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Reviews
Fiddlin' (2018)
An amazing documentary about some amazing young musicians!
When you see Ivy Phillips sawing away on the fiddle, or Presley Barker flatpicking on an acoustic guitar, you cannot help but be moved. It moved me to wish that I had children like this. They are passionate about what they do, yet in no way are cocky or arrogant. The documentary shows people (both young and old) who live for this roots music, and how it has affected their lives mentally, physically, and spiritually. You will be tapping your feet throughout, and by the time that the credits roll, you will be heading out to go buy a CD of this music or perhaps a guitar to start playing it. The editing and production are top-notch - you are watching a film that will move you in the same way a Ken Burns film moves a person. Even if you are not into old-time fiddle music (although you probably will be after watching), you will feel for the people within the film that have used this music to get them through hard times in life.
1920 Bitwa Warszawska (2011)
When is it coming to the US???
I just learned of this movie through some Polish-American newspaper for the Detroit area. I loved "With Fire and Sword" and from the looks of the trailer, that one should be even better. I can understand the previous review feeling the film is lackluster, as I have felt the same about many movies on the American Civil War, and I am a big US history fanatic and also do CW reenacting as a hobby, with which I have participated as an extra in many films and documentaries.
This part of history (Europe between WWI and WWII) is pretty much ignored by history buffs in the US. A few of us in the Detroit area take a lot of interest in this particular historical segment, as not only are there many Polish-Americans in the region, but Detroit had sent a large contingent of its young men to fight the Bolsheviks at that time in and around Archangel. They were known as the Polar Bear Division, and are still remembered by some of us here.
As the film has been "officially" out for a few months now, I am wondering if it has made it to the US yet. I see no website dedicated to the film, and internet searches only pull up YouTube trailers. I can only hope that it gets some due recognition here.