FAMILY, TOBACCO BLEND WELL.Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic ROSS McELWEE has a way of turning the kind of personal interests that usually only fascinate oneself into marvelously informative documentaries. The filmmaker, whose most famous work is the Civil-War-and-my-ex- girlfriends inquiry ``Sherman's March,'' has come up with a complex, fact-packed look at the business and culture of tobacco with ``Bright Leaves.'' Of course, the movie is also solipsistically concerned with his great-grandfather John Harvey McElwee, the original marketer of Bull Durham, who was brought to financial ruin by his rival, the cigarette tycoon James Duke. Convinced that a middling Hollywood melodrama, the 1950 Gary Cooper vehicle ``Bright Leaf,'' was based on John Harvey's story, McElwee traipses across North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. trying to find the family-connection proof. Along the way, he interviews tobacco farmers and hopelessly addicted smokers, presents an enthralling en·thrall tr.v. en·thralled, en·thrall·ing, en·thralls 1. To hold spellbound; captivate: The magic show enthralled the audience. 2. To enslave. history of how that newfangled new·fan·gled adj. 1. New and often needlessly novel. See Synonyms at new. 2. Fond of novelty. [Middle English newfanglyd, fond of novelty, alteration of , machine-rolled consumer item almost single-handedly revived the post-Civil War South's economy, and leaves as many questions as he answers. Much about McElwee's own relationships to his father and his son is revealed. And in one hilarious bit, he gets a visiting European film intellectual to theorize the·o·rize v. the·o·rized, the·o·riz·ing, the·o·riz·es v.intr. To formulate theories or a theory; speculate. v.tr. To propose a theory about. about everything but what he - and we - want to know about the Cooper film ... all while pushing McElwee around the block in a camera-rigged wheelchair. Things inevitably get a little repetitive and all-inclusive; current societal changes in his native state (McElwee has long since relocated from Carolina to Boston), while a legitimate part of the story, are presented in sometimes puzzling detail. But McElwee's humor, dogged inquisitiveness in·quis·i·tive adj. 1. Inclined to investigate; eager for knowledge. 2. Unduly curious and inquiring. See Synonyms at curious. , open-minded humanism and unique ability to launch wide-ranging cultural studies from his passionate family concerns makes ``Bright Leaves'' a more than worthwhile sit. Even smokers won't want to slip out of the theater for a few drags. Bob Strauss, (818) 713-3670 bob.strauss(at)dailynews.com BRIGHT LEAVES - Three and one half stars (Not rated) Director: Ross McElwee. Running time: 1 hr. 45 min. Playing: Music Hall, Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. . In a nutshell: McElwee's documentary inquiry into his North Carolina family's history leads to much information and rumination rumination /ru·mi·na·tion/ (roo?mi-na´shun) 1. the casting up of the food to be chewed thoroughly a second time, as in cattle. 2. on the legacy of the tobacco business. |
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