SAMUEL BECKETT AND BUSTER KEATON!!! TOGETHER AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! IF YOU CROWD FINANCE ONE PROJECT THIS YEAR, THIS IS THE ONE!!!! YOU HAVE 2 (TWO) DAYS TO ASSIST IN SUPPLEMENTING THE FINISHING OF THIS IMPORTANT WORK AND TO ENSURE THE INCLUSION OF RARE SPECIAL MATERIALS FOR THE HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE!!! Footage Long Considered Lost From Legendary Film Directed By the Late Samuel Beckett Found Under a Sink in Fourth Floor Walkup Apartment in New York City - Visionary Film Distribution Company Milestone Film and Video Undertakes Its First Film Production to Document The Making of this Historical Work and Restore the Long Lost Scene That Was To Comprise One-Third of the Picture - Report By Greg Klymkiw

ATTENTION: ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO CARES ABOUT CINEMA, HERE IS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THE RESTORATION OF THE ONLY FILM MADE BY PLAYWRIGHT SAMUEL BECKETT AND USING FOOTAGE RECENTLY DISCOVERED AND A DETAILED DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT THE MAKING OF BECKETT'S FILM (DRAWING FROM A WEALTH OF SOUND - YES, SOUND!!! - RECORDINGS FEATURING BECKETT HIMSELF, A MAJOR FIND SINCE VERY FEW RECORDINGS OF BECKETT ACTUALLY EXIST) ALL OF WHICH WAS FOUND - NO KIDDING - IN A CUPBOARD UNDER A SINK IN A FOURTH STORY WALKUP APARTMENT IN NEW YORK CITY. FILMMAKERS, FILM LOVERS, FILM PROGRAMMERS, FILMMAKING CO-OPERATIVES, MEMBERS OF SAID CO-OPERATIVES, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS, DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION COMPANIES, BROADCAST EXECUTIVES, CULTURAL FUNDING OFFICIALS - ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO CARES ABOUT FILM - READ THIS AND THE ATTACHED LINKS AND MAKE THIS PROJECT A REALITY. IT'S FOR YOU AND FUTURE GENERATIONS!

WHAT'S ESPECIALLY WONDERFUL ABOUT CONTRIBUTING TO THE KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN IS THAT THIS IS NOT ONLY ABOUT FINISHING FUNDS FOR THIS HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT PROJECT, BUT TO ACTUALLY ASSIST WITH THE WEALTH OF GREAT AND RARE BONUS MATERIALS FOR THE BLU-RAY/DVD RELEASE LIKE:

Buster Keaton and Film:

A Conversation with James Karen

A Meeting With Samuel Beckett:

A Conversation with Kevin Brownlow

Memories of Alan Schneider:

A Conversation with Jean Schneider

NOTFILM, is the title of what will prove to be one of the most anticipated documentary films over the next year or so. The movie will explore the making of the classic 1965 film entitled, FILM. NOTFILM will focus upon the historic collaborative process between the greatest playwright of the 20th Century, Samuel Beckett, silent film actor Buster Keaton, Grove Press publishing magnate Barney Rossett, theatre director Alan Schneider (director of over 100 theatrical productions including the American premieres of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Waiting For Godot), legendary film, TV and theatre actor James Karen (movie fans will never forget his performances in Return of the Living Dead and Wall Street), editor and director Sidney Meyers (responsible for such groundbreaking films as The Quiet One, Edge of the City and The Savage Eye) and last, but not least, Academy-Award-Winning cinematographer (and brother of Dziga Vertov) Boris Kaufman (who fought with the French army against the Nazis, escaped to Canada where he worked with John Grierson at the National Film Board and shot many of the most important films of all time including Zéro de conduit, L'Atalante, Zou-Zou, On The Waterfront, 12 Angry Men, The Fugitive Kind, Long Day's Journey Into Night, The World of Henry Orient and The Pawnbroker).

Milestone Film and Video continues its important, visionary and groundbreaking work in the restoration of important cinema with its first official foray into film production with an extraordinary project. Milestone was formed in 1990 by Dennis Doros and Amy Heller and since then, they've been the go-to-diviners for all cineastes to revel in work of the greatest importance in the development of film as the miracle art form it is. For me, I cannot even begin to imagine a world of cinema without them.

