‘Film: The Living Record of Our Memory.’ Not rated. Though a bit overlong and lacking a strong structure, this frequently fascinating documentary nevertheless shows how cultural ephemera can bring the past to life, in ways both instructional and inspirational. Looking well beyond Hollywood, Toharia considers how the politics and economics of other countries affect what gets kept. “The Living Record” covers the history of preservation, from the days when film studios routinely threw away prints to today, when they have too much faith in unstable digital elements. But this film is still a treat for true buffs, both because of the wealth of rare old footage Toharia includes and the comprehensive approach she takes to the technical concerns and cultural variations that make cinema archiving complicated. The sort of cinephile who would watch a documentary called “Film: The Living Record of Our Memory” is probably already familiar with - and friendly to - director Inés Toharia’s message about the importance of preserving old movies.
To commemorate next year’s 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival, we’re spending 12 months looking at the lives of 7 members of this year’s class. Movies The Independents: We’re following a year in the life of 7 Sundance filmmakers It’s a cautionary tale - not just for future sex symbols, for those who write about them. This is an in-depth film about a person many presumed had no depth at all. But neither does Macfarlane let the showbiz press off the hook for mocking Smith and feeding her insecurities, rather than appreciating her.
“You Don’t Know Me” doesn’t try to make the case that Smith was some great talent and Macfarlane doesn’t ignore the sketchiness of her marriage to a sickly old oil tycoon. But rather than nurturing a career as an actress, she quickly became the kind of celebrity who was famous just for being famous - which may have burned her out more quickly. Smith undeniably had a presence in front of the camera, using her curvy body and cooing voice to recall the heyday of Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield.
The film traces Smith’s rise from a rough Texas childhood to a thriving career as a model, and then ultimately to her years as a tabloid staple, infamous for her drug problems and her unconventional relationships. But according to the people who knew her best, the truth about Smith was more complicated.īecause Smith was all over television in the 1990s, Macfarlane can tell her story mostly via old interview footage and home movies, supplemented with new insights from Smith’s friends and colleagues. Smith was definitely one of those ladies - like Britney Spears and Pamela Anderson - who was ridiculed by comedians and gossip columnists for her flamboyant party girl lifestyle. Director Ursula Macfarlane’s biographical documentary “Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me” is another in the recent wave of “reputation rehab” docs in which women whose lives and careers were treated as punchlines a decade or two ago are given a more compassionate second look.
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