Open Letter, about Mormon Cinema, to the University of Chicago Chronicle
Thursday, 15. November 2007, 22:30:00
Josh Schonwald, Frank Bednarz, and Doc Films:
It's wonderful to see that Doc Films at the University of Chicago recently presented a Mormon Film Retrospective. However, the University of Chicago Chronicle's article about that program contains some inaccuracies. Specifically, Frank Bednarz, who programmed your series, misdescribes the Pioneer Theater in New York City's 2005 Mormonsploitation! program.
Frank Bednarz is quoted as saying: "They failed to show any examples of modern Mormon cinema and instead concentrated on old, silent anti-Mormon films. I thought this was an enormous omission."
That is plain wrong. Mormonsploitation's centerpiece was TRAPPED BY THE MORMONS (2005), a remake / reworking / riff on / satire of the 1922 title of the same name, which the Pioneer also screened. Ian Allen, who grew up LDS, directed the 2005 version, which is about Mormon culture and perceptions thereof. That film definitely qualifies as Modern Mormon Cinema.
The Pioneer also included PELUCA (2003), directed by modern LDS filmmaker Jared Hess, and two films about the New York Dolls, whose bassist converted to Mormonism. These are less definitively, "purely" Mormon films. But a case can be made for them as modern Mormon films.
WAGON MASTER (1950) and PRIMER (2004) also screened. Neither is a silent anti-Mormon film. Some might say that PRIMER isn't even a Mormon film. But the Pioneer included the title because it's about guys in shirt and tie wandering around the desert West, with some unusual ideas about the future. So that resonance was enough, especially for a program obviously intended as tongue-in-cheek, and certainly not as definitive. A print of PRIMER also was easily accessible, so that helped, too. Finally, the Pioneer intended to show a number of LDS church produced shorts, under the title "The Mormon Church Explains It All to You." That program did not take place as planned, because of a New York City transit strike. However, the program did run a few months later.
In Mormonsploitation!, the Pioneer did not show any films directed by Richard Dutcher, or A BOOK OR MORMON, or any of the other titles Doc Films recently showed - except A MORMON MAID, another silent from 1917, which both institutions screened. But that doesn't mean the Pioneer didn't show any Modern Mormon Cinema.
Thank you very much for your attention. I hope Doc Films and other venues present many more Mormon cinema programs.
Sincerely,
Ray Privett
Programmer
Pioneer Theater
New York, New York
Post Script - Reply received:
Dear Ray:
Thanks very much for reading and contacting the U of Chicago Chronicle,
with detailed info about the Pioneer Theater's Mormonsploitation program.
IWe [stet] have made a change to the quote, which was recently updated. Please
take a look at the revision when you have chance.
Thanks again for letting us know about this. We greatly appreciate your
feedback.
Josh
It's wonderful to see that Doc Films at the University of Chicago recently presented a Mormon Film Retrospective. However, the University of Chicago Chronicle's article about that program contains some inaccuracies. Specifically, Frank Bednarz, who programmed your series, misdescribes the Pioneer Theater in New York City's 2005 Mormonsploitation! program.
Frank Bednarz is quoted as saying: "They failed to show any examples of modern Mormon cinema and instead concentrated on old, silent anti-Mormon films. I thought this was an enormous omission."
That is plain wrong. Mormonsploitation's centerpiece was TRAPPED BY THE MORMONS (2005), a remake / reworking / riff on / satire of the 1922 title of the same name, which the Pioneer also screened. Ian Allen, who grew up LDS, directed the 2005 version, which is about Mormon culture and perceptions thereof. That film definitely qualifies as Modern Mormon Cinema.
The Pioneer also included PELUCA (2003), directed by modern LDS filmmaker Jared Hess, and two films about the New York Dolls, whose bassist converted to Mormonism. These are less definitively, "purely" Mormon films. But a case can be made for them as modern Mormon films.
WAGON MASTER (1950) and PRIMER (2004) also screened. Neither is a silent anti-Mormon film. Some might say that PRIMER isn't even a Mormon film. But the Pioneer included the title because it's about guys in shirt and tie wandering around the desert West, with some unusual ideas about the future. So that resonance was enough, especially for a program obviously intended as tongue-in-cheek, and certainly not as definitive. A print of PRIMER also was easily accessible, so that helped, too. Finally, the Pioneer intended to show a number of LDS church produced shorts, under the title "The Mormon Church Explains It All to You." That program did not take place as planned, because of a New York City transit strike. However, the program did run a few months later.
In Mormonsploitation!, the Pioneer did not show any films directed by Richard Dutcher, or A BOOK OR MORMON, or any of the other titles Doc Films recently showed - except A MORMON MAID, another silent from 1917, which both institutions screened. But that doesn't mean the Pioneer didn't show any Modern Mormon Cinema.
Thank you very much for your attention. I hope Doc Films and other venues present many more Mormon cinema programs.
Sincerely,
Ray Privett
Programmer
Pioneer Theater
New York, New York
Post Script - Reply received:
Dear Ray:
Thanks very much for reading and contacting the U of Chicago Chronicle,
with detailed info about the Pioneer Theater's Mormonsploitation program.
IWe [stet] have made a change to the quote, which was recently updated. Please
take a look at the revision when you have chance.
Thanks again for letting us know about this. We greatly appreciate your
feedback.
Josh
WIDGETIZE