"Wild Blue Yonder" is one of the most fascinating films I've seen recently, and not necessarily because it's one of the best-crafted. No, while her uncle Albert and father David had the sort of skill necessary to craft a film which really could be called perfect, Celia Maysles might even be considered a clumsy film-maker by some; she certainly lacks the instinctive ability to carefully frame shots and use simple things like zooms and close-ups to her advantage which her uncle and father definitely had, and "Wild Blue Yonder" really could have been shot by just about anyone with a medium-range video camera.
That's why it's even more striking that "Wild Blue Yonder" is one of the most fascinating debut films I've seen recently. It really is a film where the sheer passion it was made with (in addition to some excellent editing) overcome the lack of polish and general lack of visual flair the film suffers from. The film seems to have begun as an exploration of David Maysles and developed into an autobiographical exploration of Celia herself, who makes an excellent subject. Early in the film Celia says she doesn't know exactly why she's making the film, but by the end of the film this is no longer a mystery, and that's another reason this film is so amazing- not only is it one of the most deeply personal and passionate documentaries I've seen, it is also a chronicle of not only a film-maker's growth and development, but of the film's as well.
"Wild Blue Yonder" completely lacks an audience or any sort of commercial prospects (a DVD release might even take a while), but it is a promising, deeply personal debut from an interesting young talent. I just wonder if Celia will ever find any subjects as interesting as herself or her father.
8.5/10
That's why it's even more striking that "Wild Blue Yonder" is one of the most fascinating debut films I've seen recently. It really is a film where the sheer passion it was made with (in addition to some excellent editing) overcome the lack of polish and general lack of visual flair the film suffers from. The film seems to have begun as an exploration of David Maysles and developed into an autobiographical exploration of Celia herself, who makes an excellent subject. Early in the film Celia says she doesn't know exactly why she's making the film, but by the end of the film this is no longer a mystery, and that's another reason this film is so amazing- not only is it one of the most deeply personal and passionate documentaries I've seen, it is also a chronicle of not only a film-maker's growth and development, but of the film's as well.
"Wild Blue Yonder" completely lacks an audience or any sort of commercial prospects (a DVD release might even take a while), but it is a promising, deeply personal debut from an interesting young talent. I just wonder if Celia will ever find any subjects as interesting as herself or her father.
8.5/10
