Something's Gonna Live

Daniel Raim's moving, exhilarating documentary SOMETHING'S GONNA LIVE (SGL) sets its tone perfectly with this opening line from Haskell Wexler, one of SGL's many legendary Oscar-winners and nominees responsible for countless classic movies: "If you're gonna spend your time doing the best you can doing s**t, then why do it? If you were to spend your time giving to future generations some of the benefits of your knowledge, maybe that's a way of having a legacy. That's a way of having a kind of morality so that Bob Boyle's never gonna die, and I'm not gonna die, and something's gonna live, and I think that's a pretty valuable thing." Amen to that! With the emphasis so many modern filmmakers place on dazzling moviegoers with CGI and pyrotechnics, it's easy to forget the talented people who've always worked behind the scenes, creating movie magic with techniques predating our current digital age. The film is bursting with absorbing, entertaining anecdotes about the golden age of filmmaking, including appearances by Wexler, director of photography Conrad L. Hall, and storyboard artist Harold Michelson. As if these greats didn't already make SGL a must-see for film lovers, Raim focuses most keenly on three longtime friends and colleagues at the twilight of their lives: Robert F. Boyle, production designer, and art directors Henry Bumstead and Albert Nozaki.

Al had the most crosses to bear, what with retinitis pigmentosa slowly stealing his eyesight, and his incarceration at Manzanar with scores of other Japanese-Americans in the wake of Pearl Harbor for no other reason but the shape of their eyes — one of the most outrageous and shameful episodes in U.S. history. I was in awe of Al's incredible grace and fortitude under the circumstances.

Bob matter-of-factly muses, "I think everybody's here by accident. At any moment, anybody could get canceled. Then there are all those things that we do to ourselves. In my case, I overindulged in almost everything. I smoked too much, I drank too much, I lived too long." Nevertheless, on screen the trio's increasing physical frailty doesn't slow down their sharp minds. These men are just as witty, smart, and on the ball as any young hotshots. I especially liked Bummy's quips about film sets that don't look lived-in enough, like one that was supposed to be in a house full of kids: "There isn't a mark on anything. They must be well-disciplined children!" No doubt the love that Bob, Al, and Bummy had for their professions kept them young in mind and spirit over the years -- proof of the importance of spending your life doing what you truly love, if you're lucky! The gents were pretty darn dashing, too, wearing suits and ties on the set of such classic films as THE BIRDS and NORTH BY NORTHWEST. As an Alfred Hitchcock fan, I especially enjoyed these particular anecdotes, including Bob's theory that if Hitchcock was alive and making movies today, he'd happily use the current digital technology as long as it truly served the story's purposes. Bob and Harold's return to Bodega Bay after 37 years was one of the film's highlights. Bob, Bummy, and Al joke about being "three old farts," "three old bastards", and "three tottering people," but Bob got it right when he described them all as "three old soldiers." Raim caught the friends on film just in time. Sadly, 91-year-old Bummy died in 2006; Al died at the same age in 2003; and Bob died this past August at the milestone age of 100. Still, I felt like I'd had a chance to be part of their outfit for 80 minutes; it was a pleasure and a privilege to get a look at these men's exciting, meaningful lives being truly lived to the fullest.

SGL is like a fond, wistful, yet buoyant time machine voyage, deserving a place on the must-see list of anyone who loves movies inside and out. It's a thoroughly entertaining yet heartfelt documentary with much to say about the art, heart, and soul of filmmaking, as well as the duration of friendships, the passage of time, the team effort required in such endeavors, and the legacies that all talented people inevitably leave to enrich generations of creative artists to come. I, for one, am pulling for SGL to achieve the widespread success it deserves!

The above quote is from this documentary about some aging Hollywood set designers, art directors and the like. The main person featured in the film is Robert Boyle who lived to 100. He was amazingly lucid and youthful for his age. This film is about this famous set designer as well as a few of his Hollywood buddies (such as Henry Bumstead and Albert Nozaki) who worked for Paramount and who have managed to survive to their old age. Much of the time, you just hear them reminisce about their experiences and this is pure gold for fanatics of Hollywood's golden age. I am sure, however, that many folks who are NOT so inclined may get much less out of this film--especially since the style is quite meandering--sort of like you are sitting off to the side listening to these men talk about their lives.