My own life and love for movies and even that of my family has been so enriched by the great work we've been able to experience from Milestone. The list of phenomenal work that graces our library and continues to give joy on repeated viewings includes Lionel Rogosin’s On the Bowery, Mikhail Kalatozov’s I Am Cuba, Marcel Ophuls’s The Sorrow and the Pity, Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep, all the phenomenal collections of Nell Shipman, Mary Pickford, Charley Chase. the phenomenal early silent and sound documentaries set in far flung exotic locales - the list goes on and on. This is a library of lovingly curated and restored work that speaks volumes to how passion and commitment to cinema CAN be a viable business proposition for those who truly have the right stuff in the movie business - a business that has become so lazy and ephemeral in its desire to provide mere content for the lowest possible cost and the least amount of effort.

Of course, this wouldn't be possible for Milestone without great collaborators like Ross Lipman, the legendary UCLA Film & Television Archive restorationist who has painstakingly and exquisitely brought so many lost, damaged and/or worn classic movies back to life which, in turn have been disseminated to the world via Milestone.



Lipman and Milestone are the key collaborators on NOTFILM, the director and producer respectively.

The importance of this project has seldom been paralleled in the recent history of film restoration. That footage thought to be long-ago lost will now be lovingly restored to a version of Beckett's FILM which was discarded by the Master in considerable haste and under major pressure.

PLEASE consider a crowd-funded donation of any amount to this important project. The goodies available at various levels of support are extremely generous and valuable, but most importantly, you will be integral to preserving a vital piece of film history.



The KICKSTARTER site for the film is HERE.

A great site on both FILM and NOTFILM can be found HERE. The Milestone Film and Video website, to give you a full account of the phenomenal work this company has done (and maybe, to even consider buying some of their great titles is HERE.

Some of THE FILM CORNER reviews of previous Milestone releases can be found at the following:

Shirley Clarke's immortal contribution to Gay Cinema History PORTRAIT OF JASON review is HERE

Schoedsack and Cooper's ARAYA review is HERE

Schoedsack and Cooper's GRASS: A NATION'S BATTLE FOR LIFE review is HERE

COME BACK AFRICA: The Films of Lionel Rogosin Vol. 2 review is HERE

BABY PEGGY: THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM review is HERE

MARY PICKFORD: RAGS & RICHES COLLECTION - THE POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL, THE HOODLUM, SPARROWS review is HERE

CUT TO THE CHASE: THE CHARLEY CHASE COLLECTION (One of Greg Klymkiw's Ten Best DVD/Blu-Ray Releases of 2012) review is HERE

ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S "BON VOYAGE" and "AVENTURE MALGACHE" is HERE

ON THE BOWERY - "The Films of Lionel Rogosin Volume 1" review HERE

Sessue Hayakawa's THE DRAGON PAINTER review HERE

Article about the Milestone Restoration of Shirley Clarke's "PORTRAIT OF JASON" - The CLASSIC 1967 DOC on BEING GAY and OF COLOUR in AMERICA made Greg Klymkiw's List of Great 2012 CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS at THE FILM CORNER can be found HERE

Footage Long Considered Lost From Legendary Film Directed By the Late Samuel Beckett Found Under a Sink in Fourth Floor Walkup Apartment in New York City - Visionary Film Distribution Company Milestone Film and Video Undertakes Its First Film Production to Document The Making of this Historical Work and Restore the Long Lost Scene That Was To Comprise One-Third of the Picture - Report By Greg Klymkiw

