit this criteria to a tee. People talked about him, of course; no one who walks alone can keep his name out of others’ mouths. They say he had a wife once. They say his marriage was a spectacle, a whirr of harmonies—he, a striking man, she, an incandescent beauty—he, solemn-faced, she, the embodiment of joy. She was his joy. Small talk still lingers about their wedding to date, a legend left for the gossip mill to disperse. 100 brown doves. That was how many they released that day. 

Rumor had it, the birds swirled around the couple, drawing a ribbon with their synchronized bodies before soaring up and beyond sight. They called this God’s miracle, God’s blessing on a beautiful union. A year later, when the wife’s cheeks ran out of ruby colors to make room for pallor, they called it God’s apology instead. His solemn face turned sorrow. He hadn’t remarried since. Years past and people trickled in and out of his life, and Kazuo never put forth the efforts to make them stay. He, ever the true Buddhist, held no attachments. Religion had nothing to do with this, of course; he simply couldn’t be bothered with anyone else to begin with. Yet in spite of this, there was something that drew him back to Little Tokyo time after time. Kazuo knew his streets well, but he was mindless when he walked. He lived in his head, in a world far detached from realities, from earth—perhaps that was the sole reason why he enjoyed his solo strolls. When he returned, unaware of the lefts and rights he chose, he found himself wound up on First or Alameda. Always. He’d spot the museum’s large puzzle cube, listen to the paper lanterns crinkle above his head, feel the gust of wind as children breezed by him with an excitement so distantly familiar to him… it was the way wide streets became smaller and then wider again, and the way the tiny shops were cramped so closely. He’d be a dead man before he admitted it, but Little Tokyo had wormed its way into his heart. 

The streets were by no means empty on Mondays, but Kazuo didn’t need to bump and squirm his way through crowds among crowds. It was mostly college students flocking to the modernized corners, anyway. The sushi joints. Yogurtland. Anything with bright letters and an appearance that promised a good time. Kazuo rested in a quieter area, a little sector of a street filled with mom and pop shops. He sat in front of a bakery store of the Japanese Village Plaza, listening to a performer improvise a song for a family next to him. The singer’s voice, mellow and pleasant, was a charmer. It was as if people paid for the happy ambience his keyboard brought instead of the performance itself. The tip jar was filled to the brim. High school ditchers passed by him, the corners of their mouth dribbled with ice cream. The infectious bliss that came from the musician seemed to make them younger and younger. Such a gift, to be able to have your keyboard turn the elderly to adults, the adults to teens, the teens to children…and the teens laughed joyously, ecstatically, their heads thrown back the way a seven year old’s would. 

Kazuo’s heart stung a little. He remembered how it was, to be young and enamored. No one else existed but the person by your side; nothing else was tangible except the hands brushing against your own. “And you, sir!” the performer called, suddenly, index finger pointed straight at Kazuo. “What is your name?” “Ah, I…no, I didn’t tip you,” Kazuo responded sheepishly, waving his hands to the artist. “No money.” Smiling, his inquirer replied, “I’m here to talk, not much else. How are you?” His words reverberated from the microphone and bounced around in Kazuo’s ears. I’m here to talk…when was the last conversation Kazuo had? It was with his insurers, wasn’t it? Or his doctor? The nurses? “I…I’m fine, thank you.” It felt like all of Little Tokyo stared at him, their eyes digging into his skin. Even the pigeons that scattered among the Plaza seemed to look into the old man. Seemed to look into how he sat, crookedly. How his back hunched and his teeth yellowed even more in bare sunlight. How his forehead wrinkled and sagged his face downward into a perpetual frown. He finally felt like his age in his skin, and he’d never been more aware of eighty five years than that day. “Ah, before I launch into a song, do you want me to dedicate it to someone?” the performer continued. Again with the questions. “A loved one, maybe?” he pressed. Kazuo merely shook his head. “No, no one. There’s no one.” “You were in love, weren’t you? I can tell by the way you look down.” The performer pressed a few keys, his fingers cascading over them with a feathery lightness. The sounds floated melodiously into the air, drawing in more and more of a crowd.

