Scott brings up one of the things that has been missing from Chick's obituaries---his role as an early instigator of Canyon Cinema. Both in exhibition (Bruce Baillie approached Chick about trying to screen films in Berkeley, outside the shadows of Canyon CA), and in making---Chick's basement became an ad hoc editing facility where films like To Parsifal were completed. I guess when you have such a varied career, not everything makes it into the final narrative. I had the pleasure of interviewing Chick on two occasions for a film I've been making, and was continually struck by his warmth and generosity. Even in the limited time I spent with him, he was, exactly as Scott says, unpretentious. And, best of all, the guy had a great memory! What surprised me most about his passing was discovering how old he was. He spoke and acted like someone twenty years younger. I wanted to share a clip from one of my interviews with him, a great little story about the CIA and Canyon. He always seemed to sparkle, especially when talking about those anarchic Canyon days. And it makes me sad he won't get to see the final film. https://vimeo.com/41729690
BestChristian From: sc...@financialcleansing.com To: frameworks@jonasmekasfilms.com Date: Mon, 7 May 2012 13:43:55 -0700 Subject: Re: [Frameworks] Fwd: Ernest Callenbach's last words to an America in decline Chick Callenbach was a wonderful editor, always a pleasure to work with, unpretentiously and engagingly intelligent. He was a crucial contributor to the development of Canyon Cinema, and he built FILM QUARTERLY into one of the premiere publications in the world of cinema studies. He was more widely known for his utopian writing, and ECOTOPIA in particular, but his influence on film history has been crucial. RIP, dear Chick.Scott -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [Frameworks] Fwd: Ernest Callenbach's last words to an America in decline From: Idiolect <idiol...@neoreal.org> Date: Mon, May 07, 2012 11:10 am To: Experimental Film Film Discussion List <frameworks@jonasmekasfilms.com> I received this from a friend. Many frameworkers will mourn his passing. Film Quarterly was one of the best journals under his leaderhship. -- For most of those on this list, Ernest "Chick" Callenbach's classic novel, ECOTOPIA needs no introduction. I'd known Callenbach since the 1960s through his magazine, Film Quarterly, and also as an acquantance in the Bay Area, where we ran into each other every so often for many years. I admired him and his work greatly, and have long been convinced that ECOTOPIA will find a second life as a blueprint for thought and action as we heave into increasingly uncertain times. It was only when Lou Judson sent me this article today that I learned that, sadly, "Chick" had passed away on April 16th. You can read his powerful, final essay, "Epistle to the Ecotopians," on Tom Englehardt's excellent TomDispatch website: http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175538/tomgram%3A_ernest_callenbach%2C_last_words_to_an_america_in_decline/#more =d= -- Sandy_______________________________________________ FrameWorks mailing list FrameWorks@jonasmekasfilms.com https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks _______________________________________________ FrameWorks mailing list FrameWorks@jonasmekasfilms.com https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks
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