Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 17, 1993 TAG: 9302170177
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
DON'T DISMISS DOCUMENTARIES FOR ENTERTAINMENT
Documentaries are not dull.Well, all right, some of them are. But since everything eventually comes to home video, there's a rich and diverse lode of non-fiction material on cassette. Note these four new releases: biography, autobiography, musical history and travelogue.
Fans of Ross McElwee's "Sherman's March" should take a look at two of his earlier short films, "Charleen" and "Backyard," available on one tape.
"Charleen" is a 1978 portrait of Charleen Whisnant, who is so prominent in "Sherman's March." In that film, she's the mother figure who is trying to get McElwee married to the Mormon girl. She's also a well-known writer, poet and teacher in Charlotte, N.C. The cliche "larger-than-life" doesn't begin to describe her. She's the original "Designing Woman." Compared to her, the ones on the TV series fade into nothing.
She's funny, smart, bawdy, bursting with life and wonderfully melodramatic.
To make this film, it appears that McElwee followed her around for several weeks. His camera shows her teaching, preparing for a poetry "performance," arguing with her boyfriend, having troubles with her teen-age daughter, worrying about getting older, talking about her past with Ezra Pound and fretting over work and money.
McElwee's fans will recognize his no-frills, hand-held style immediately. He uses the same close-up camera and is more than willing to sacrifice the visual element of film if something interesting is being said. More important, he demonstrates the same dry, deadpan humor that brightens the sometimes slow action.
The same holds true for his 1976 film, "Backyard." Like "Sherman's March," it's autobiographical, about a homecoming as he revisits his home in Charlotte after a stay in the North. The main characters are his family, and, yes, that looks like the famous MG from "Sherman" in one shot near a garage.
Without Charleen Whisnant's commanding presence, "Backyard" probably will seem slow and pointless to viewers who aren't familiar with McElwee's other work. It does have something of a plot, and again, that understated McElwee humor. The conclusion is surprisingly strong and touching.
Dedicated big-band listeners already may be familiar with the facts in "Glenn Miller: America's Musical Hero." For everyone else, this PBS production is an informative, if short, introduction and overview of the various Miller bands from the 1930s and '40s.
The band members who talk about Miller are complimentary but candid about the man. He seems not to have been particularly warm or outgoing beyond a close circle of family and friends. Doubtless he wouldn't have made it as the leader of a big band if he had been. The job demanded as much business and managerial sense as musical talent.
According to this film, the band caught on after a famous engagement and radio broadcast from the Glen Island Casino, "Mecca of music for moderns," as the announcer called it. At the height of its popularity, Miller committed his band to an incredible 140 performances in two weeks.
Director and co-producer Don McGlynn made good use of Miller's appearances in two films, "Sun Valley Serenade" and "Orchestra Wives." The band performed unusually elaborate arrangements of some of their biggest hits in those movies. There's also fascinating footage of propaganda broadcasts that Miller made from London during his service in the Army Air Corps.
The raw details of Miller's story aren't much different from many musical successes - the work, the sudden fame, the career cut short by an untimely and still unexplained accident - but two things set this one apart. First, the music is as enjoyable and refreshing now as it's ever been, and second, Miller seems not to have let the success go to his head. It may be overstating the case to call him "America's Musical Hero," but why not?
Finally, armchair travelers who have been enjoying Michael Palin's delightful "Pole to Pole" will be able to catch lost episodes March 17 when the four-volume series arrives on videotape. And those who aren't getting cable television and the Arts and Entertainment Network can discover what they've been missing.
On paper, Palin's journey was simplicity itself. He set off to go from the North Pole to the South Pole staying as close as he could to the 30 Degrees East line of longitude. That route took him through the Scandinavian countries, Russia, Turkey, along the Nile and through Africa to Antarctica. The reality was much more complicated.
Though Palin doesn't try to restrain his sense of humor, this trip won't remind you of his days with Monty Python. He went through some grim, troubled places. He got out of Russia two days before the coup against Gorbachev, and at one point in Africa he had to travel with armed guards. The wit is often aimed at himself, and his wry sensibility appears to have made people comfortable around him. Even in the tense moments, there's a relaxed feeling to the show that makes it thoroughly watchable.
New release
A League of Their Own: **1/2
Stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks and Madonna. Directed by Penny Marshall. (Columbia Tristar) 120 min. Rated PG for language.
Set against the women's baseball teams formed when men of the sport departed for World War II, this movie imparts a love for the grand old game. \ What the ratings mean:
**** Memorable. One of the best of its kind; maybe worth owning.
*** Outstanding. An excellent video, worth searching out.
** Average. You've seen better, you've seen worse, but if it sounds interesting . . .
* Poor. This is why your VCR has a fast-forward button.
A waste of time and an insult to your intelligence. More a warning than a rating.
Note: Star ratings are not available for reviews from wire services.
THE ESSENTIALS: Charleen and Backyard: *** First Run Features. 95 min. Unrated, contains some scenes of surgery.\ \ Glenn Miller: America's Musical Hero: *** BMG Video. 60 min. Unrated, contains\ no objectionable material.\ \ Pole to Pole: ***1/2 A&E. 400 min. Unrated, contains no objectionable material.