Join us for an evening of celebrating the documentary legacy of LES
BLANK during his birthday month of November. This year we’ll be hosting
the Portland debut of one of Les’ last films with Gina Leibrecht HOW TO
SMELL A ROSE: A VISIT WITH RICKY LEACOCK ON HIS FARM IN NORMANDY – and
reviving the classic Les Blank short film WERNER HERZOG EATS HIS SHOE. A
pot of jambalaya (one of Les’ favorite foods) will be on hand for
everyone to enjoy during the screening. Curated and hosted by Greg
Hamilton.
HOW TO SMELL A ROSE: A VISIT WITH RICKY LEACOCK ON HIS FARM IN NORMANDY – 64 minutes
In
the year 2000, Les Blank, along with co-filmmaker Gina Leibrecht,
visited Richard Leacock (1921-2011) at his farm in Normandy, France and
recorded conversations with him about his life, his work, and his other
passion: cooking! With the flair of a seasoned raconteur, Leacock
recounts key moments in his seventy years as a filmmaker and the
innovations that he, D.A. Pennebaker, Albert Maysles and others invented
that revolutionized documentary filmmaking, and explores the mystery of
creativity. With the passing of both Blank and Leacock, the documentary
is a moving insight into the lives of two seminal figures in the
history of film. Q&A with co-director GINA LEIBRECHT!
also screening…
WERNER HERZOG EATS HIS SHOE – 22 minutes
Short
documentary film directed by Les Blank in 1980 which depicts director
Werner Herzog living up to his promise that he would eat his shoe if
Errol Morris ever completed the film Gates of Heaven.