Kazuo shuffled his feet in embarrassment. “Let me ask an easier question, then. How did you meet?” The grin the musician gave coaxed an answer out of the reluctant Kazuo. He stuttered, yelling it half-heartedly, just loud enough for the other man to hear. “We met by the Aoyama tree!” Too loud, Kazuo thought, cringing. I was too loud. Too much noise… The performer’s eyes glinted, and his smile widened. He continued pressing down more keys, more and more, a stream of gorgeous sounds making way to Kazuo’s ears. But he sang nothing into the microphone. Kazuo was startled by the silence, but sat still to enjoy the music regardless. A minute had passed before the man proceeded with more questions. “The Aoyama tree…what a beautiful place to meet a beautiful woman, no?” Kazuo nodded. “It was,” he agreed softly. “It was.” His mind drifted back to a time when his heart was filled with inexplicable emotions, a mesh of pain and thrill, hope and fervor and ultimately: heat. There was the sting of leaving his family behind. He could not touch his mother’s face anymore, or help his father walk in old age. But on another hand, he had made his way into LA. The city of the greats. The giants. The powerful, the dreamers. The city to get lost in, to get found, to be anonymous, to make a name—LA. It was an achievement all on its own, making it there. And then there was her. He remembered meeting her perfectly: the clumsiness that ensued, the awkward exchange of greetings that followed. He stumbled, and she tripped, and he fell, and she toppled over. And he said hello. And she gifted him a smile. “I’ve seen you a couple times, sir,” the performer continued. “You come here often. I want to give thanks for showing love to our little world.” 

Kazuo remembered the shops, the nooks and crannies found in them, and the entanglement of histories and modern culture. The celebrations, the festivals. The morning prayers. Kazuo remembered all of it. And he remembered her traversing by his side the entire time, exploring the ‘little world’ that only seemed to get bigger the more they stayed in it. And he remembered the happiness. Where was the crying child in Little Tokyo? The frowning human? They didn’t seem to exist. The streets were flooded with happiness, a happiness like no other. And it was still flooded today. But the idea of joy was so faint in his heart, as time wrung out the euphoria in all his memories, that Kazuo only now began to feel again. There was bitterness locked inside of him, a bitterness that never left him since her passing. And so he exhaled this bitterness with the timing of the music. In and out. Just like the morning meditations she used to accompany him to, around the temple near their precious love-tree. He breathed in the piano notes and breathed out the heaviness in his heart. “The Aoyama tree,” the performer started, “is a sign of resilience. It’s a sign of forever. Of going on. It’s an old, old survivor in the city…much like you, I’d imagine.” Again, the performer smiled. “And much like your love. The tree is entwined with your past, my friend, and that’s a beautiful honor.” Kazuo lifted himself up slowly and walked toward the performer. His hands shook. He leaned forward and put a five dollar bill in the tip jar. It was all the money he had. “Thank you. Thank you. I feel light again,” Kazuo whispered. The performer shoved the microphone out of the way, and whispered back, “Your joy is long overdue…you needed to visit your roots again. Back to where it all started. No thanks are needed for that, my friend.” But with a twinkle in his eye, he added, “I thought you had no money, Kazuo.” It was Kazuo’s turn to smile. He made his way to Aoyama Tree, this time, his mind clear of directions. Somehow, his feet remembered the paths he had taken with her decades ago. Back to the tree’s roots, back to his roots, back to the roots of his first and only love. He felt his heart pump vigorously to keep up with his pace. A part of him wanted to touch the bark. Stroke it. Carve initials into it. He wanted to interact. To feel. But he stayed behind, admiring the piece of art nature invested into this land. 

