Reel Hero (Cont.)

Zoe Strauss - Installation Artist/Photographer

Short Documentary by Ted Passon

Running Time is 5:38

Note: Watching This Video is time very well spent.

Hat-Tip: Philebrity.com

Reel Hero

Jonas Mekas scrambling to convert 70,000 rare indie flicks into digital at Anthology Film Archives

An Independent East Village cinema in New York City shows rare flicks that are blissfully stuck in the past - and in dire need of preservation for the future.

Mr. Mekas, the 85-year-old godfather of independent film who worked alongside Salvador Dali directing films, has assembled one of the largest collections of indie movies on the planet at his Anthology Film Archives.

But now his stock of 70,000 titles, including one-of-a-kind films and rare copies of the first moving pictures, needs to go digital, and fans of the archives are scrambling to ensure a chunk of history won't be lost.

"For me, it's a perfect example of why I've lived in the East Village for most of the last 30 years," said techno-artist Moby. "The first time I went to the Anthology Archives was to see a surrealist film fest in the mid-'80s, and I sort of fell in love with the uncomfortable seats and the people yelling at each other in between films."

Mr. Mekas, a Lithuanian Jew who survived the Holocaust, needs $200,000 to buy a digital transfer machine and pay an archivist to run it inside the archives at Second Ave. and E. Second St.

His goal is to put his entire film collection on the Internet, so the world is just a click away from watching 19th-century moving pictures created by Thomas Edison or Andy Warhol's experimental flick "Chelsea Girls."

"Films fade, crumble and stick very fast," Mr. Mekas said. "Film has limited life. Finally, we have technology that can produce copies like the original."

Supporters and fans of Mr. Mekas include Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth and Lola Schnabel, the 28-year-old daughter of wealthy New York painter Julian Schnabel.

Of note, musicians like Sonic Youth borrow films from the archives and play them during performances.

"Jonas Mekas is a grand master of American cinema, and we are all luckier for it," said Ranaldo explaining why Sonic Youth had recently played a free show to help support Mekas' dream of taking his archives into the digital age.

"All these films need to be saved. They can rot or collect mildew," added Ms. Schnabel.

Mr. Mekas, who has no plans to retire said he will fight for film until his final days. The passion, he said, stems from his struggle to stay alive as a slave laborer in Elmshorn, Germany, during the 1940's. A United Nations worker told him afterward to go to New York - and he never left.

"After the war, I was disappointed with humanity," Mr. Mekas said. "New York helped me put myself together. New York is my home. I am here. Rooted in the present."


-- Simone Weichselbaum

note: this article originally appeared in the The New York Daily News print edition (Sunday, May 16, 2010)

..........................................................................

2010 - 2011

The Lord Stanley's Cup
Resides in Philadelphia
Again, Forever.

Flyers Season Ends Against Blackhawks Two Wins Short.

Excellent Run Though.

..........................................................................

Free Books (*)

In No Particular Order:

In The Garden Of The North American Martyrs
by Tobias Wolff
published 1981
The Ecco Press


The Abortion Controversy
Edited by Charles P. Cozic & Jonathan Petrikin
(with Bruno Leone, Katie de Koster, Scott Barbour)
published 1995
Greenhaven Press, Inc.


The Central Asian States
by Cherese Cartlidge & Charles Clark
published 2001
Lucent Books, Inc.


The Creation of Israel
by Linda Jacobs Altman
published 1998
Lucent Books, Inc.


The Middle East For Dummies
by Craig S. Davis, PhD
(Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor)
published 2003
Wiley Publishing Inc.

(*) Sat. May 29th - given away by the Port Richmond Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia


More:

Book purchased for $1.00 @ thrift/clothing store on Girard Ave. (Thurs., May 27th)


The Ultimate Baseball Quiz Book
by Dom Forker
published 1988 (newly revised & updated edition)
Signet Books

FYI

The Fishtown Community Library Branch re-opened today after month or so closure to fix/replace AC units plus some interior work on the third floor.

Fridge/Freezer

Note: Frozen Lasagna pkg in fridge for photographic purposes only

Elsewhere At A Glance

'Topless' stir at Rehoboth

Rehoboth Beach in Delaware isn't a topless beach, but a few transgender individuals caused a stir by treating it like one.

Police say passers-by complained after the individuals, who have male genitalia but who have surgicaly enhanced breasts, removed their tops over Memorial Day weekend.

A lifeguard asked them to put their tops back on. They initially refused, but covered up before police arrived.

Even if they hadn't, though, Police Chief Keith Banks notes they were doing nothing illegal.

Since they have male genitalia, they can't be charged with indecent exposure for showing their breasts.


Philadelphia Daily News
Pg. 7 - Friday, June 4th