By Lucille Farrell Hello there Bloggers, So I know I usually keep things pretty lighthearted here, but I would like to turn to a more serious topic this week. I want to talk about awareness of the world around you and how documentaries can change your life. My entire life consists of research, writing, reading (for pleasure when I find the time) music, and movies. Movies are just magical. Give me a good foreign film, a drama, a comedy, an indie flick, or a psychological thriller and I am a happy girl. Not a big fan of horror movies because I always seem to ruin them for other people because I either laugh or point out the absurdities. “Honestly, why is there a butcher knife just sitting there?” Another genre that I am slowly growing more attached to are documentaries. Now I will be the first to admit that it wasn’t until about four or five years ago that I learned that not all documentaries make you want to fall asleep or gauge your eyes out. Some are actually quite excellent. Some Documentaries will move you to tears others will instill anger in you. Some other teach you a bit about something you’ve always wanted to learn about and give you a push to do your own research. I do have a few favorites of my own because of the beautiful way they were cut and made. Possibly my top two favorite documentaries are Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father and Jesus Camp. Both are well made and make your emotions jumble inside you. A forewarning for anyone who decides to watch Dear Zachary, keep tissues nearby. I do not make a point of crying during any movie. My own mother has lectured me and (jokingly) told me I didn’t have a heart because I did not cry during Brian’s Song. Bears fans around the country are cringing at that fact. Seriously though, I literally was crying for a good twenty minutes after I finished watching the documentary. Heart wrenching story and beautifully mastered. To the main point, this past weekend the Chicago premiere of Hand Held was held here on campus in McGuire hall. Producer Don Hahn and photographer Michael Carroll (who the documentary followed) came to campus to present the film to students and members of the community. The film’s tagline is "A guy with a camera, four hundred thousand orphans, a twenty-year odyssey that changed their lives forever." The film examines Carroll’s exploration of one of the most appalling scenes of the 20th century, the overcrowded Romanian orphanages discovered in the wake of the collapse of that nation’s communist regime. Even that little overview cannot give all the information this documentary shared. The trailer can give you a little better of an idea and I have included the link below: http://www.handheldthemovie.com/trailer/ We always talk about stories that touch our hearts and make us want to do something to help our world. All I ask is that you take some time to learn about the Romanian Children's Relief (RCR) and everything Mr. Carroll has done. As a student at Saint Xavier, I was just thrilled to have the chance to see a documentary and get to listen to the filmmakers speak. I originally was looking at this experience primarily from the artistic view. As I said before I am a fan of documentaries and love to hear about the process and all the behind the scenes details in putting the film together. On Friday, Mr. Carroll and Mr. Hahn spoke to students the day before the film was shown. Most of the students there were from business or nursing classes. Of course then I was there sitting in the back realizing (as far as I could see) I was the only communication student I recognized. It was during this talk I really started to understand what the documentary was about. Listening to these two gentlemen discuss the horrible conditions of the Romanian orphanages gave me chills. Getting back to my dorm later that night I asked my roommates to come with me the next day to see the film. They agreed decided it sounded like an interesting idea and it had been a while since we had all done something together. I don’t think there was a dry eye around us at the end of the film. I know my eyes were burning. I couldn’t get the tears out at that point. Whether it was because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stop or because at this point crying would have made my contacts burn more than usual I am not too sure. (Yes, the second part was a bit of a joke, mostly) The one thing everyone in McGuire Hall can attest to was that every person would be seeing the faces of those children and go back to their homes and sit in silence for a few moments that night. I know when we got back to our dorm with two other friends we sat in silence for around five minutes, with hardly any words uttered. No one really knew what to say. We were just left to think. That is the mark of a wonderful documentary. It is one thing to praise it. It is another to be left speechless, not wanting to break the moment left behind. I do not want to go into too much detail; I ask you all to learn more about it on your own. While the documentary is not currently available on DVD Mr. Carroll and Mr. Hahn are both optimistic about a DVD appearance by fall and hope to have it available to stream on Netflix perhaps this summer. Read up on the RCR and see what you can do to help out. Take a second out of your day. Look at the charities you grew up hearing about. Learn a little bit more about them. Yes, we are all college students and many don’t have that much to give. Sometimes it’s not always about money. Sometimes it’s time and just a little bit of energy. Many times volunteers are needed and for some places just sending a letter to those that are aided by these organizations and charities are appreciated more than you can realize. See if you can do something within your school. I know that growing up our school participated in the Math-A-Thon where all proceeds when to St. Jude Children’s Research Center. St. Jude’s happens to be my favorite organization. I’m pretending right now as I’m typing that I’m not getting emotional just thinking about all that St. Jude has done for thousands of children and their families. So this is my blog this week. A few laughs, but a message asking you to do something. Research. Help. Learn. Do what you can to help those around you. Be thankful for every day you wake up and don’t have to worry about there being a roof over your head, food in your stomach, or if you will make it through the day. Be thankful and find a way to help your fellow human being. Peace, Love, and Cougars Lucille Farrell is a junior Organizational Communications major with a minor in Anthropology. She is originally from New Haven, CT and is involved with the Honors Student Advisory Council, Student Government Association (SGA) and Anthropology Club.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Hand Held Movie Premiere