What made Little Tokyo magical was the people around it, he realized. The children, the teens, the adults, the families, the couples. The performer. Her. And him. He was a part of it, the city, the culture. He always was. It was six o’clock by the time Kazuo finished. His legs tired of the walk, he walked in a daze, a wonderment of the new Little Tokyo he was seeing. With every street was a new memory he uncovered once more. There was no more pain heaving down in his chest. He walked a little straighter, stood a little taller. He would visit the tree next Monday, he decided. And the week after that, and the week after that. And forevermore. He would visit the tree for as long as the tree stood there, and as long as he stood alive. There was no more remorse in his reminiscence. Just joy. Kazuo grinned as he thought of the performer. He relived the entire ordeal in his head as he made his way back home. And then it struck him—how did the performer know of his name in the first place? How did the performer know anything at all? And, most importantly, did any of that matter? His spirit felt rejuvenated, youthful. Twenty years old at best. And that was the greatest gift anyone had ever bestowed on him since her smile. For that alone, Kazuo didn’t need the answers to his questions. The sunset settled down and the darkness cloaked the colorful skies with black. He stepped into his house, exhausted by this Monday’s elongated walk. The loneliness always kept on his shoulders had all dissipated by then. Certainly he lived by himself, but that didn’t mean he was alone, no. Not any longer. And before he could lock the door shut, Kazuo could swear he heard the faint coo of a dove outside… a sound that made his eyes dampen. He pressed his palms against his cheeks, surprised. The tears were his own. The emotions were his own. Where was the crying child in Little Tokyo, anyway? Where could you find the frowning adult? He sunk into the comforts of his home and drifted into sleep, his ears filled with the sounds of music and doves. The man was at peace at last.

Linda Toch is a writer and a 2015 Winner of the Los Angeles CA USA Little Tokyo Story Contest. 

CHICAGO EVENTS SUMMER 2015

The CHICAGO BLUES FESTIVAL : June 12 - 14, 2015 Grant Park FREE The largest free blues festival in the world and remains the largest of Chicago's Music Festivals. During three days on five stages, more than 500,000 blues fans prove that Chicago is the "Blues Capital of the World." Past performers include Bonnie Raitt, Ray Charles, B. B. King, the late Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy and the late Koko Taylor. 

http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_blues_festival.html

The SHEFFIELD Music Festival & Garden Walk : July 18 & 19, 2015 Sponsored by the Sheffield Neighborhood Association (SNA), a non-profit community organization. The "Summer's Best Festival" features self-guided tours of more than 80 Gardens, guided Architectural Tours, live entertainment by some of Chicago's and North America's finest bands, food and drink, and activities for children at the Kids' Corner. http://www.sheffieldgardenwalk.com/

The CHICAGO TRIATHLON : AUGUST 30, 2015 : The new bike course will allow Elite participants the ability to start first, providing unobstructed space along previously congested Lake Shore Drive.The swim is held in Monroe Harbor, with the start line at Balbo Dr. and Lake Shore Drive. International swimmers first head south, swimming parallel to the sea wall.The run course begins at the grass reserve just south of Randolph. http://www.chicagotriathlon.com/

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THERE ARE FIVE ALTERNATE COVERS FOR THE SUMMER 2015 EDITION HERE ARE THE FREE DOWNLOAD LINKS TO EACH MAGAZINE EDITION : 

THE GEORGIA O'KEEFFE:https://www.dropbox.com/s/9vmexjpu97uzwzg/2015%20SUMMER%20EDITION.pdf?dl=0 

THE HERB RITTS : https://www.dropbox.com/s/k30xbheejgfdcu4/2015%20SUMMER%20Ritts%20Cover.pdf?dl=0 

THE JACK ENGLISH :https://www.dropbox.com/s/v4to8i7ahdcjdv8/2015%20SUMMER%20English%20Cover.pdf?dl=0 

THE IRBY PACE : https://www.dropbox.com/s/86s8uq20icdlc0u/2015%20SUMMER%20Pace%20Cover.pdf?dl=0 

THE JON SWIHART :https://www.dropbox.com/s/xb1lr2gpje1pedk/2015%20SUMMER%20swihart%20cover.pdf?dl=0 

