A photo from “Viva Maestro!,” featured at the film festival.
Submitted photo
Have you ever experienced that movies can be a way to gather friends for a celebration or a way to remember a good friend? Last week six of us who knew Joan Daniels went to see the Summer Fest movie Viva Maestro! After the movie we met at Twigs Café to tell our Joan stories. Let me explain. Joan, a fervent film festival supporter, had made plans with Erica to see this special movie about Gustavo Dudamel, Venezuelan orchestra conductor. Unfortunately, that was not to be, because Joan did not live to be able to do so, passing on at the age of 93.
Joan was a great admirer of Dudamel, not only for his passionate conducting, but also for all the opportunities he brought to Venezuelans, especially young people who otherwise would not have this experience. Viva Maestro! shows us the many ways he has brought the joy of music to young and old alike, all around the world. He is a master teacher for all.
As we reminisced about Joan, each one of us could remember a way Joan taught us something. Robin Rome remembers that Joan made her more aware of the correct disposal of things like light bulbs, a way to keep our environment cleaner. Hildy Morgan remembers that Joan and her husband gave her a word processor, a needed help for a gifted young writer. I remember that she taught three us how to make pan forte. Joan, a master baker, taught us a master class, complete with recipe and the tools to make it, including a scale to measure ingredients. Since then someone in my family makes pan forte every year at holiday time.
But it is Erica Rogler who had the most recent benefit of Joan’s passion, her passion for music. The two of them had a weekend practice of listening to classical music, something like a musical appreciation time. It was very meaningful to both of them.
Movies can be triggers for getting together to celebrate or remember someone or something. It certainly was a good way to remember Joan.
Now Summer Fest has ended, but Mary just shared with me that Fall Film Fest is not far behind, beginning Friday, September 23, ending Thursday, October 13. The two Opening Night Films are Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris and Brian and Charles.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris takes place in 1950’s London. A widowed cleaning lady falls madly in love with a Dior dress, determined to get one of her own. How she accomplishes her goal makes for a good old-fashioned and charming story.
Brian and Charles tells the story of a lonely inventor in rural Wales who attempts his biggest project ever, building Charles, an artificial intelligence robot out of washing machine parts and other spare parts. He learns English from a dictionary and has an obsession with cabbages!
21 more of the best recent foreign and independent films await us during the Fall Film Festival. I will tell you more about them in the coming weeks. So much more is coming up at the Dietrich as summer winds down. We invite all of you to sign up for our online newsletter at www.dietrichtheater.com. Everything we planned is with you in mind. You are what we are all about!
