| The Mill River | ||||||||||
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The Mill River winds down the hills of western Massachusetts and into the Connecticut River just south of Northampton. Though only 13.5 miles long, it has played an outsized role in the economic, cultural, and recreational history of this region. Native inhabitants and, later, European settlers diverted the river to irrigate their crops, graze their cattle, and turn their mills. But it also flooded their lands and villages, and–-thanks to the mills–-polluted them. By the mid-1800s, the river powered more than 70 mills, but a dam disaster in 1874 wiped nearly all of them out. After the great flood of 1936, the river was re-routed out of downtown Northampton. Today, cleaned of pollutants, it is a popular destination for swimmers, kayakers, canoers, hikers, and dog walkers. “The Mill River” follows the river as it flows through the region and through history into today. |
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The Gilded Cage: Northampton's
Last Water-Powered Elevator 2019, 60 minutes, color
& b/w |
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Northampton's Masonic Block, 25
Main Street, which opened in 1898, featured an
ornate water-powered elevator. This came to an end
in 2017, when the elevator was decommissioned. To
preserve this fascinating bit of Northampton's
history, documentary filmmaker Stan Sherer
interviewed former operators and the repair service
person who maintained it from the mid-1980s until
the end. We
learn how elevators work and why they matter, and
what this one meant to the people and the City of
Northampton. |
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The Brush Shop 2018, 65 minutes, color
& b/w |
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| In the early 1850s,
Florence, Massachusetts resident Alfred P. Critchlow
experimented with a new substance he called the
Florence Compound—a natural thermoplastic made from
shellac, wood fibers and a coloring agent. By 1854,
A. P. Critchlow and Company was manufacturing
buttons and its most successful product,
daguerreotype cases made of this material. As the
company's name changed, first to Littlefield,
Parsons and Company and then to the Florence
Manufacturing Company when it entered the
brush-making business in 1866, its role in
Northampton's economy grew. By 1885 the company
produced the first commercially successful
toothbrush and renamed the business the
Pro-Phy-Lac-Tic Brush Company in 1924 after this
best-selling product. The Pro Brush Company, as
it was called, diversified in the next decades,
manufacturing a vast array of plastic products from
tableware to top-secret atomic bomb parts for the
Manhattan Project. It closed in 2007. |
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Pearl Primus "Omowale" Child
Returned Home
Primarily using materials collected by Primus's biographers Peggy and Murray Schwartz, the film contains photos and rare footage of Primus dancing and teaching throughout the world: on an African field, at Paul Robeson’s 40th birthday party and in performance, working with the Watusi dancers of Rwanda, and much more. Primus is celebrated for introducing a repertory of African dances in the United States. You'll see modern dance/protest pieces as well as African rituals that Primus brilliantly transposed to the concert stage, including her signature piece “Fanga” and her husband Percival Borde dancing “Impinyuza.” Renowned drummers Alphonse Cimber, John (“Tunisi”) Davis and Onwin Borde, also make an appearance. The film also includes excerpts of the Schwartzes' interviews with Joe Nash and Donald Washington. |
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_________________________ Ross Diner 2024, 11 minutes, b/w & color & b/w The diner, once a ubiquitous feature of the American landscape, is now, in the 21st century, a vanishing institution. The Ross Diner, started in 1946, was a beloved Holyoke eatery for over forty years. Under new ownership, it was trucked to Vermont, where it continues to serve its neighborhood. This film is the Ross Diner’s story. View Ross Diner __________________________________ The Forbes Library 2021, 32 minutes, color & b/w
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A documentary about the history of Forbes Library. I made this film in my admiration and appreciation for the enormous contributions the library has made to our cultural and intellectual lives, as well as our general well-being. I wanted to recognize the hard work and dedication of the staff of the library and point out some of the remarkable programs that have made this library much more than a lender of books and media. Using historic and contemporary photos as well as interviews with staff, the film weaves together the 125 year history of the library, paying tribute to its architectural beauty, its philanthropic roots, its dedicated staff, and its evolving role in the community. “This film honors the library and will be of interest to longtime patrons as well as those who want to learn more about the library,” said Lisa Downing, director of the library. |
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