ATTENTION: ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO CARES ABOUT CINEMA, HERE IS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THE RESTORATION OF THE ONLY FILM MADE BY PLAYWRIGHT SAMUEL BECKETT AND USING FOOTAGE RECENTLY DISCOVERED AND A DETAILED DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT THE MAKING OF BECKETT'S FILM (DRAWING FROM A WEALTH OF SOUND - YES, SOUND!!! - RECORDINGS FEATURING BECKETT HIMSELF, A MAJOR FIND SINCE VERY FEW RECORDINGS OF BECKETT ACTUALLY EXIST) ALL OF WHICH WAS FOUND - NO KIDDING - IN A CUPBOARD UNDER A SINK IN A FOURTH STORY WALKUP APARTMENT IN NEW YORK CITY. FILMMAKERS, FILM LOVERS, FILM PROGRAMMERS, FILMMAKING CO-OPERATIVES, MEMBERS OF SAID CO-OPERATIVES, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS, DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION COMPANIES, BROADCAST EXECUTIVES, CULTURAL FUNDING OFFICIALS - ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO CARES ABOUT FILM - READ THIS AND THE ATTACHED LINKS AND MAKE THIS PROJECT A REALITY. IT'S FOR YOU AND FUTURE GENERATIONS!

NOTFILM, is the title of what will prove to be one of the most anticipated documentary films over the next year or so. The movie will explore the making of the classic 1965 film entitled, FILM. NOTFILM will focus upon the historic collaborative process between the greatest playwright of the 20th Century, Samuel Beckett, silent film actor Buster Keaton, Grove Press publishing magnate Barney Rossett, theatre director Alan Schneider (director of over 100 theatrical productions including the American premieres of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Waiting For Godot), legendary film, TV and theatre actor James Karen (movie fans will never forget his performances in Return of the Living Dead and Wall Street), editor and director Sidney Meyers (responsible for such groundbreaking films as The Quiet One, Edge of the City and The Savage Eye) and last, but not least, Academy-Award-Winning cinematographer (and brother of Dziga Vertov) Boris Kaufman (who fought with the French army against the Nazis, escaped to Canada where he worked with John Grierson at the National Film Board and shot many of the most important films of all time including Zéro de conduit, L'Atalante, Zou-Zou, On The Waterfront, 12 Angry Men, The Fugitive Kind, Long Day's Journey Into Night, The World of Henry Orient and The Pawnbroker).

Milestone Film and Video continues its important, visionary and groundbreaking work in the restoration of important cinema with its first official foray into film production with an extraordinary project. Milestone was formed in 1990 by Dennis Doros and Amy Heller and since then, they've been the go-to-diviners for all cineastes to revel in work of the greatest importance in the development of film as the miracle art form it is. For me, I cannot even begin to imagine a world of cinema without them.

My own life and love for movies and even that of my family has been so enriched by the great work we've been able to experience from Milestone. The list of phenomenal work that graces our library and continues to give joy on repeated viewings includes Lionel Rogosin’s On the Bowery, Mikhail Kalatozov’s I Am Cuba, Marcel Ophuls’s The Sorrow and the Pity, Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep, all the phenomenal collections of Nell Shipman, Mary Pickford, Charley Chase. the phenomenal early silent and sound documentaries set in far flung exotic locales - the list goes on and on. This is a library of lovingly curated and restored work that speaks volumes to how passion and commitment to cinema CAN be a viable business proposition for those who truly have the right stuff in the movie business - a business that has become so lazy and ephemeral in its desire to provide mere content for the lowest possible cost and the least amount of effort.

Of course, this wouldn't be possible for Milestone without great collaborators like Ross Lipman, the legendary UCLA Film & Television Archive restorationist who has painstakingly and exquisitely brought so many lost, damaged and/or worn classic movies back to life which, in turn have been disseminated to the world via Milestone.

Lipman and Milestone are the key collaborators on NOTFILM, the director and producer respectively.

The importance of this project has seldom been paralleled in the recent history of film restoration. That footage thought to be long-ago lost will now be lovingly restored to a version of Beckett's FILM which was discarded by the Master in considerable haste and under major pressure.

PLEASE consider a crowd-funded donation of any amount to this important project. The goodies available at various levels of support are extremely generous and valuable, but most importantly, you will be integral to preserving a vital piece of film history.

The indiegogo site for the film is HERE.

A great site on both FILM and NOTFILM can be found HERE. The Milestone Film and Video website, to give you a full account of the phenomenal work this company has done (and maybe, to even consider buying some of their great titles is HERE.