THE BUREAU SUMMER EDITION 2015 EDITED by JOSHUA TRILIEGI 

WE CELEBRATE ART MUSIC FILM FASHION SURFING BIKING INTERVIEW ARCHITECTURE FICTION DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY CUISINE BOOKS CULTURE

When You Download The FREE Edition it will open on your computer or device, It is an Electronic Interactive Version of BUREAU of Arts and Culture Magazine. We suggest you view the pdf in the [Two Page with Cover] and [Full Screen Mode] Options which are Provided at the Top of your Menu Bar under the VIEW section. Simply choose Two Page Layout & Full Screen to enjoy. This format allows for The Magazine to be read as a Paper Edition. Displaying images and Text in Center-folds. When reading on a computer, utilize the Arrows on your keyboard to turn the pages. Be Sure To Download A High Resolution Version at BUREAU of Arts And Culture's Official Magazine Website or any of Our Community Sites with Links Provided Below.

We Thank: Da Capo Press, Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, Pace/MacGill Gallery, National Gallery of Art, Georgia O'Keefe Museum of Art, Fine Arts Center Colorado Springs, Duke University, Andy Warhol Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Crystal Bridges, United Artists, Spot Photo Works, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Art Huston Texas, Gallerie Urbane, Mary Boone Gallery, Pace Gallery, Asian Art Museum, Magnum Photo, Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, Fahey/Klein, Tobey C. Moss, Sandra Gehring, George Billis, Martin - Gropius - Bau Berlin, San Jose Museum of Art, First Run Features, Downtown Records, Koplin Del Rio, Robert Berman, Indie Printing, American Film Institute, SFMOMA, Palm Beverly Hills, KM Fine Arts, LA Art Show, Photo LA, Jewish Contemporary Museum, Cultural Affairs, Yale Collection of Rare Books & Manuscript and Richard Levy.

Contributing Photographers: Norman Seef, Herb Ritts, Jack English, Alex Harris, Gered Mankowitz, Bohnchang Koo, Natsumi Hayashi, Raymond Depardon, T. Enami, Dennis Stock, Dina Litovsky, Guillermo Cervera, Moises Saman, Cathleen Naundorf, Terry Richardson, Phil Stern, Dennis Morris, Henry Diltz, Steve Schapiro, Yousuf Karsh, Ellen Von Unwerth, William Claxton, Robin Holland, Andrew Moore, James Gabbard, Mary Ellen Mark, John Robert Rowlands, Brian Duffy, Robert Frank, Jon Lewis, Sven Hans, David Levinthal, Joshua White, Brian Forrest, Lorna Stovall, Elliott Erwitt, Rene Burri, Susan Wright, David Leventhal, Peter Van Agtmael & The Bureau Editor Joshua Triliegi. 

Contributing Guest Artists: Irby Pace, Jon Swihart, F. Scott Hess, Ho Ryon Lee, Andy Moses, Kahn & Selesnick, Jules Engel, Patrick Lee, David Palumbo, Tom Gregg, Tony Fitzpatrick, Gary Lang, Fabrizio Casetta, DJ Hall, David FeBland, Eric Zener, Seeroon Yeretzian, Dawn Jackson, Charles Dickson, Ernesto DeLaLoza, Diana Wong, Gustavo Godoy, John Weston, Kris Kuksi, Bomonster, Hiroshi Ariyama, Linda Stark, Kota Ezawa, Russell Nachman, Katsushika Hokusai and Xuan Chen

Contributing Writers: Robin Holland, Jamar Mar(s) Tucker, Linda Toch, Maria (Mom) Triliegi

INTERVIEW: BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE MAGAZINE EDITOR: JOSHUA TRILIEGI

Writer Joshua Triliegi discusses his most recent Fiction Project, "They Call It The City of ANGELS," creating beliEvable characters and the challenges therein. Season One & Season Two are available on line at most of the 10 various BUREAU of Arts and Culture Websites & translatable around the world.

Discuss the process of writing your recent fiction project, " They Call It The City of Angels ."

