Sherman's March

Talking about life, director Ross McElwee's former teacher and friend Charleen tells him “it's all a tragedy,” adding “it's just a matter of how you get through it.” How McElwee gets through it is by incessantly filming his own existence, although Charleen thinks his time would be better spent getting married. This conflict is at the heart of this wonderful 1986 autobiographical documentary in which the recently-dumped McElwee scuttles plans for a documentary about the Civil War legacy of General Sherman's “total warfare” against the South, and instead chronicles his own search for love. This one-of-a-kind film, enshrined in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, is a deadpan delight, populated by fascinating characters. Charleen, in particular, is a formidable force of nature. “Will you stop?” she wails when Ross films his first meeting with a woman whom Charleen is convinced will be his future wife; she tells him, “This is not art. This is life.” Actually, it's both, and McElwee seems as hopelessly romantic and hapless as a young Woody Allen. “With consummate timing,” he remarks at one point, “I insist on talking to Karen about our relationship in the midst of 10,000 angry women” attending an Equal Rights Amendment rally. Other memorable encounters include a family of survivalists trying “to get back to Little House on the Prairie,” an island-dwelling linguist, and an encounter with a Burt Reynolds-lookalike who aspires to be the actor's stuntman. Anticipating society's fascination with reality TV, Sherman's March bows on DVD with a solid-looking transfer, and features an interview with the director. Highly recommended. (D. Liebenson)