By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Mark Moskowitz
Country: united_states
Year: 2003
Running time: 127
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0324080
Michael says: “2003’s string of outstanding documentaries continues with Mark Moskowitz’s powerful rumination on literature and its effect on our lives. In the early 70’s Moskowitz read a review in the NYT Book Review of Dow Mossman’s first novel, The Stones of Summer. After nearly 25 years, Moskowitz finally reads the book he purchased after reading the glowing review and was thrilled by the complexity and power of this little-known novel. After attempting to find more about Mossman, including other works, and finding nothing, Moskowitz sets out to find the author, while examining his own and other’s love of reading and the way books impact our lives.
“Moskowitz’s film is long… perhaps 20 – 30 minutes longer than necessary, but it is filled with sublime moments of emotional and intellectual beauty and power. He elegantly ties several of the themes explored in The Stones of Summer as well as many themes unearthed in his discussions about reading with literary figures (from the NYT book reviewer who wrote about Mossman’s book to publishers and writers) into the fabric of his film. Perhaps most effective is his take on nostalgia, and the power literature had on his coming-of-age. In a gorgeous scene, Moskowitz’s voice over paints the impact Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 had on him at a very young age. Images of Moskowitz’s son at a carnival, set to poignant acoustic guitar provide a moving counterpoint to his nostalgic insights. It’s the most powerful moment in the film for me.
“The film has some great lines too… my favorite coming from a well-known Simon & Schuster publisher. ‘He’s like the demented nanny who thinks the baby is hers.’ Georgette, Scot and I all roared with laughter. I suppose it works better in context.
“There were some awkward moments. A discussion on Mossman’s life after publishing his one and only novel beween Moskowitz and Mossman’s former literary agent comes across as elitist and almost offensive. Mossman’s ultimate appearance is a bit rambling and goes on for too long. And most notably, something both Scot and I commented on in our post-film discussion, was the lack of female point-of-view regarding this fascinating topic of literature and our lives. I think there was one line from Moskowitz’s wife (who only allowed her arms and legs to be filmed – something that grew increasingly more amusing as the film progressed) and it was a complaint to boot, that represented a woman’s point-of-view. That, however unintentional, was unfortunate.
“But ultimately, this is a paean to reading. Libraries come across very well, with lots of reminiscenes and great scenes taking place in the stacks. And Moskowitz does a great job bringing in the subject of today’s younger generation moving away from reading. A terrific scene, once again of Moskowitz’s son, simply portrays his receipt in the mail, via Amazon.com, of the third Harry Potter book. I was once again reminded the importance of J.K. Rowling’s novels with regard to today’s youth and reading. I highly recommend THE STONE READER.” 4 cats
Diane says: “Just saw this 2003 docu last night, and read Michael’s review on the Chlotrudis website. Funny: out of a two-plus-hour docu, I shared most of his favorite lines and scenes. I recommend this highly–a tribute to the impact of literature and also of books as objects (and a couple of nods to libraries, too!).
“The filmmaker, who is on a quest for the author of a book he loved, is just a regular guy–the average reader–like me. While he is often annoying, his points about books and reading are gotten across just beautifully.
“My parents watched it with me and both liked it very much. My father even rewound for the few minutes he missed. Mom particularly appreciated that what could have been a lot of talking heads was worked into voiceovers over evocative scenes of carnival rides, raking leaves, author and reader taking a walk….” 4 cats