The Stone Carvers (1984)

A look at some of the last stone carvers working in the United States, those completing the sculptures adorning the Washington National Cathedral. They discuss their craft and the cultural ... See full summary »

Directors:

Marjorie Hunt, Paul Wagner

Writers:

Marjorie Hunt, Paul Wagner

Stars:

Vincent Palumbo, Roger Morigi

Won 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview:
Vincent Palumbo	...	Himself
Roger Morigi	...	Himself

Storyline

A look at some of the last stone carvers working in the United States, those completing the sculptures adorning the Washington National Cathedral. They discuss their craft and the cultural forces which helped define it, as well as the fading use of stone ornamentation in architecture and the history of stone carving, and they tour the cathedral to point out the history behind some of the work.

---

Plot Keywords:

cathedral | sculpture | architecture | art | italian american | 

---

Genres:

Documentary | Short

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Filming Locations:

Washington National Cathedral, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wagner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

After this film won the Academy Award, the stone carvers sculpted one of the final angels for the towers of Washington National Cathedral to make it look like producer Marjorie Hunt; the angel is holding the Oscar.

User Reviews

Great documentary of a great craft.

THE STONE CARVERS is a great half-hour documentary on a group of individual Italian-American stone carvers working on the gargoyles and other features of the Washington Cathedral. Theirs is all but a lost or dying art. The carvers themselves, fully dedicated professionals of great skill, are funny, witty, ready with great stories of their craft and anecdotes about other carvers. "Practically, I was born into stone," says master carver Vincent Palumbo. The craft of these men has been passed down from generation to generation, and the breed no longer exists willing to endure years of apprenticeship to hone a craft of this difficulty. That's sad for all of us. This film is as solid as the work of its subjects. It won an Academy Award for best documentary short subject for its creators Marjorie Hunt and Paul Wagner.