Film reviews

Beirut: The Last Home Movie Produced and directed by Jennifer Fox; Camera: Alex Nepomniaschy; Sound: Jeff Brown; Editor: John Mullen; Written by Jennifer Fox and John Mullen. Distributed by Circle Releasing Corporation, 2445 M. Street, NW, Suite 225, Washington, DC 20037, USA. Telephone 202–331–3838. 1987, 120 minutes, color, 16 mm, ½” video.

Martin Chambi and the Heirs of the Incas Produced by BBC‐TV in association with Berwich Universal Films; Andy Harris and Paul Yule, directors; Jorge Vignati, camera; Christopher Swayne and Jake Auerbach, editors; production in Peru, Ester Ventura. 1986, 16mm and video, color, 50 minutes, English and Spanish narration with English subtitles. Distributed by Cinema Guild, 1697 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, tele. 212–246–5522. Price: 16mm purchase $795, rental $85; video purchase $495, rental $85.

Family Gathering Producers: Lise Yasui and Ann Tegnell; Director: Lise Yasui; Camera: Robert Yasui, Ray T. Yasui, Lise Yasui, Michael Bailey, and Gerard Hooper; Sound; Patricia Romeu, Ann Tegnell, and Daw‐Ming Lee; Editor: Ann Tegnell; Music: Sumi Tonooka; Performed by Sumi Tonooka and Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin. 30 minutes, color, 16 mm, ½, ¾” video. Price: Sale: $450 (film); $325 (video); Rental: $60 per day/show (film); $50 per day/show (video). Distributor: New Day Films, 853 Broadway, Suite 1210, New York, NY 10003, USA, 212–477–4604.     

Walker Evans: Florida

Six Views of a Greek Village Everyday is not a Feast Day (1980, color, 110 minutes; video sale, $150) Thread of the Needle (1982, color, 22 minutes; video sale, $50) Let's Get Married! (1985, color, 35 minutes; video sale, $60) My Family and Me (1986, color, 65 minutes; video sale, $100) A Hard Life (1988, color, 55 minutes; video sale, $90) Charcoal‐Makers (1990, color, 30 minutes; video sale, $55) Filmmaker‐anthropologist: Colette Piault. All films available in 16mm, 1/2‐in. video. Distributed by Les Films du Quotidien, 5 rue des Saints‐Pères, 75006 Paris, France. Tel: 1–42 60 25 76; fax: 1–42 61 67 92); or Dr. Peter Allen, 98 Transit Street, Providence, R.I. 02906 (Tel: 401/274–2397; fax: 401/456–8379).

The Nehru Dynasty Life and Death of a Dynasty Produced by Anne and Robert Drew; narrated by Cliff Robertson. 1991, 90 minutes, color and black‐and‐white, 1/2” videotape, narration in English. Distributor: Direct Cinema Limited, P.O. Box 10003, Santa Monica, CA, 90410. Tel: (800)525–0000; Fax: (313)396–3233. Institutional sale, $195.00; rental $85.00.     

Tracking Decorated Ostrich Eggshells in the Kalahari

Two ethnomusicological films

Dor‐Low Is Better

Produced by Centre for Visual Anthropology, University of Amsterdam; Robert Boonzajer, director; Maarten Rens, camera and sound. 1989, 46 minutes, color, ¾”, PAL video, English and Ladakhi. Rental: 65 Gld.; sale: 175 Gld. Distributor: Centre for Visual Anthropology, University of Amsterdam, Oudezijds Achterburgwal 185, Amsterdam 1012 DK, Netherlands, tel: (020)525–2626.

Polka: Roots of Mexican Accordion Playing in South Texas and North Mexico Produced by Centre for Visual Anthropology, University of Amsterdam; Robert Boonzajer, director; Maarten Rens, camera and sound. 1985, 50 minutes, color, ¾”, PAL video, English, Spanish and German; English subtitles. Rental: 65 Gld.; sale: 175 Gld. Distributor: Centre for Visual Anthropology, as above.     

Anceaux's Glasses

The Kayapó (Disappearing World Series) Producer: Michael Beckham; Director: Michael Beckham; Camera: Michael Blakeley; Sound: David Woods; Editor: Paul Griffiths‐Davies; Consultant Anthropologist: Terence Turner; Distributor: Enquiries to Granada Television International, 1221 6th Avenue, Suite 3468, New York, NY 10020 USA, (212) 809–8480. 1987, 52 min., color. Original: 16mm, only available for distribution on video. Language: Original Kayapo, Narration English, Subtitles English.

