With over 20 publications and extensive field work completed in Ireland, Turkey, Brazil, United States, and other countries, folklorist Henry Glassie has dedicated his life work to exploring cultures and discovering people who excel in creating art in many different forms. With only the natural sounds of the artists at work, the film seems to be an example of field work, and one can imagine Glassie sitting quietly nearby observing the artists at their craft. In fact, several instances are shown where Glassie patiently makes notes in his journal while the artist works. Glassie comments each community agrees on what is beautiful and this wonder can range from sacred art to oriental carpets, pottery, and music.
In the small village of Moragoipinho, Bahia, Brazil, men gather wood to prepare a kiln for firing clay pots. Meanwhile, Rosalvo Santanna completes a lovely clay Madonna with cherubs. Santanna slowly and meticulously creates the hands, shapes a collar, forms the hair, and folds the clay to create the skirt for the lady’s garment. The camera moves in for close-ups of Santanna creating designs on the back of the cape. In Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, Samuel Rodriguez draws a chalk figure of a warrior with a helmet and armor on the garage floor; then, he begins to weld together pieces of metal to create the standing warrior with a drawn bow. Using no face shield, Rodriguez squints and blinks as sparks fly while he welds the pieces together. Slowly, the warrior takes shape and is magnificent when completed. Using hand tools, Edival Rosas skillfully carves the figure of an evangelist out of wood to replace the lost one for the Lady of the Conception. Rosas draws on his intense study of the other figures, his imagination, and spiritual guidance to create his figure.
Considered to be the greatest master of ceramics, Glassie meets Ahmet Sahin in Turkey and views the beautiful ceramic plates he has created. Using wondrous designs and beautiful colors, several Turkish women are shown creating oriental carpets. In Piedmont, North Carolina, Glassie spends time with Kate and Daniel Johnston. Both individuals create exquisite pottery and the camera follows their artistry as they carefully mold the clay to form vases and pots using the potters’ wheel. Mark Hewitt, another potter, completes a vase and later loads his kiln with clay pottery, bricks up the kiln, and lights the fire to finish the process.
In Northern Ireland, Glassie identifies men such as Hugh Nolan and Peter Flanagan who could have become famous musicians or scholars elsewhere. Glassie reflects that history for these individuals is a matter of place, and not time. A slow-moving film, director Pat Collins uses interviews with Henry Glassie in his home office and voice overs by Glassie to highlight Glassie’s approach to ethnographic research and reveal artists at work. Strong optional. Aud: C, P.