Given the recent legal contretemps involving the city of Chicago, Dave Matthews' touring bus, and a quantity of human excrement that either was or was not cast into the Chicago River from said vehicle, this look at the “creative processes” of a diverse list of Hollywood directors with Chicago roots utilizing the river as a backdrop couldn't be more timely. Producer/director D.P. Carlson puts directors such as Michael Mann, Harold Ramis, John Landis, and the redoubtable Haskell Wexler in a wide variety of boats--from canoes to paddleboats to a tiki-themed barge--and cruises them up and down the Chicago River to talk about the Windy City, the river's place in the city's history and culture, the filmmaker's attachments to the metropolis, and their approaches to crafting films. Since all of the directors are from Chicago, a sort of neighborhood-by-neighborhood sketch of the city emerges: warts, pollution, and all (including much admiration). Footage of Roger Ebert and the late Gene Siskel offering evaluative introductions of the various directors is interwoven, thereby setting the stage for the filmmakers' reminiscences. And for those viewers who wonder what a “Chicago whitefish” is, the answer is here (it's a dead rat, typically floating belly up, in the Chicago River). DVD extras include 60 minutes of bonus footage, a director's commentary, a 3-D gallery (with 3-D glasses), and more. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (M. Tribby)
Chicago Filmmakers on the Chicago River
(2004) 80 min. DVD: $15. Film Foetus. PPR. Color cover. Volume 19, Issue 6
Chicago Filmmakers on the Chicago River
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