Joshua Triliegi: I had lived through the riots of 1992, actually had a home not far from the epicenter and experienced the event first hand, I noticed how the riot was being perceived by those outside our community, people began to call me from around the world, my friends in Paris, my relatives in the mid west, childhood pals, school mates, etc... Each person had a different take on why and what was happening, I still have those recordings, this was back in the day of home message recorders with cassettes. So, after 20 years, I began to re listen to the voices and felt like something was missing in the dialogue.

" I noticed how the riot was being perceived by those outside our community ..."

Some of my friends and fellow theater contemporaries such as Anna Deveare Smith and Roger Guenvere Smith had been making bold statements in relation to the riots with their own works and I realized that there was a version of original origin inside of me. I felt the need to represent the community in detail, but with the event in the background. Because, I can tell you from first hand experience that when these events happen, people are still people, and they deal with these types of historical emergencies differently based on their own culture, their own codes, their own needs and everyday happenstances.

You originally published each chapter on a daily basis, explain how and why ?

Joshua Triliegi: I had been editing The BUREAU of Arts and Culture Magazine for a few years, we printed thousands of magazines that were widely distributed throughout Los Angeles and San Francisco and had created an on-line readership.The part of me that had dabbled in fiction through the years with screenplays and short stories had been ignored for those few years. On the one hand, it was simply a challenge to create a novel without notes, improvising on a daily basis, on the other hand, it gave the project a freedom and an urgency that had some connection with the philosophy of Jack Kerouac and his Spontaneous Prose theories. One thing it did, was forced me, as a creator, to make the decisions quickly and it also, at the time, created a daily on line readership, at least with our core readers, that to this day has strengthened our community sites and followers on line. Season One was a series of introductions to each character. Season Two, which happened the following year, was a completely different experience all together.

Describe Season Two of They Call It The City of Angels and those challenges.

Joshua Triliegi: Well first of all, the opening line of Season One is, " Los Angeles is a funny place to live, but those laughing were usually from out of town, " That opener immediately set up an insiders viewpoint that expresses a certain struggle and angst as well as an outsider — looking — in — perception that may be skewed. In introducing characters throughout season one, I was simply creating a cast of characters that I knew somehow would be important to set the tone surrounding the riots of 1992 in Los Angeles. With Season Two, and an entire year of gestation, which was extremely helpful, even if it was entirely on a subconscious level, I had a very real responsibility to be true to my characters and each persons culture. I had chosen an extremely diverse group of people, but had not actually mentioned their nationality, or color in Season One. By the time season Two rolled around, I found it impossible not to mention their differences and went several steps further to actually define those differences and describe how each character was effected by the perception of the events in their life. This is a novel that happens to take place before, during and after the riot. The characters themselves all have lives that are so complete and full and challenged, as real life actually is, that the riot as a backdrop is entirely secondary to the story.  I was surprised at how much backstory there actually was. I also think my background in theater, gave me a sense of character development that really kicked my characters lives into extreme detail and gave them a fully realized life.

How do you go about creating a character ?

Joshua Triliegi: Well, there is usually a combination of very real respect and curiosity involved. Sometimes, I may have seen that person somewhere in the world and something about them attracted my attention in some way. In the case of They Call It The City of Angels, I knew the people of Los Angeles had all been hurt badly by the riots of 1992, because I am one of those people and it hurt. One minute we were relating between cultures, colors, incomes, the next we were pitted up against one another because some people in power had gotten away with a clear injustice. So with season two, I personally had to delve deeper into each persons life and present a fully realized set of circumstances that would pay off the reader, in terms of entertainment and at the same time be true to the code of each character. Once they were fully realized, the characters themselves would do things that surprised me and that is when something really interesting began to happen.

Could you tell us a bit more about the characters and give us some examples of how they would surprise you as a writer ?