Independent Films and Videos from Latin America: Producers’ Obstacles, National Diversity, and the Cultural Woes of Their Foreign Audiences Review of Democracy in Communication: Popular Film and Video in Latin America. A catalogue compilation of various videotapes. 1988, color. Original language: Spanish, English subtitles. Distributed by: Karen Ranucci, 124 Washington Place, New York, NY, tele. 212–463–9198.     

Body in the Dark

The Dancer and the Dance

Producer: National Film and Television School, and Royal Anthropological Institute; Director: Felicia Hughes‐Freeland; Camera: Amy Hardy; Sound and Editing: Felicia Hughes‐Freeland. Distributed by the Royal Anthropological Institute, 50 Fitzroy Street, London W1P 5HS, U.K. Tel: (071) 387–0455; fax (071) 383–4235. 1988, color, 44 minutes, 16mm, 1/2 inch, NTSC, PAL. Rental £27.00 for 16mm, £12.00 for video in U.K. only; for rental elsewhere, and sale prices, enquire of the R.A.I. Film Officer.

Reclaiming the Forest

Producer: National Film and Television School, and Royal Anthropological Institute; Director: Paul Henley; Camera and Editing: Paul Henley; Sound: Georges Brion. 1986–1987, 57 or 39 minutes, color. Distributed by the Royal Anthropological Institute, 50 Fitzroy Street, London W1P 5HS, U.K. Tel: (071) 387–0455; fax: (071) 383–4235. Longer version: sale, £1,210.00; rental, £20.00: 16mm only. Shorter version: sale, £35.00 (PAL) or £52.00 (NTSC), rental £12.00 (PAL), video only. Postage and VAT extra.     

A Semiotic Analysis of The Great Dance -- A Hunter's Story in Relation to Media Representation of the San

The Great Dance -- A Hunter's Story . Produced by Earthrise Productions, 2000. Craig Foster and Damon Foster, directors. VHS/PAL or NTSC, color, 75 mins. English and Italian versions available. Distributor: Off the Fence, Nieuwe Herengracht 31, 1011 RM Amsterdam, Netherands Sale and rental details at http://www.senseafrica.com/greatdance/sales/sales.html     

BOOK REVIEW

Xingú: Body and soul Body and Soul (O Corpo e os Espímtos). Directed by Mari Corréa; camera, Dado Aguiar; sound, Myaú Kayabi. 1996; 54 mins., color. Portuguese narration; English subtitles. Distributor: Les Films du village, 24–26 rue des Prairies, 75020, Paris, France.

Emancipation Efforts of African Women: Two Activist Films I Have a Problem, Madam. Directed by Maarten Schmidt and Thomas Doebele. 1995, 59 minutes, VHS, color. Distributed by First Run/Icarus Films, 153 Waverly Place, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10014. Tel: (212) 727–1711. Video rental $75, video sale $390.

These Girls are Missing: The Gender Gap in African Schools. Directed by Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini. 1996, 60 minutes, VHS, color. Distributed by Filmmakers Library, 124 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016. Tel: (212) 808–4980. Fax: (212) 808–4983. Video rental $75, video sale $295.

Bury Me Twice Bury Me Twice—Tiwah: A Ngaju Dayak Death Ritual. Directed by Hanno Kampfmeyer and Sri Kuhnt Saptodewo; produced by Beate Engelbrecht for Institut für den Wissenschaftlichen Film, 1993; 120 mins., color; subtitles in German or English; narration in English. Distributed by IWF, Nonnenstieg 72, D‐37075 Göttingen, Germany; sale prices: 16 mm., DM 4960.80; VHS‐NTSC or VHS‐PAL, US $360.00.     

Reviews

The Family Album. A film by Alan Berliner. 16mm, 55min, b/w. Distributed by Filmmakers Library, Inc.

Beyond Words—Images from America's Concentration Camps. By Deborah Gesensway and Mindy Roseman. 1987, 176 pages, illustrated. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Price: cloth $24.95.

The Lau (Granada Television “Disappearing World” Series). A film by Leslie Woodhead, producer‐director; Jon Woods, camera; Ray French, sound; Kimball Horton, editor; David Wasson, researcher; and Pierre Maranda, anthropological consultant. 1987, video, color, 52 minutes. Dialogues: Lau. Subtitles: English. Narration: English. Distributed by Granada TV International, Suite 3468, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, tele. 212–242–2363. Price: on application.

