"Amargosa" (*** 1/2 Stars) (Director Todd Robinson; U.S.).
The Silver Images Film Festival, founded in 1994 by Terra Nova
Films, has a specific goal in mind as it gathers films and videos for its annual
celebration: to focus on the too-often neglected issues -- both positive and negative --
that surround and affect the aging and the elderly. This goal is cinematically unique to
Silver Images, which is the only film festival of its kind in the U.S.
To achieve its mission of bringing these elucidating and
entertaining films to as large and diverse an audience as possible, especially
younger viewers with limited access to older adults, this year's festival, the
eighth annual, includes 40 venues, from colleges and cultural centers to health
facilities and senior centers.
The 8th Annual Silver Images Film Festival runs through May 11.
Admission is free to all screenings except for the Saturday screening of "Amargosa"
(review follows) at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of
Chicago, where tickets are $7, $3 for members. For information on how to get a festival
schedule, which features listings, summaries, times, dates and locations of the films,
call 773-881-6940 or visit online at www.terranova.org.
Unlike most festivals, Silver Images announces its prize-winners
in advance. Following are capsule reviews of the films and tapes deemed especially
worthy by the festival judges.
"Amargosa" ((star)(star)(star) 1/2 Stars) (Director Todd Robinson;
U.S.). Many films claim to be a celebration of the human spirit, but "Amargosa" is the
real deal. This beautifully photographed documentary traces the life and times of 74
year-old Marta Becket, a dancer/painter/musician who abandoned the art world of New
York in the 1960s to settle in the nether town of Death Valley Junction. There, she
renovated an old opera house and brought culture to the desert, even as she was carving
a new identity for herself. The narration, spoken by actress Mary McDonnell, is poetic,
the background music (much of it written by Becket herself) is stirring, and the message
couldn't be more touching or profound. Becket's saga epitomizes the eternal struggle of
the artist for personal expression. Visionary Award Winner. Best of the Fest. (8 p.m.
Saturday, Gene Siskel Film Center, Columbus Drive and Jackson Boulevard)
To read the full article click here
Return to Reviews
