The incredibly true adventures of two 26-year-old women on the road in search of the American dream, "Anthem" is surprisingly worthwhile. This documentary film falls into the same category as Robert Downey Jr.'s "The Last Party" and, although it does not chronicle a particular political or cultural event, the Zeitgeist Films release (playing for one week at the Nuart Theatre in West Los Angeles) reveals the personalities of its makers as it explores the country they range over during one summer.
"Anthem" is the work of Shainee Gabel and Kristin Hahn, who are generally fearless in pursuing famous interview subjects and capable of handling an ever-changing agenda. Gabel was director of programming for the Independent Feature Project/ West and the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, while Hahn has a background in theater and co-founded a Production Company dedicated to socially conscious projects.
Armed with video cameras, Gabel and Hahn "crave the unpublicized" but seek out many public figures -- starting with George Stephanopoulos, who they chat with at the White House. This scene charmingly sets the tone as the filmmakers whisper to each other excitedly when President Clinton interrupts their meeting and is overheard but unseen.
Other memorable encounters include a rare glimpse of the home life of journalist Hunter S. Thompson and conventionally filmed but illuminating interviews with the likes of John Waters, Studs Terkel, Chuck D, Robert Redford and George McGovern. Aside from an early visit with the Christian Coalition's Dr. Ralph Reed, the vast majority of subjects are liberal-minded, and there's shockingly few noteworthy women.
Gabel and Hahn make it clear, however, that their creation is a "time capsule" and not meant to reach profound conclusions or dwell on negative aspects of the current era. Instead, it's to concentrate on approachable people and what they have on their minds. As such, "Anthem" offers several remarkable and thought-provoking moments, particularly when the filmmakers stop to talk with such common folk as an Iowa waitress and a Pennsylvania gas station attendant.
One wonders about those subjects referred to and seen in a montage near the end who did not make it into the final film, but overall, "Anthem" is a rousing success. With contemporary music on the soundtrack and a self-deprecatingly spunky narration, this is a documentary that could easily have been overly self-indulgent or fashionably irreverent but instead appeals to one's intelligence and provides glimpses of a dynamic country cruising peacefully toward the millennium.
ANTHEM
Zeitgeist Films
An Anthem production
Writers-producers-directors Shainee Gabel,
Kristin Hahn
Executive producer Jo Ann Fagan
Associate producers Edet Belzberg,
Andrea Buchanan
Cinematographer Bill Brown
Editor Lucas Platt
Color/stereo
Running time -- 127 minutes
No MPAA rating...
"Anthem" is the work of Shainee Gabel and Kristin Hahn, who are generally fearless in pursuing famous interview subjects and capable of handling an ever-changing agenda. Gabel was director of programming for the Independent Feature Project/ West and the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, while Hahn has a background in theater and co-founded a Production Company dedicated to socially conscious projects.
Armed with video cameras, Gabel and Hahn "crave the unpublicized" but seek out many public figures -- starting with George Stephanopoulos, who they chat with at the White House. This scene charmingly sets the tone as the filmmakers whisper to each other excitedly when President Clinton interrupts their meeting and is overheard but unseen.
Other memorable encounters include a rare glimpse of the home life of journalist Hunter S. Thompson and conventionally filmed but illuminating interviews with the likes of John Waters, Studs Terkel, Chuck D, Robert Redford and George McGovern. Aside from an early visit with the Christian Coalition's Dr. Ralph Reed, the vast majority of subjects are liberal-minded, and there's shockingly few noteworthy women.
Gabel and Hahn make it clear, however, that their creation is a "time capsule" and not meant to reach profound conclusions or dwell on negative aspects of the current era. Instead, it's to concentrate on approachable people and what they have on their minds. As such, "Anthem" offers several remarkable and thought-provoking moments, particularly when the filmmakers stop to talk with such common folk as an Iowa waitress and a Pennsylvania gas station attendant.
One wonders about those subjects referred to and seen in a montage near the end who did not make it into the final film, but overall, "Anthem" is a rousing success. With contemporary music on the soundtrack and a self-deprecatingly spunky narration, this is a documentary that could easily have been overly self-indulgent or fashionably irreverent but instead appeals to one's intelligence and provides glimpses of a dynamic country cruising peacefully toward the millennium.
ANTHEM
Zeitgeist Films
An Anthem production
Writers-producers-directors Shainee Gabel,
Kristin Hahn
Executive producer Jo Ann Fagan
Associate producers Edet Belzberg,
Andrea Buchanan
Cinematographer Bill Brown
Editor Lucas Platt
Color/stereo
Running time -- 127 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 7/28/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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