Joshua Triliegi: Well, Jordan, who is an African American bus driver and happens to be a Muslim, began to find himself in extremely humorous situations where he is somehow judged by events and circumstances beyond his control. I thought that was interesting because the average person most likely perceives the people of that particular faith as very serious. Jordan has a girlfriend who is not Muslim and when he is confronted by temptation, he is equally as human as any of my readers and so, he gets himself into situations that complicate his experience and a certain amount of folly ensues. Fred, who is an asian shop owner and a Buddhist, has overcome a series of tragedies, yet has somehow retained his dignity with a stoicism that is practically heroic. At one point, in the middle of a living nightmare, he simply goes golfing, alone and gets a hole in one. Junior, who is a Mexican American young man recently released from prison really drives the story as much of his backstory connects us to Fred and his tragedies as well as legal decisions such as the one that caused the city to erupt as it does in the riot.

You talk a lot about Responsibility to Character, what do you mean and how do you conduct research ?

Joshua Triliegi: Well, if I make a decision that a character is a Muslim or Asian or Mexican or what have you, if I want the respect of my readers and of those who may actually be Muslim, Asian or Mexican, it behooves me to learn something about that character. As a middle aged man who lives in Los Angeles and has done an extensive amount of travel throughout my life, there is a certain amount of familiarity with certain people. But for instance, with Fred, I watched films on the history of the Korean War and had already respected the Korean Community here in Los Angeles for standing up for themselves the way they did. I witnessed full on attacks and gun fights between some of the toughest gangsters in LA and I think even they gained respect for this community in that regard. Fred is simply one of those shop owners, he is a very humble and unassuming man, in season two, he finds himself entering a whole new life and for me as a writer, that is very gratifying and to be totally honest, writing for Fred was the most bitter sweet experience ever. Here is a man who has lost a daughter, a wife, a business partner and he is about to lose all he has, his shop. Regarding Junior and Jordan, I grew up with these guys, I have met them again and again, on buses, in neighborhoods at school. Jordan has a resilience and a casual humor that has been passed down from generations, a survival skill that includes an ironic outlook at life. He also has that accidental Buster Keaton sort of ability to walk through traffic and come out unscathed. Junior on the other hand is a real heavy, like any number of classic characters in familiar cinema history confronted with the challenges of poverty and tragedy. He is the character that paid the biggest price and in return, we feel that experience. There is a certain amount of mystery and even a pent up sexuality and sometimes a violence that erupts due to his circumstances. In season two, within a single episode, Junior takes his father, who is a busboy at a cafe and repositions him as the Don or boss of their original ranch in Mexico.

There seems to be a lot of religion in They Call it the City of Angels, how did that occur and do you attend church or prescribe to any particular faith ?

I never intended for there to be so much religion in this book. But, if you know Los Angeles like I do, you will realize how important faith is to a good many people and particularly to the characters I chose to represent. With Jordan being Muslim, it allowed me to delve into the challenges a person might have pertaining to that particular faith. Fred's life is so full of tragedy that even a devout buddhist would have trouble accepting and letting go of the events that occur in his life. Junior found god in prison as many people do, upon his release back into the real world, he is forced to make decisions which challenge that belief system and sometimes go against his faith, at the same time, he finds himself physically closer to real life events and objects of religious historical significance than the average believer which brings us into a heightened reality and raises questions in a new way. As for my own belief system, I dabble in a series of exercises and rituals that spring from a wide variety of faiths and practices.

You discussed Jordan, Fred and Junior. Tell us about Cliff and Charles and Chuck.

Joshua Triliegi: I don't really believe in secondary characters, but in writing fiction, certain characters simply emerge more pronounced than others. As this project was a daily serial for the magazine, I did try my best to keep a balance, giving each character a fully realized set of circumstances and history. That said, some characters were related to another through family, incident or history and later, I felt compelled to know more about them and see how they would emerge.

Charles is one of those legendary rock and roll guys who was on tour with music royalty and simply disappeared. He's the missing father we all hear about and wonder what would happen if he were to suddenly return into our lives ? His son Mickey, his wife Maggie, his daughter Cally have all gone on with their lives, when Jordan, accidentally runs him over while driving his bus, Charles returns home and a new chapter in their lives begins again.