Men's Lives: The Surfmen and Baymen of the South Fork. By Peter Matthiessen. 1986, New York: Random House. Price: hardcover $29.95; softcover $7.95 (Vintage Press); limited edition $200 (University of Washington Press, Seattle).

In Her Own Time. A film by Lynne Littman with Barbara Myerhoff. 1986, 16mm, color, 60 minutes. Distributed by Direct Cinema, Ltd., P.O. Box 69589, Los Angeles, CA 90060, tele. 213–652–8000. Price: 16mm—purchase $895, rental $100; video—purchase $350, rental $50 (prices quoted are for educational institutions only).

The Miracle of Intervale Avenue. A film by Irving Rappaport, producer; Ken Howard, director; and Jack Kugelmaas, associate producer. 1983, 16mm, color, 65 minutes. Catalog #430. Distributed by Ergo Media, Inc., P.O. Box 2037, Teaneck, NJ 07666, tele. 201–692–0404.

Some Babies Die. A film by Martyn Landon Down. Australia, 16mm, color, 54 minutes. Distributed by The University of California Extension Media Center, 2176 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704, tele. 415–642–1340. Price: 16mm—purchase $850, rental $60; video—purchase $450, rental $60.

El Sebou’: The Egyptian Birth Ritual. A film by Fadwa El Guindi; produced by El Nil Research Project; co‐sponsored by the Office of Folklife, Smithsonian Institution. 1986, 16mm, color, 27 minutes. Distributed by El Nil Research Project, 1157 Beverwil Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90035, tele. 213–553–5645. Price: 16mm—purchase $570, rental $70; video—purchase $370. Screenings: Society for Visual Anthropology (1987 Award for Excellence); 1987 Margaret Mead Film Festival; Royal Anthropological Institute (1988 Commendation).

The Making of El Sebou‘

Classified People. Yolande Zauberman, director; produced by OBSESSION/INA/CNC/ FR3‐TOULOUSE; Dewald Aukema, camera; Tony Bensusan, sound; Jean‐François Naudon, editor. 1987, 16mm, color, 53 minutes. Distributed by TELEMONDIS, 15, rue Mesnil, 75016, Paris, tele. 47–27–03–84, telex: 649 078 TELMOND. In U.S., distributed by Filmmaker's Library, 124 E. 40th Street, New York, NY 10016, tele. 212–355–6545. Price: 16mm—rental only $150; video (½″ or ¾″)—purchase $75, rental $75. Screenings: Festival of Women's Films at Créteil (Prix de Jury); Festival of Young Directors at Belfort (Prix de Publique); Bilan du Film Ethnographique 1988 (Prix Nanook/Grand Prix); 1988 Cinéma du Réel; 1987 Margaret Mead Film Festival; U.S. Public Television.

To Cross the Border: An interview with Filmmaker Yolande Zauberman, Paris, May 1988.     

At the other end of the camera

A funeral in Burkina Faso Les Mémoires de Binduté Da [The Memories of Binduté Da]. Directed by Michèle Fieloux and Jacques Lombard; camera: Joseph Guerin; sound: Jacques Lombard; editing: Andrée Davanture. 1990, 52 minutes, color. French narration with English subtitles. Distributed by ORSTOM Audiovisuel, 72 Route d'Aulnay, 93143 Bondy, Cédex, France (prices on request).

Prince charming Prince Charming. Produced by ORSTOM Audiovisuel; Michèle Fieloux and Jacques Lombard, directors; Jacques Lombard, camera; Bernard Oses, sound. 1991, 42 minutes, color, Betacam SP (also available in VHS MultiStandard), Malagasy with English subtitles (French and Malagasy versions also available). Distributor: ORSTOM Audiovisuel; 72 Route dAulnay, 93143 Bondy, Cédex, France.     

Tape-recorded Lectures with Slide Synchronization A Description of the Method

DNA: Blueprint of Life. 1969 (16 mm, colour, sound, 17 minutes). Film Library, John Wiley &; Sons Ltd., Baffins Lane, Chichester, Sussex.

About Abortion 16 mm, sound, colour, 22 minutes. Produced by the Northern Sound Services (Films) Ltd for the Abortion Law Reform Association.

Mikrops Colour Slides

Latest Catalogues     

"…We Have to Work with our own Heads" (/Angn!ao): San Bushmen and the Media

Three views of Hindustan

Pinney, Christopher. Camera Indica, the Social Life of Indian Photographs. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1998. 240 pp., 127 figs., glossary, notes, biblio., index. $55.00 hdbd., $29.00 paperbd.

