Masterclass: John Mullen, Editor 1935-2008.

Masterclass is a bi-monthly survey of an exemplary individual’s career in documentary film. This month, we honor editor John Mullen. Highlights include five films edited by John Mullen presented by their directors.

Wednesday June 9th, 7:00 pm

Last Train to Pittsfield

Dir. Tom Barry (1976) 32 min.

Train enthusiast Tom Barry narrates as he and camera crew record a sad event in transportation history that would otherwise have gone unnoticed – the last passenger train ride from Danbury, CT to Pittsfield, MA. What begins as the nostalgic musings of a train fanatic as a rapidly changing country passes him by turns profound as Barry reflects more generally upon the decline in public transit with the growth in car culture, stating its impact on both the environment and social interactivity. Co-filmmakers Tom Barry and John Mullen describe it best: “A film about a man crazy enough to ride last trains . . . and sane enough to want them back.”

After the Movie:

Conversation with writer/director Tom Barry

8:00 pm Beirut: The Last Home Movie

Dir. Jennifer Fox (1986) 120 min.

Beirut: The Last Home Movie chronicles three months in the life of an aristocratic Lebanese family who refuse to flee their family’s palace located in a heavily-bombed Beirut neighborhood. The film takes us beyond the facts and statistics of nightly news reports into one family’s experience of war. By capturing the visceral, subjective experience of a family living in war-torn Lebanon, Beirut: The Last Home Movie translates a baffling political crisis into its most human terms.

After the Movie:

Conversation with Director Jennifer Fox