Chuck is a cop who just happened to marry Juniors sister and they have several daughters. When Junior returns from prison, he and Chuck clash simply because of their careers and history. I felt it was important to include authority in this story and once I decided to represent a police officer, I wanted him to be as fully realized and interesting as any other character, though, clearly Junior drives much of this section of the novel and Chuck is simply another person that complicates Juniors arrival. I should also explain that the arrival of Junior from years in prison is really the beginning of events that lead up to the basic thrust of the story and somehow almost everyone in the novel has a backstory that connects in some way.

Cliff is absolutely one of my all time favorites. He is a mentally challenged boy whose father happens to be the judge on the case that develops into the unjust legal decision and eventually the actual 1992 riots. I have always felt that challenged individuals deserve much more than the marginalized lifestyles that we as a contemporary society provide. Many ancient societies have relegated what we dismiss as something very special. Cliff is challenged, but also happens to be a very intuitively gifted human being whose drawings portend actual future events. Even though his parents are extremely pragmatic, they are forced to consider his gifts.

Cliff is a young upper middle class white boy who is entirely obsessed with the late great comedian Richard Pryor and at very inopportune times, Cliff will perform entire Richard Pryor comedic routines, including much of the original risqué language. Cliff is an innocent who pushes the societal mores to the edge. I have found through fiction the ability to discuss, develop and delve into ideas that no other medium provided me. And as you may know, I am a painter, film maker, photographer, sculptor, designer, who also edits a magazine reviewing art, film and culture.

As a man, do you find it challenging to write female characters ?

Joshua Triliegi: To some extent, yes. That said, I have spent a good many years with women and have had very close relationships with the female gender, both personally and professionally, so on average, I would say that I am not a total buffoon. In They Call It City of Angels, Jordan's girlfriend Wanda and his mom both appeared and bloomed as fully realized characters that I really enjoyed writing for. Cliffs mother Dora is also a very strong female character that I am very proud to have created. Season two presented a special challenge with dialogue between characters that was new territory for me. I have written screenplays in the past, sometimes with collaborators, once with my brother and more recently with my nephew and in Angels, I found it, for the first time, very easy to imagine the conversations and action in a way that was totally new to my process. I would most likely credit that to my own relationships and possibly to the several recent years of interviewing and writing for the magazine in general.

When will we see another season of They Call It The City of Angels ?

We have set a tradition of it being the Summer Fiction Project at the Magazine and since August is a relatively slow month for advertising and cultural events, we will most likely see a Season Three in the summer of 2015. As you may know, I do not take any written notes at all prior to the day that I actually write the chapter, so the characters simply develop on a subconscious level and then during the one month or two week process, I pretty much do nothing at all, but ponder their existence, day to day. This can sometimes be nerve racking as I do plot things out in my head and sometimes even make extreme mental notes, though even then some ideas simply don't make it on the page. During Season Two, I omitted a section of a chapter and later revealed another chapter into a different sequence of events, but besides that it has been a rather straight ahead chapter a day experience that simply pushed me to invent, develop and complete the work of fiction that might have otherwise never existed or possibly taken much more time. I am curious to see how my next project will develop. 

What is your next project ?

Joshua Triliegi; I am working on a couple of things of historic importance. Though I can't say much about them. One is an actual event that I have been given permission to portray by the actual estate and I don't know yet if it will be an ' Inspired by ... ' type of Novel or if it will be creative Non Fiction. The other is a fiction piece I have been developing for sometime now.

" I have been writing consciously since I was fourteen, stories, journals, poetry, lyrics, screenplays, but as far as fiction goes, They Call It The City of Angels is probably my first successful project with a major readership and I am very thankful that it happened. Better late than never. "

After that I have a sort of family opus that is probably the most researched project I have ever undergone. I have been writing consciously since I was fourteen, stories, journals, poetry, lyrics, screenplays, but as far as fiction goes, They Call It The City of Angels is probably my first successful project with a major readership and I am very thankful that it happened. Better late than never.

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