Wade, Bonnie C. Imaging Sound: An Ethnomusicological Study of Music, Art, and Culture in Mughal India. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1998. lviii+276 pp., VII charts, 21 maps, 166 b‐&;‐w figs., 20 color plates, glossary, bibliography, notes, appendix, indexes. $80.00 or £63.95 hdbd.

The Dictionary of Art, Jane Turner, ed. London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd.; New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc., 1996. 32,600 pp. in 34 vols., with black‐and‐white and color illus., maps, tables, biblio., index. $8800.00 hdbd.     

Film reviews

Frozen tombs of Siberia

The Mystery of the Frozen Tombs of Siberia. Directed by Françoise Lévie; camera, Sacha Wiernik; sound, Sarah Moon Howe; editing, Michèle Maquet; produced by Sofidoc Production. 1994,26 minutes, color and black & white, English narration.

Imbalu, a ritual of manhood

Imbalu: Ritual of Manhood of the Bagisu of Uganda. A film by Richard Hawkins and Suzette Heald; director: Richard Hawkins; camera: David and Judith MacDougall; editor: Suzette Heald and Richard Hawkins; sound: Jack Reed. 1988, 95 minutes, colour, PAL video, Lugisu and English. Rental [UK only]: £9.00 (VHS‐PAL); sale: £40/ US$72 (VHS‐PAL), £80/US$110 (VHS‐NTSC) [plus VAT and postage]. Distributor: Royal Anthropological Institute, 50 Fitzroy Street, London, W1P 5HS, U.K.

The earth is our mother

The Earth is Our Mother and The Journey Back (The Earth is Our Mother, Parts I and II). Directed by Peter Elsass; produced by Casablanca Film Group and the Danish National Film Board; camera: Morten Bruus; editing: Niels Pagh Anderson; sound: Morten Bottzau; research: Guillermo Padilla. Distributed by TV2/Danmark Sales, Sortedam Dossering 55A, DK‐2100 København Ø, Denmark (Tel: +45 35 37 22 00; fax: + 45 35 37 22 27). 1987,55 minutes, color. Narration and subtitles in English.     

Film reviews

Approach, Theory, and Technique in the Making of Bar Yohai¹

Bar Yohai

Anthropological Film as Celebration

Television Believers

A film by Aaron Ranen, Third Wave Media. 1986, 1/2", 3/4”, NTSC, color, 28 minutes. Distributed by Filmakers Library, Inc., 124 E. 40th Street, Suite 901, New York, NY 10016, USA, tele. 212–808–4980. Price: purchase $300, rental $55.     

Film reviews

Bab el‐Oued City Bab el‐Oued City. Directed by Merzak Allouache. 1994. Algeria/ France: Les Matins Films.

Not Without My Veil Not Without My Veil: Amongst the Women of Oman. Produced by Mia Gröndahl; narration, Mia Gröndahl; camera, Allan Persson; sound, Abdalla Lamki; eds., Anders Burman and Johnny Persson; narrator, Pauline Torehall. 1993, 29 minutes, color. English. Distributed by Filmmakers Library, 124 East 40th St., New York, NY 10016.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Anthropological Filmmaking Jack Rollwagen, editor. 1988, 396 pages, illustrated. New York: Harwood Academic Publishers.

Images from Bamun: German Colonial Photography at the Court of King Njoya, Cameroon, West Africa, 1902–1915. By Christraud M. Geary. 1988. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. Price: $15.95.

Cuyagua (Devil Dancers and The Saint With Two Faces) A film by Paul Henley and Georges Drion, produced by the National Film and Television School of Great Britain. 1983, 16mm and video, color, 108 minutes total. Original language: Spanish; English subtitles and commentary. For purchase or rental of film or video, write to: Paul Henley, Granada Center for Visual Anthropology, Manchester University, Roscoe Building, Brunswick Street, Manchester, M 13 9PL, England.     

Book reviews

In Search of the San Paul Weinberg, 1997, In Search of the San. Text and Photographs by Paul Weinberg. Johannesburg: The Porcupine Press. 80pp. Notes on Pronunciation. “Introduction” by Riaan de Villiers.

Bush for the Bushman Perrott, John. Bush for the Bushman. Need “The Gods Must Be Crazy” Kalahari People Die? Greenville, PA.: Beaver Pond. 1992. Photographs.

