Written by Earl Ali-Randall
When I first walked into the theatre, I noticed there were more older people in the audience than younger ones, and the majority of them were Caucasian. We [IFAI] fellows were the only African American people there. I think that the location where the show was held, Fairfield, Connecticut, had a lot to do with this issue.
There were many empty seats. I felt very uncomfortable sitting there for such a long time; the aisles were too tight. I also thought the 15-minute intermission was too long. I noticed the audience laughed at some elements in the show that to me, were not that funny.
The stage lighting seemed weird to me, especially the dimmed spotlight on the band, which I thought would be more suitable for other types of performing arts pieces, like dance or theatre. The string quintet was comprised of a lead guitar, two rhythm guitars, a string bass and violin. Throughout the show, the musicians paused while the lead guitarist discussed what each film was about. I thought this was very helpful for people who were not familiar with the group’s work.
Each of the films seemed to be at least15 to 20 minutes long – so long, that I reached a point when I wanted to leave. I found the third film to be especially uninteresting. I think the first two were fun, and the last one seemed like a calm way to end the evening. In my opinion, each musical piece performed went along with the story of the film. For example, the music in the last film was softer and calmer than the previous ones shown; it helped set the tone.
In class, we discussed how the costumes the actors wore in the films reflected the personalities and/or circumstances of the characters. For example, in the last film, The Land Beyond the Sunset, the little boy’s clothes were dirty and torn. He seemed to always be alone and vulnerable. In the films with Charles Bowers, he was wearing baggy pants, and this signified his clownish behavior, telling us that this was a character not to be taken too seriously.