Ross McElwee is a nonfiction filmmaker with a playful sense of humor and a love of storytelling. He has been making documentaries for nearly thirty years, and this spunky and endearing DVD collection brings them all together for our viewing pleasure.
"Sherman's March" was recently chosen for preservation by the Library of Congress National Film Registry as a "historically significant American motion picture." To see it again is to savor its rich thematic textures as a portrait of the South, a wry look at the ironies of history, and a personal jaunt on dating.
In "Bright Leaves," McElwee offers a smart, ethically rich, innovative, and well-done documentary about the tobacco industry, family legacies, and the pleasures of filmmaking.
"Charleen" is a tribute to his favorite high school teacher who has become a friend and mentor. She loves music, poetry, and teaching.
"Backyard" takes a look at McElwee's doctor father, surgeon brother, and life in a Southern town.
"Time Indefinite" comes across as a sequel to "Sherman's March" as the filmmaker stuns his family at a gathering in South Carolina with the news that he intends to marry a Jewish woman from Boston. Here McElwee touches our lives with many poignant anecdotes that reveal the way we live.
In "Six O' Clock News," the filmmaker plays with the ways in which he responds to the calamities reported on TV broadcasts.
In addition to these six films, this collection also includes two interviews with Ross McElwee, follow-ups with characters in "Bright Leaves," music tracks, outtakes with commentary by the director, film notes and a photo gallery.