By the way, some things well worth looking for in this documentary is the interesting way they made the overhead shot and how mountains were amazingly added to "The Birds". Fascinating, indeed.

Hate to be the lone IMDB semi skeleton at this four reviewers fiesta but I found this documentary alternately charming and tedious. The former emotion was principally aroused when in the company of Robert Boyle and his wry sense of humor, perceptions about film (definitely agree with his environmental take on "The Birds") and, most of all, his ability to take himself none too seriously. The later mood was brought about by the six geezers penchant for doing what one of them, Haskell Wexler, hoped they wouldn't do, namely gas on about the good ol days and contrast them to the bad new days. A little of this get off my lawnism goes an awfully long way and, alas, there is more than a bit of it! Give it a B minus.

SOMETHING'S GONNA LIVE had to be made, to document the story of some of the most creative and talented unknown icons of the film industry. "Unknown" because who but the most ardent film buff knows the names of cinema's art directors, production designers, cinematographers, or storyboard illustrators?

The artists celebrated in SOMETHING'S GONNA LIVE are colossal in their own right: Production designer Robert Boyle gave Hitchcock's films the exacting look the Master required. Production designer Henry Bumstead worked for decades alongside A-list directors from George Roy Hill to Clint Eastwood. Cinematographer Conrad Hall's lens captured both the sublime and the ridiculous (his telling of the set-up for a scene from IN COLD BLOOD is one of this documentary's many awe-inspiring moments). Illustrator Harold Michelson's storyboards have been displayed in art museums, they're so damn good. Production designer Albert Nozaki was the genius behind those terrifying spaceships that invaded America in the original WAR OF THE WORLDS. Cinematographer Haskell Wexler's precise eye never blinked in depicting the simple beauty of film reality. Sadly, the years have taken their toll: only Boyle, who is 100, and Wexler, who is 87, are still alive. But all of these artists' work survives, to be enjoyed by countless film-goers for generations to come.

SOMETHING'S GONNA LIVE celebrates the visual art of these extraordinary men, all masters of their craft, all talented artists who worked within the studio system, yet still managed to create some of the most compelling and exciting cinematic art and imagery ever produced. These guys were good.

Writer/Producer/Director Daniel Raim has done a yeoman's job of effectively combining archival stills and near-present-day interviews with teasing bits of footage from many of the most important films of a bygone era. This documentary honors the visual artists behind some of the most incredible cinema ever created, back in the day before computer imagery had even been imagined.

The best thing about SOMETHING'S GONNA LIVE? That is exists, so as to be enjoyed by future generations of film lovers, writers, directors, artists and anyone else who is interested in how to make something cinematically beautiful without hitting a single key on a computer keyboard.

The art and artistry offered up in SOMETHING'S GONNA LIVE is pure and inspiring, and unfortunately something we'll likely never see again.

SOMETHING'S GONNA LIVE is a documentary you gotta see.

You know the type of film that somehow gets under your skin and you find yourself revisiting little details long after you saw it? This is one of those.

It's a last-reunion story, a capturing of priceless moments and shared insights between 6 of Hollywood's most iconic film artists of the last century. We've all had lifelong love affairs with their work, but never knew their names or recognized their remarkable contributions. Until now.

From production design to cinematography, the incomparable talents of the 6 profiled - all that's just a backdrop of sorts, like a grand set design, for a much larger, incredibly moving human story. The values of these wonderfully humble guys repeatedly rise to the top like cream in milk. Their lifelong friendships have endured and ripened over time.

Production designer Robert Boyle - what can anyone say about him? Except that he was such a treasure, solidly grounded with a keen sense of humor that kept things light. Age can do many things to us, but ultimately our character shines through. And his was young and beautiful.

Was that all it was then? No. What a masterful job filmmaker Daniel Raim did, weaving the elements of the story together into something so unexpectedly greater than the sum of its parts. And for that, a standing ovation. A long one. Still clapping. Still.

As far as rating the film goes, I'd give it a 20 but the rating system ends at 10.

Spectacular. See it if you can.