Below is a short piece that I had written for the Canyoncinemazine. It was
rejected for the Baillie but thought I would share it with you all.
Bruce Baillie and the Enchanted Kingdom
An excerpt from the unpublished
forthcoming book
Tales from the Canyon by Dominic Angerame
There are so many experiences shared with Bruce that it’s difficult to write
about only one. Bruce Baillie was in San Francisco where he had two screenings,
one at the San Francisco Cinematheque and another at the New Nothing Cinema.
On the very last visit Bruce came only to celebrate his birthday and visit
friends.
My friend Dennis Letbetter had a personal gallery called the Bonnafont Gallery
on Greenwich Street in North Beach just up the street from Saints Peter and
Paul Cathedral. Upstairs was a small quaint unique old style San Francisco
apartment rented by photo gallery owner Philippe Bonnafont who passed away from
aids in 1993. It was a very small two bedroom apartment with a kitchen and
small living room. The Bonnafont Gallery used to have a dirt floor with a wine
press in the back.
The Gallery was located in the back of an apartment building that contained a
small cul de sac. For a while I turned the Gallery into a film venue featuring
Surrealist films and Italian Neo Realist films and also my own work. In the
evening we would light up the alley way leading to the apartment with Christmas
lights. It was one of most serene places in North Beach centered in the middle
of what used to be an orange grove. Of course the grove no longer exists and
apartment buildings were subsequently constructed. The Bonnafont Gallery was a
place that seemed untouched by the never ending construction in the city.
Dennis had a beautiful garden outside the Gallery where many flowers
flourished. When Bruce arrived in the early evening with Lori and Bob we made
sure the lights were on. Bruce got out of the car that Linda Scobie was
driving and he was ready to walk up the apartment stairs. I remember his
luggage being heavy since he traveled with cans of food for the journey. Bruce
was redirected to the locked alley gate and I opened it up to this walkway of
Christmas lights. The look in his eyes I will never forget.
He thought that he had arrived at an enchanted kingdom and in a way he had.
The stairs to the apartment were steep and a large cactus stood at the front
door. I led Bruce into the apartment and he was astonished. He immediately
fell in love and sat in the rocking chair in disbelief.
Bruce stayed at the apartment for more than a week holding court for many
including Linda Scobie and Courtney Fellion. Bruce told me that these women
were his guardian angels and he felt that he was in heaven. Bruce also held
court with one of his first students, Michael Wallin former co-director of
Canyon Cinema. There was also Liz Keim of the San Francisco Exploratorium.
There were others whom I didn’t know or can’t remember.
I think that the experience of living in the apartment was his happiest time in
San Francisco.
Other times Bruce and Lori stayed twice in the artist apartment at the San
Francisco Art Institute. I had also arranged a motel for them down by
Fisherman’s Wharf.
During the daytime Bruce would go to Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. Linda
and I met him at mass one Sunday and we all took communion. After the mass we
went over to Washington Square Park where Bruce admired the Asian elders doing
Tai Chi. He would join them for a while and we would quietly sit admiring the
scene. We’d then would walk back to the enchanted kingdom away from the
traffic noise and bustle of San Francisco’s streets.
We had a picnic outside in the garden of the Bonnafont with Liz Keim, Jon
Shibata and Mona Nagi of the Pacific Film Archives, Linda Scobie, Courtney
Fellion, Michael Wallin, Lori Baillie, Bob Baillie and me. Potluck parties
were always a joy for Bruce and he seemed so happy to be in the courtyard with
all of us laughing, drinking wine and sharing stories. He loved his extended
family. After the lunch we retired and went into the Gallery where we
projected films onto a roll down screen that Dennis had installed.
Too soon it came time to leave. Bruce wanted to stay forever. Sadly we packed
him up. He sat on the porch deep in thought and said that he didn’t want to
leave the enchanted castle and land of Oz. The luggage was lighter since he
ate the food and left whatever was not eaten there at the apartment for the
next lodger. Bruce waived goodbye as I stood outside the locked gate that led
to the Gallery.
Many times Bruce talked about going back to that place that made him so happy.
I told him it was there whenever he wanted and I would make arrangements with
Dennis. He and his family would always be welcome.
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