Healing Makes our Hearts Happy Richard Katz, Megan Biesele, Verna St. Denis, Healing Makes our Hearts Happy: Spirituality and Transformation among the Kalahari Ju/'hoansi. Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions, 1997. 214 pp. US$29.95

Africa on Film Kenneth M. Cameron. Africa on Film: Beyond Black and White. New York: Continuum, 1994. 240 pp., photos, index, filmography, bibliography. ISBN: 0–8264–0658–0.

America's Dark Images of Africa In Darkest Hollywood: Cinema and Apartheid. Produced by Peter Davis and Daniel Riesenfeld. 1994. Two VHS videotapes, each 55 minutes. Distributed by Villon Films, 77 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Y 2K7, Canada.

Davis, Peter. In Darkest Hollywood: Exploring the Jungles of Cinema's South Africa. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1996. 190 pp., illus., paperback.     

Book Reviews

Unearthing Garden Mysteries: Experiments For Kids. Ellen Talmage. Golden, Colo.: Fulcrum Publishing. 2000. 90 pp. $17.95 (paperback). ISBN: 1-55591-993-6.

Greening School Grounds: Creating Habitats For Learning. Tim Grant and Gail Littlejohn (eds.). Gabriola Island, BC, Canada: New Society Publishers. 2001. 136 pp. $16.95 (paperback). ISBN: 0-86571-436-3.

Science Projects About Sound. Robert Gardner. Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Enslow. 2000. 112 pp. $19.95 (hardcover). ISBN: 0-7660-1166-6.

The Science of Sound and Music. Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone. New York: Sterling Publishing. 2000. 80 pp. $19.95 (hardcover). ISBN: 0-8069-7183-5.

Elephants and Their Young. Great Explorations in Mathematics and Science (GEMS). Berkeley, Calif.: University of California, Lawrence Hall of Science. 2001. 100 pp. $18 (paperback). ISBN: 0-924886-55-2.

Mia2: Romaine's New Hat. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Kotoka Kids Interactive. ($19.99 from Amazon.com).

System Requirements: PC. O/S: Windows 95 or better, CPU: Pentium 166MMX, RAM: 32 MB (64MB recommended), Video: 640 × 480 (256 colors), Sound: 16-bit Sound Blaster or 100% compatible, CD-ROM: 6X, 40 MB of hard drive disk space.

Macintosh: O/S: Systems 8.1 or better (System 9 requires 64 MB of Ram), CPU: PowerPC 275mhz, G3 233mhz, iMac, RAM: 32 MB (64 MB recommended), Video: 640 × 480 (256 colors), Sound: Standard Macintosh, CD-ROM: 6X, 40 MB of hard drive disk space.     

Film review

Jungayi—Caring for Country Jungayi—Caring for Country. Directed and edited by Penny McDonald; produced by Claire Smith; camera: Warwick Thorne; sound: George Hanna. English narration and subtitling of Jawoyn and Ngalkbon languages. Distributed by International Federation of Rock Art Organisations, PO. Box 216, Caulfield South, Vic., Australia 3162.1992, 27 minutes, color, VHS‐NTSC and VHS‐PAL, sale U.S. $32.     

From the heart of the world

From the Heart of the World—The Elder Brothers’ Warning. Director: Alan Ereira; camera: Bill Broomfield; editor: Horacio Queiro; sound: John Wills. 1990, color, 87minutes VHS‐NTSC, VHS‐PAL. English narration and subtitles. Distributed by BBC Enterprises, 80 Wood Lane, London W12 OTT; or Mystic Fire Video, 225 Lafayette Street, Suite 1206, New York 10012; sale only, £12 or $29.95 + $4.00 postage. Ereira, Alan, The Heart of the World. London: Jonathan Cape, 1990, bibliography, index, 288 pp., £15.99.     

Ishi,the last American

Ishi in Two Worlds. Produced and directed by Richard Thompson and available on videotape from CRM Films. CRM Films, 1960, 20 mins.

The Last of His Tribe. HBO feature telefilm and videotape. A River City Production. Produced and directed by Harry Hook. Co‐produced by Robert Lovenheim. HBO, 1992. Approx. 90 mins.

Ishi, the Last Yahi. Dramatic Documentary Film. Rattlesnake Productions, Inc., 1992. Produced and directed by Jed Riffe and Pamela Roberts. Color, 56 mins. Information on world‐wide rights and rental pricing available from Filmmaker Jed Riffe, Saul Zaentz Film Center, 2600 Tenth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710; tel. (510) 841–2337.