Happy Birthday! MFAH Films Celebrates Robert Frank November 1, 2016
Happy birthday to Robert Frank! He turns 92 on November 9 and is still one of the coolest guys I know. Our Museum has had the privilege of working with this venerable photographer and filmmaker for years. He is well represented in our permanent collection, and we’ve distributed his films since the 1980s.
His birthday has inspired us to screen two films you won’t see anywhere else in town: a new look at Frank’s life and career, plus a raw, behind-the-scenes documentary he filmed while touring with the Rolling Stones in the 1970s.
First up is Don’t Blink – Robert Frank on November 5 and 6, direct by his longtime editor, Laura Israel. She had convinced Frank that a late-career profile was timely, and she worked with him to select interviews, film excerpts, and conversations. Her film touches on his artistic triumphs, frequent collaborations with other artists and musicians, and the personal losses that have marked his art. Also featured is his wife, June Leaf, a talented artist who has been Frank’s intrepid partner.
Of the film’s meandering style, Israel said, “That’s the way he works: He looks at his life and he tries to figure out how to have it unfold through his work in a way that is a bit of a mystery.”
Then there’s the soundtrack, which just soars: Bob Dylan, the Kills, the Rolling Stones, Patti Smith, the Velvet Underground, the White Stripes, and more. These musicians, all fans of Robert Frank, readily gave permission.
That brings us to the Rolling Stones: On November 19, we screen Cocksucker Blues, a documentary Frank made with his friend Danny Seymour when they were invited to accompany the band on tour in 1972. But it’s is not a concert film. Rather, it takes us beyond backstage, capturing the musicians as they balance their public and private personas. Candid sequences evoke the exhaustion and escapades of a long tour. When the band saw the final cut, their discomfort with the film resulted in extreme restrictions on its availability. As a Variety critic observed recently, “it’s the time capsule that keeps on giving because it’s still semi-buried.”
Planning to see both films? We’re offering a discount if you buy tickets on-site at any MFAH admissions desk and at our box office. Learn more.
