With no formal training, now-retired factory worker Pearl Fryar (66 at the time of filming, and looking fitter than many athletes half his age) defied the expectations of expert horticulturists and turned his garden into a dreamscape of abstract topiary, becoming the first African-American to win Bishopville, SC's “Yard of the Month” award. Now, visitors arrive by the thousands each year to marvel at the bizarre shapes and swirls of Fryar's living sculptures—the only tourist attraction in a sleepy town that Fryar almost singlehandedly rescued from economic extinction. Scott Galloway and Brent Pierson's infectiously upbeat and totally irresistible documentary A Man Named Pearl chronicles one man's journey from sharecropper's son to internationally recognized folk artist, ultimately becoming not just a tribute to Fryar's harmonious melding of mind, body, spirit, and earth (his philosophy can be summed up as “love, peace, and goodwill”), but also presenting a metaphor for what the world truly needs now. Apart from subtly acknowledging the Southern bigotry that lingers in Bishopville, the film eschews any sense of negativity. For those receptive to valuable life lessons, the soft-spoken Fryar's legacy will extend far beyond the boundaries of his garden. DVD extras include an update, interview with film composer Fred Story, and a bonus audio CD of the score. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Shannon)
A Man Named Pearl
(2006) 78 min. DVD: $26.95 (bonus audio CD included). Docurama (avail. from most distributors). ISBN: 1-4229-2270-7. Volume 24, Issue 2
A Man Named Pearl
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