Documentary Fortnight at MOMA

With his dark brooding gaze, manic manner, and troll like looks, you would never guess the philosophical raconteur, monologist and talk-show regular Brother Theodore who died in 2001 at age 94 was such a ladies' man, but as friends say in a new film, “To My Great Chagrin,” premiering at MOMA's Documentary Fortnight, he always had two young babes by his side. Michael Jaglom, the star of several of his brother Henry's movies attested at last night's screening, “he was obsessed with sex;” one girlfriend was 50 years his junior, 50 years, Theodore would repeat, “just in case I didn't get it.” Dick Cavett recounted how he got one of his biggest laughs ever: Once on his show, Brother Theodore was carrying on, his rant building to a rage, Cavett mimicked how his arms flailed about. “Do you have any hobbies?” Cavett asked nonplussed. A German refugee, who played chess with Einstein as a young man, lost his fortune and family in the Holocaust, Brother Theodore, who called what he did "stand up tragedy," was a master of the understatement: “To be Brother Theodore is no bed of roses.”
Veteran documentarian Manfred Kirschheimer premiered his “Spraymasters,” a look at the subversive world of four graffiti artists. To a soundtrack of jazz and hip hop, Futura2000, Lee, Pink Lady, Zephyr talk about their vision, the dangers of stealing spray paint and breaking into yards, the commercialization with such brands as Nike. Who knew, observing the colorful panels on subway trains as they make their way over els and through tunnels, that this genre of American cartooning would have its stars and build international creds?
This may be the season for tracking the documentaries destined for the big awards, but here are fine examples of the current state of the art nonfiction films.

Regina Weinreich             

Graphic Design: Salpeter Ventura

Comments

[Jones]

Very impressive!
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