Address:
925 Camp St., New Orleans
Zip Code:
70130
Web Site:
www.ogdenmuseum.org
The Art of Southern Film: Established Masters & Emerging Makers presents: A Well-Spent…
Address:
925 Camp St., New Orleans
Zip Code:
70130
Web Site:
www.ogdenmuseum.org
The Art of Southern Film: Established Masters & Emerging Makers presents: A Well-Spent Life: An Evening with Les Blank, on Sat. March 20, 7 p.m.-10 p.m.
Ogden Museum of Southern Art, 925 Camp St.
This one-night only event is a tribute to Tampa-born, Tulane University graduate Les Blank: ethnographer, documentarian, naturalist, storyteller, a chronicler of custom, gesture, tradition, ritual, song and dance. Fiercely prolific and steadfastly independent, Blank (b.1935) has made more than 40 vibrant, poetic, lyrical and loopy films in as many years and collaborated with cultural icons�Werner Herzog, Ry Cooder, Clifton Chenier, Alice Waters�and unheralded, unknown heroes.
His films on and about the characters and customs of the American South are true, unadulterated experiences, both sacred and profane. For Blank, �I do what I do. I just film. I stick things together in a way I think they should be put to make a picture of what it was I saw.�
For this program, in collaboration with the filmmaker, the Museum has selected four works, rarely screened, that tell stories about various people and places in Texas, Louisiana, Appalachia, and Alabama:
Del Mero Corazon (1979, 29 minutes)
Shot during the making of Blank�s 1976 classic Chulas Fronteras (selected for preservation by the Library of Congress National Registry), Del Mero Corazon is a lyrical journey through the heart of Chicano culture as reflected in the love songs of the Tex-Mex Norte�a music tradition. Featuring Little Joe and the Familia.
Dry Wood (1973, 37 minutes)
A fascinating look at black Creole life in French Louisiana, held together by the wild, insistent music of Bois-Sec Ardoin and Canray Fontenot. Image shown here.
Sprout Wings and Fly (1983, 30 minutes)
This touching tribute to Appalachian culture profiles legendary, old-time fiddler Tommy Jarrell. His unpretentious folk wisdom is interlaced with family scenes and reminiscences, plus plenty of old-time music.
A Well-Spent Life (1971, 44 minutes). Kurt Vonnegut Jr.�s favorite film. Many people consider Texas bluesman Mance Lipscomb to be the greatest blues guitarist and songster of all time. This glowing portrait of the legendary musician (also life-long husband and sharecropper) is among Blank’s special masterworks. Instead of growing bitter, tough times made Lipscomb sweet.
Blank will also preview an excerpt of an untitled film on the life and work of self-taught artist Butch Anthony, of Seale, Ala. Blank’s camera follows Anthony to various folk art festivals around the South, and visits the friends and artists who inspired him to create art. He also observes Anthony’s life in Alabama’s rural landscape. From raccoon hunting to calling up alligators and digging up fossils, Butch Anthony shows us a South not known to many.
About the Ogden Museum of Southern Art�s Art of Southern Film: Established Masters and Emerging Makers: This series showcases established and emerging auteurs whose films and video present unique visions and versions of the people and places, memories and histories, of the American South. Quarterly events include discussions with filmmakers and collaborators, as well as the temporary exhibition of relevant artwork. The series is supported by a grant from the Louisiana State Arts Council through the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional support provided by the W Hotel and Full Motion Productions. Series Producer and Ogden Museum Curator of Film: Madeleine Molyneaux.
For information, 504.539.9616.