Rating the flicks at the Sarasota Film Festival: Next up — Michael Blackwood’s Christo and Jeanne-Claude

March 31st, 2009 by Cooper Levey-Baker in Arts, Editor's Desk, News, Sarasota-Manatee

Screened as part of the film festival’s retrospective of movies detailing the work of large-scale artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Michael Blackwood’s hour-long feature follows the couple and their work through the decades. It’s a different approach from the numerous other Christo-themed films being shown this week: Most are shorter, and deal only with one specific project from its initial stages to its completion.

As a really cohesive look at what makes Christo and Jeanne-Claude tick, I have to admit Blackwood’s movie falls a bit short. We get no narration, so the nuances of the couple’s development as artists is only touched on through interview footage with the artists, which leaves a bit to be desired.

But still, the collected footage of the couple’s massive outdoor pieces — cloth-wrapped bridges, curtains strung between mountains, islands surrounded by pink plastic — is magisterial, and gives you a real sense of awe.

Next screening: None. (Sorry, folks: This was a one-time-only showing.)


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