Some of THE FILM CORNER reviews of previous Milestone releases can be found at the following:

MARY PICKFORD: RAGS & RICHES COLLECTION - THE POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL, THE HOODLUM, SPARROWS review is HERE

CUT TO THE CHASE: THE CHARLEY CHASE COLLECTION (One of Greg Klymkiw's Ten Best DVD/Blu-Ray Releases of 2012) review is HERE

ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S "BON VOYAGE" and "AVENTURE MALGACHE" is HERE

ON THE BOWERY - "The Films of Lionel Rogosin Volume 1" review HERE

Sessue Hayakawa's THE DRAGON PAINTER review HERE

Article about the Milestone Restoration of Shirley Clarke's "PORTRAIT OF JASON" - The CLASSIC 1967 DOC on BEING GAY and OF COLOUR in AMERICA made Greg Klymkiw's List of Great 2012 CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS at THE FILM CORNER can be found HERE

"PORTRAIT OF JASON" - The CLASSIC 1967 DOC on BEING GAY and OF COLOUR in AMERICA NEEDS MAJOR RESTORATION. TODAY'S SPECIAL KLYMKIW FILM CORNER CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA #12 MIGHT BE THE BEST GIFT IDEA OF ALL - AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASSIST THE MILESTONE FILMS RESTORATION OF THIS IMPORTANT MOTION PICTURE - By Greg Klymkiw

Classic Documentary Restoration

2012 Film Corner Christmas Gift Suggestion #12:
PARTICIPATE IN THE IMPORTANT RESTORATION OF SHIRLEY CLARKE's CLASSIC DOC: PORTRAIT OF JASON

By Greg Klymkiw

Movie-lovers still have two days (until Dec. 10, 2012) to give the Christmas gift that keeps on giving. Imagine making a friend, loved one, family member AND yourself a contributor to the Kickstarter restoration of an important cinéma vérité documentary film focusing upon the irreverent GAY AMERICAN houseboy, hustler and wannabe cabaret perfomer, Jason Holiday.

Make no mistake!!! The film NEEDS restoration and it's importance to GAY HISTORY and FILM ART cannot be stressed enough. Creating new work is all well and good, but for the future of cinema, the preservation of its past is just as vital.

Shirley Clarke's PORTRAIT OF JASON is being SAVED and RESTORED by Amy Heller and Dennis Doros of the legendary Milestone Films and will have its fresh launch at the 2013 edition of the Berlinale (the Berlin International Film Festival) - 45 YEARS after it was first made.

Milestone's important work earned its founders Amy Heller and Dennis Doros a Special Award from the 2012 New York Film Critics Circle for the "current project to preserve the work of pioneering indie filmmaker Shirley Clarke."

If you've never seen this great picture, here is a clip from a RESTORED section of the film wherein its subject Jason describes his experience as a "houseboy" for a rich, old Southern white lady:

The most amazing thing is that the recent Kickstarter program devoted to this restoration has already met its goal. This DOES NOT mean, you can't or shouldn't contribute. Every penny will go to the creation of this stunning doc and going over the goal will mean MORE goodies that might be created as bonus features for the Blu-Ray and DVD releases and possibly including the restoration of Shirley Clarke's shorts, restoring a few of her “unfinished” film projects and interviewing those who worked on the making of Portrait of Jason.

I haven't seen this extraordinary film since the late 70s, but at the time it knocked me on my proverbial ass. Jason himself was an incredible subject and through his experience one got an indelible portrait of being gay AND black at that time. Strangely enough, memory serves me well enough on this that the film is, in spite of changing times, as relevant to today's world as it was then - maybe even more so. With the fuckwads in Uganda and their attempts to criminalize homosexuality as a capital offence and frankly, attitudes towards both the gay and of-colour communities that still exist in even so-called "progressive" societies means that this film can now be experienced by whole new generations of audiences all over the world and for generations to come.

Here's another great restored clip from Portrait of Jason:

Now, let it be said that Dennis Doros and Amy Heller at Milestone Film are International Treasures. Their dedication to preserving lost and/or damaged motion pictures and then making them available theatrically and to home entertainment enthusiasts (I probably own at least half of the Milestone Films library).

