THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 8, 1995 TAG: 9502080072
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: CRAIG SHAPIRO
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines
``IT'S A FREEDOM that would be hard for me to explain. It's a peace of mind that is almost beyond understanding.''
Billy Moore is talking about the life he's spent oystering on the James River, but that sentiment is at the very heart of ``Billy Moore: Chesapeake Bay Boatbuilder,'' a video finally on sale at The Mariners' Museum in Newport News.
Finally, because it was shot in 1979 as part of a project sponsored by the museum and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Moore, a fifth-generation waterman, built a 30-foot, wooden dead-rise oyster boat using the traditional ``rack of eye'' technique - envisioning the Mariner in his mind's eye and working without plans or drawings.
The story that follows is fascinating, as much for the process as a paean to an industry and way of life that have changed in the last 16 years. The movie won international awards in 1981 and 1982.
``We've been using it in education classes and people from as far away as Canada have called our gift shop expressing an interest in getting a copy,'' said Teresa Fremaux, the museum's media relations manager. ``The response has been tremendous.''
Moore, a lifetime etched in his face, is the ideal narrator. The project begins when he selects the tree that will be used for the keel. Assisted by his sons and two friends, and speaking in a way those of us who've never worked oyster tongs can understand, he takes viewers through each step.
The video leaves you with more than an appreciation for his craftmanship. Footage of Moore at work on the James makes you feel the commitment that being a waterman demands. These men, Moore says, cut costs by building their own boats and engines.
By the way, the Mariner is on display in the museum's small craft collection and Moore, Fremaux says, is fishing out of Deep Creek.
``Billy Moore: Chesapeake Bay Boatbuilder'' sells for $19.95. The Mariners' Museum is at 100 Museum Drive. Call 596-2222.
JUICED UP: Can't get enough of THE trial? ``California v. O.J. Simpson: The Opening Statements'' arrives this week from MPI Home Video. The two tapes run more than four hours each and cost $14.98 apiece.
TOP VIDEOS (in Billboard):
Sales: ``The Mask,'' ``Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,'' ``Speed,'' ``The Land Before Time II''
Rentals: ``The Client,'' ``True Lies,'' ``Blown Away,'' ``Maverick,'' ``When a Man Loves a Woman'' THE COUCH REPORT
``Color of Night'' (Hollywood, 1994). Is it that bad? It's worse. Take away Bruce Willis as the tortured shrink trying to solve the murder of a colleague, and this would be late-night fodder for Cinemax. The dialogue is a hoot, the score awful and the ending must be by IT&T. Adding footage to this ``director's cut'' only prolongs the agony. A friend nailed it: Maybe it's a joke and nobody's gotten it.
(CAST: Bruce Willis, Jane March, Ruben Blades. UNRATED, language, violence, nudity)
``Corrina, Corrina'' (New Line, 1994). A warm-hearted dramedy about a widowed jingle writer and the housekeeper who draws his daughter out of her shell then wins his heart. Ray Liotta takes the change of pace in stride. Whoopi Goldberg gives Corrina a down-to-earth appeal. The film reaches at times, but not too far. The 1950s setting and a swinging jazz soundtrack top it off.
(CAST: Whoopi Goldberg, Ray Liotta, Tina Majorino. RATED: PG for mild language)
``Rapa Nui'' (Warner, 1994). Kevin Reynolds (``Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves``) ventures where archaeology has failed - the mystery of Easter Island. What he comes up with is equal parts National Geographic, ``Romeo and Juliet,'' Woodsy Owl and ESPN 2. It's all a bit silly; as far as ambition goes, though, give cast and crew points for effort.
(CAST: Jason Scott Lee, Esai Morales, Sandrine Holt. RATED: R for violence, native nudity)
``Blankman'' (Columbia TriStar, 1994). Fans of ``In Living Color'' will connect right off with Damon Wayans as a powerless superhero out to clean up the city, a nebbish who gets by on good intentions. Everyone else? Take this spoof on its own terms. The gags and one-liners are often laugh-out-loud funny.
(CAST: Damon Wayans, David Alan Grier, Robin Givens. RATED: PG-13 for language, mild violence)
Also: ``The Slingshot,'' the acclaimed film from Sweden (R); ``Dennis Miller Live From Washington, D.C.'' (not rated); intrigue and/or conspiracy in ``The Enemy Within'' (not rated), ``Striking Point'' (R) and ``The Force'' (R), and JoBeth Williams and Brian Dennehy in the mystery ``Final Appeal'' (PG-13)
Tuesday: ``Natural Born Killers,'' ``The Next Karate Kid,'' ``A Good Man in Africa,'' ``Barcelona,'' ``In the Army Now,'' ``American Yakuza,'' ``Remote Control,'' ``Project: Shadowchaser 2''
Next Wednesday: ``The Scout,'' ``Revenge of the Nerds IV'' by CNB