By Lucille Farrell Hello there Bloggers, So I know I usually keep things pretty lighthearted here, but I would like to turn to a more serious topic this week. I want to talk about awareness of the world around you and how documentaries can change your life. My entire life consists of research, writing, reading (for pleasure when I find the time) music, and movies. Movies are just magical. Give me a good foreign film, a drama, a comedy, an indie flick, or a psychological thriller and I am a happy girl. Not a big fan of horror movies because I always seem to ruin them for other people because I either laugh or point out the absurdities. “Honestly, why is there a butcher knife just sitting there?” Another genre that I am slowly growing more attached to are documentaries. Now I will be the first to admit that it wasn’t until about four or five years ago that I learned that not all documentaries make you want to fall asleep or gauge your eyes out. Some are actually quite excellent. Some Documentaries will move you to tears others will instill anger in you. Some other teach you a bit about something you’ve always wanted to learn about and give you a push to do your own research. I do have a few favorites of my own because of the beautiful way they were cut and made. Possibly my top two favorite documentaries are Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father and Jesus Camp. Both are well made and make your emotions jumble inside you. A forewarning for anyone who decides to watch Dear Zachary, keep tissues nearby. I do not make a point of crying during any movie. My own mother has lectured me and (jokingly) told me I didn’t have a heart because I did not cry during Brian’s Song. Bears fans around the country are cringing at that fact. Seriously though, I literally was crying for a good twenty minutes after I finished watching the documentary. Heart wrenching story and beautifully mastered. To the main point, this past weekend the Chicago premiere of Hand Held was held here on campus in McGuire hall. Producer Don Hahn and photographer Michael Carroll (who the documentary followed) came to campus to present the film to students and members of the community. The film’s tagline is "A guy with a camera, four hundred thousand orphans, a twenty-year odyssey that changed their lives forever." The film examines Carroll’s exploration of one of the most appalling scenes of the 20th century, the overcrowded Romanian orphanages discovered in the wake of the collapse of that nation’s communist regime. Even that little overview cannot give all the information this documentary shared. The trailer can give you a little better of an idea and I have included the link below: http://www.handheldthemovie.com/trailer/ We always talk about stories that touch our hearts and make us want to do something to help our world. All I ask is that you take some time to learn about the Romanian Children's Relief (RCR) and everything Mr. Carroll has done. As a student at Saint Xavier, I was just thrilled to have the chance to see a documentary and get to listen to the filmmakers speak. I originally was looking at this experience primarily from the artistic view. As I said before I am a fan of documentaries and love to hear about the process and all the behind the scenes details in putting the film together. On Friday, Mr. Carroll and Mr. Hahn spoke to students the day before the film was shown. Most of the students there were from business or nursing classes. Of course then I was there sitting in the back realizing (as far as I could see) I was the only communication student I recognized. It was during this talk I really started to understand what the documentary was about. Listening to these two gentlemen discuss the horrible conditions of the Romanian orphanages gave me chills. Getting back to my dorm later that night I asked my roommates to come with me the next day to see the film. They agreed decided it sounded like an interesting idea and it had been a while since we had all done something together. I don’t think there was a dry eye around us at the end of the film. I know my eyes were burning. I couldn’t get the tears out at that point. Whether it was because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stop or because at this point crying would have made my contacts burn more than usual I am not too sure. (Yes, the second part was a bit of a joke, mostly) The one thing everyone in McGuire Hall can attest to was that every person would be seeing the faces of those children and go back to their homes and sit in silence for a few moments that night. I know when we got back to our dorm with two other friends we sat in silence for around five minutes, with hardly any words uttered. No one really knew what to say. We were just left to think. That is the mark of a wonderful documentary. It is one thing to praise it. It is another to be left speechless, not wanting to break the moment left behind. I do not want to go into too much detail; I ask you all to learn more about it on your own. While the documentary is not currently available on DVD Mr. Carroll and Mr. Hahn are both optimistic about a DVD appearance by fall and hope to have it available to stream on Netflix perhaps this summer. Read up on the RCR and see what you can do to help out. Take a second out of your day. Look at the charities you grew up hearing about. Learn a little bit more about them. Yes, we are all college students and many don’t have that much to give. Sometimes it’s not always about money. Sometimes it’s time and just a little bit of energy. Many times volunteers are needed and for some places just sending a letter to those that are aided by these organizations and charities are appreciated more than you can realize. See if you can do something within your school. I know that growing up our school participated in the Math-A-Thon where all proceeds when to St. Jude Children’s Research Center. St. Jude’s happens to be my favorite organization. I’m pretending right now as I’m typing that I’m not getting emotional just thinking about all that St. Jude has done for thousands of children and their families. So this is my blog this week. A few laughs, but a message asking you to do something. Research. Help. Learn. Do what you can to help those around you. Be thankful for every day you wake up and don’t have to worry about there being a roof over your head, food in your stomach, or if you will make it through the day. Be thankful and find a way to help your fellow human being. Peace, Love, and Cougars Lucille Farrell is a junior Organizational Communications major with a minor in Anthropology. She is originally from New Haven, CT and is involved with the Honors Student Advisory Council, Student Government Association (SGA) and Anthropology Club.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Saint Xavier University is not responsible for any incorrect, inaccurate or inappropriate content posted on this blog, nor do the views or opinions posted by Saint Xavier University's followers represent the University.
No comments:
Post a Comment