In addition to perusing the available donations for this restoration (and making your donations HERE), please feel free to visit the Milestone Films website HERE and look at the treasure trove of great stuff YOU CAN OWN. Buy it directly from their site OR, SUPPORT MY SITE by ordering some of their great titles from the links at the bottom of this page.

Your donations get you, your friends, your family and other loved ones the thrill of contributing to this important restoration, but also, some great bonus items.

$35 gets you: A Portrait of Jason theatrical release poster, designed by award-winning graphic designer Scott Meola and a personal handwritten thank you from Milestone founders, Dennis Doros and Amy Heller!

$60 gets you: Everything above plus your name in the closing credits of the home DVD and Blu-ray release of Portrait of Jason.

$85 gets you (and THIS IS A SUPER DEAL): Everything above plus your choice of a DVD or Blu-ray copy of Portrait of Jason.

$110 gets you: Everything above plus posters for Shirley Clarke's other groundbreaking films — The Connection and Ornette: Made in America. Both designed by award-winning graphic designer Scott Meola.

$260 gets you: Everything above plus Milestone's ENTIRE Shirley Clarke home video collection, including The Connection (Blu-ray or DVD), Ornette: Made in America (Blu-ray or DVD), and Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the World (DVD).

$510 gets you: Everything above plus your name in the closing credits of the theatrical release version of Portrait of Jason, as well as an invitation to a press screening of the film in New York City!

Oh, and all my American readers, just a reminder that you can deduct $10 from the above donations as it's cheaper to send stuff to you than the rest of the world.

$1000 gets you: Silver-level Donor: Everything above plus your name listed as a silver-level backer in the closing credits of the theatrical and home video releases and on the poster and website for Portrait of Jason.

And okay now, all you RICH BASTARDS (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE), HERE'S SOMETHING JUST FOR YOU! HERE ARE THREE DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE.

MAYBE EVEN SOME RICH CANADIAN FILM COMPANIES CAN FORK OUT LIKE CINEPLEX ENTERTAINMENT or even E-ONE CANADA and then donate the packages to some worthy young filmmaker or (a few) at the National Screen Institute, York University, Concordia University, Ryerson University Documentary School or the Canadian Film Centre.

$2500 bags you: Gold-level Donor: Everything above plus your name listed prominently as a gold-level backer in the closing credits of the theatrical and home video releases and on the poster and website for Portrait of Jason, PLUS any 5 available DVDs from the Milestone collection!

$5000 bags you: Platinum-level Donor: Everything above plus a private dinner with Dennis Doros and Amy Heller, founders of Milestone Film & Video, in New York City to discuss the restoration of Portrait of Jason and hear Dennis give his famous lecture, "Where's Shirley?" about the process of discovering materials for Portrait of Jason. [Travel and accommodations not included] PLUS any 10 available DVDs from the Milestone collection!

$10,000 bags you: Diamond-level Donor: All of the above and the dinner invitation included with a Platinum donation, joined by Shirley Clarke's daughter Wendy Clarke. [Travel and accommodations not included] PLUS any 10 available DVDs from the Milestone collection and two one-year memberships to NYC's acclaimed IFC Center.

Again, RICH BASTARDS NOTE - the above three are just for you - especially if you want to not be a total GREEDY FUCKING PIG and donate your winnings to some young filmmakers.

You can order Portrait of Jason directly from the links below.

In USA and the rest of the WORLD - BUY Portrait of Jason - HERE!

In Canada - BUY Portrait of Jason HERE, eh!

In the UNITED KINGDOM - BUY Portrait of Jason - HERE!

Feel free to read my RAVE review of ON THE BOWERY HERE. My Review of THE DRAGON PAINTER can be read HERE. And be on the lookout for my full-length Film Corner reviews of RAGS AND RICHES: THE MARY PICKFORD COLLECTION HERE, CUT TO THE CHASE!: THE CHARLIE CHASE COLLECTION HERE and ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S "BON VOYAGE" & "ADVENTURE MALGACHE" HERE.