(Potential spoilers below.)
For preserving the history of independent, underground, experimental (insert your word here) cinema, Jonas Mekas remains one of the most important figures to the art. Because that it is his premier vocation, his own career as a filmmaker is secondary. His filming style -"diary cinema"- is necessitated by his life. Most of his filmography consists of works which are collections of the snippets of footage he has managed to shoot over the years.
REMINISCES... is a wonderful semi-autobiography using footage of Jonas and his brother Adolphus (who coincidentally, made a similar film at the same time) during their arrival in America in 1950, as well as valuable documentation of the Lithuanian American community during this period.
The brothers finally decide to journey home to see their mother for the first time in years. What unveils is a totally charming celebration of "the good life", as the Mekas family still adheres to their simple "old world" values of doing day-to-day things. By the same token, the film itself is totally charming in its simplicity-- for example, the soundtrack is very minimal, and unobtrusive.
The film ends with a fire in a Lithuanian city which they visit. This is a subtle reminder of the fact that they cannot completely go home again, except in the movies. Therefore their three-decade collection of footage is a moving preservation of their history.
For preserving the history of independent, underground, experimental (insert your word here) cinema, Jonas Mekas remains one of the most important figures to the art. Because that it is his premier vocation, his own career as a filmmaker is secondary. His filming style -"diary cinema"- is necessitated by his life. Most of his filmography consists of works which are collections of the snippets of footage he has managed to shoot over the years.
REMINISCES... is a wonderful semi-autobiography using footage of Jonas and his brother Adolphus (who coincidentally, made a similar film at the same time) during their arrival in America in 1950, as well as valuable documentation of the Lithuanian American community during this period.
The brothers finally decide to journey home to see their mother for the first time in years. What unveils is a totally charming celebration of "the good life", as the Mekas family still adheres to their simple "old world" values of doing day-to-day things. By the same token, the film itself is totally charming in its simplicity-- for example, the soundtrack is very minimal, and unobtrusive.
The film ends with a fire in a Lithuanian city which they visit. This is a subtle reminder of the fact that they cannot completely go home again, except in the movies. Therefore their three-decade collection of footage is a moving preservation of their history.