My Father, the Genius (2002)

Director:

Lucia Small

Writer:

Lucia Small (written by)

Genre:

Documentary

Awards:

5 wins

Cast

John Johansen	...	Himself
David Mesa	...	Himself
Ralph Mursinna	...	Himself
Michael Rendler	...	Himself
Glen Howard Small	...	Himself
Julie Small	...	Herself
Joanne Small-Eggert	...	Herself
Christine Small-Shook	...	Herself

Directed by
Lucia Small

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lucia Small		written by

Produced by
Craig Bouchard	....	associate producer
Alissa Harris	....	associate producer
Linda Morgenstern	....	co-producer (2002)
Lucia Small	....	producer

Original Music by
Kaoru Ishibashi

Cinematography by
Laurel Greenberg
Lucia Small

Film Editing by
Karen Schmeer

Sound Department
Richard Bock	....	sound mixer
Marianne Teleki	....	sound assistant
Robert Todd	....	sound editor (as Robb Todd)

Camera and Electrical Department
Uta Briesewitz	....	additional photographer
Leah Mahan	....	additional photographer

Animation Department
Anne Loyer	....	animator

Editorial Department
Michael H. Amundson	....	on-line editor
William A. Anderson	....	senior editing consultant
Sasha Patsenka	....	associate editor
Daniel Shea	....	assistant editor
Rosanna Tullio	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Ed Arnold	....	musician: drums
Bryan Bergeron-Killough	....	musician: electric guitars
Irina Chirkova	....	musician: cello
Keiichi Hashimoto	....	musician: trumpet, trombone
Michael Hilewitz	....	musician: drums
Ippei Ichimaru	....	musician: bass
Kaoru Ishibashi	....	music recordist
Kaoru Ishibashi	....	musician: violin, rhodes, acoustic guitars
Kenji Kikuchi	....	musician: flute, clarinet, saxophone
Satoru Ohashi	....	musician: trumpet
Shinichi Otsu	....	musician: organ
Vessela Stoyanova	....	musician: marimba
Keiko Watanabe	....	musician: violin, viola
Dave Westner	....	additional music recordist
John Weston	....	music mixer

Other crew
Sarah Alterman	....	production assistant (as Sara Faith Alterman)
Steven C. Beer	....	producer's representative
Ami Boghani	....	production assistant
Evelyn Carrigan	....	production assistant
David Colvard	....	legal services
Tessa Day	....	programmer: website
Benjamin C. Dewey	....	consultant (as Benjamin Dewey)
Anna Eisenberg	....	production assistant
Rachel Eisengart	....	production coordinator
Elizabeth Fitzsimon	....	production assistant
Sandra Forman	....	legal services
Rebecca Geekle	....	production assistant
Clare Harding	....	consultant (as Claire Harding)
Rosemarie Pompano Inati	....	production assistant (as Rosemarie Pompano)
Jennifer Jarrett	....	production assistant
Sharifa Johnson Atkins	....	legal services
Jeanne Jordan	....	consultant
John Kusiak	....	consultant
Elena Langdon	....	production assistant
Ellie Lee	....	consultant
Cheryl LeVine	....	title designer
Ross McElwee	....	consultant
Matt McMakin	....	computer support: Mac
Anne McNeill	....	production assistant
Tanya Mysko	....	designer: website
Cathleen O'Connell	....	consultant
Barry Pike	....	web master
Jared Pruett	....	production assistant
Brown Rudnick	....	legal services
Kenneth Shaw	....	consultant
Sherryn Smith	....	researcher: still footage
Jiho Sohn	....	programmer: website
Chelsea Spear	....	production assistant
Marisa Vitale	....	production assistant

Thanks
Milica Dedijer	....	special thanks
Erik Dedijer-Small	....	special thanks
Yasmina Dedijer-Small	....	special thanks
Ray Kappe	....	special thanks
Quirina Kryger	....	special thanks
Jan Mardian	....	special thanks
Thom Mayne	....	special thanks
David Mesa	....	special thanks
Ralph Mursinna	....	special thanks
Michael Rendler	....	special thanks
Glen Howard Small	....	special thanks
Julie Small	....	special thanks
Joanne Small-Eggert	....	special thanks
Christine Small-Shook	....	special thanks
Kristina Wood	....	special thanks

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Soundtrack:

Adiago from Sonata No. 3 in E Major, op. 2

Parent and Genius: Can you do both equally well?

This daughter takes on a huge task: being fair to a father who emotionally neglected his children in a film seen by the public. That she did it well is to her credit. Screened at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the movie was commented on by the film-maker Lucia Small who handled our questions. She shows her father with his own words, amidst his beautiful architectural works. She also interviews the siblings and the ex wives, ex-girlfriends, all muses to his work, but secondary. "Relationships come and go, " he says, "but the work is forever." "But what about the children" she asks, "What about them?" "Oh, they come and go as well, and sometimes they give you great pain." That remark is followed up at the end of the movie by a phone message that you hear while looking at a painting of his work: "I was not the father to you that I could have been."

Of course, this shows somewhat of an arrogance, since he is implying that he knew what to do. As a parent who also worshipped at the fake god, 'Career" and emotionally neglected her 5 children, I know that skill with a computer does not easily translate to skill in raising 'small people'....no pun intended. Lucia Small was the film-maker and she told us that her father's only complaint about the movie was, "It doesn't show enough of my work."

See this excellent movie with your children, and start a conversation with them about it. In the midst of daycare, school, tennis lessons, etc., etc. and our own long work-hours, they grow up having separate lives and we don't really know them. This might help you in that very important effort.

Having said that, I must also report that she told us her siblings were creative productive adults. One son, a carpenter is shown implementing the architectural plans of his father. How symbolic: the germ of an idea by the father is brought into being by the carpenter son, as the sperm issued by the father produced the son.

So how about the benefits of 'benign neglect'? And is 'happy' something you want your grown children to be in this world? See the movie....listen to your kids' opinion of it. And reflect.