CHILD OF GIANTS: my journey with maynard dixon and dorothea lange
Price: $310.00 Code: 2392 |
Directed by Tom Ropelewski
2010, 97 Minutes
Purchase: $310| Classroom Rental: $125
An intimate appreciation of two iconic American artists, Dorothea Lange, whose Depression-era photographs defined that period in the minds of many Americans, and Maynard Dixon, a painter and illustrator who captured the soul of the Southwest and its vanishing native peoples. This engrossing documentary recounts their story from the unique perspective of their eldest son, Daniel Rhodes Dixon, featuring plentiful examples of their work.
As a child, Daniel Rhodes Dixon recognized his parents' extraordinary gifts, but his view of them changed dramatically during the Depression. While Lange and Dixon were in the field creating some of the most indelible images of the 20th Century, Daniel and his younger brother John, beginning at the ages of seven and four, were 'farmed out' to a series of foster homes, never knowing when they might see their parents again.
Daniel became a troubled teenage rebel, stealing and selling his mother's cameras and his father's artwork, and living homeless on the streets of Oakland, California. Against all odds, he finally came to a surprising reconciliation with his parents' lives and legacies.
Child of Giants tells an alternate history to that depicted in the iconic images of Lange and Dixon - an intimate family history defined by choices made between family and art, and the effect of those choices on generations to come.
The documentary features rare and never-before-seen photographs from the private collection of members of the Dixon-Lange family and from the Oakland Museum of California's Dorothea Lange Archive. It also includes candid commentary from many members of Dixon and Lange's extended family, including Daniel's daughter, screenwriter Leslie Dixon (Mrs. Doubtfire, Hairspray), as well as renowned Bay Area photographers Rondal Partridge and Christina Gardner, both of whom recount tales of being in the field with Dorothea Lange during some of her most significant assignments.
"[Lange and Dixon’s son] Daniel's simple and honest reflections combine with interviews with other family members to create a portrait as compelling as his mother’s stark photographs and father’s soulful canvases." - Booklist
"Child of Giants is unique in its quality and broad appeal. The program can be readily recommended for personal enrichment, and is appropriate for course support in the study of Art, History, Humanities, Sociology, and American Studies. Highly recommended." - Educational Media Reviews Online
"Thomas Ropelewski's fascinating documentary... Child of Giants is by no means an indictment of Lange and Dixon - who are rightfully depicted as important and influential figures in American art world - but it does poignantly illustrate how their obvious eccentricities had a destructive impact on Daniel, and raises important questions about the nature of the artistic temperament. Highly recommended." - Video Librarian
"This film is as much a tribute to Daniel as to his famous parents. Recommended for devotees of the artists and arts libraries." - Library Journal
2010, 97 Minutes
Purchase: $310| Classroom Rental: $125
An intimate appreciation of two iconic American artists, Dorothea Lange, whose Depression-era photographs defined that period in the minds of many Americans, and Maynard Dixon, a painter and illustrator who captured the soul of the Southwest and its vanishing native peoples. This engrossing documentary recounts their story from the unique perspective of their eldest son, Daniel Rhodes Dixon, featuring plentiful examples of their work.
As a child, Daniel Rhodes Dixon recognized his parents' extraordinary gifts, but his view of them changed dramatically during the Depression. While Lange and Dixon were in the field creating some of the most indelible images of the 20th Century, Daniel and his younger brother John, beginning at the ages of seven and four, were 'farmed out' to a series of foster homes, never knowing when they might see their parents again.
Daniel became a troubled teenage rebel, stealing and selling his mother's cameras and his father's artwork, and living homeless on the streets of Oakland, California. Against all odds, he finally came to a surprising reconciliation with his parents' lives and legacies.
Child of Giants tells an alternate history to that depicted in the iconic images of Lange and Dixon - an intimate family history defined by choices made between family and art, and the effect of those choices on generations to come.
The documentary features rare and never-before-seen photographs from the private collection of members of the Dixon-Lange family and from the Oakland Museum of California's Dorothea Lange Archive. It also includes candid commentary from many members of Dixon and Lange's extended family, including Daniel's daughter, screenwriter Leslie Dixon (Mrs. Doubtfire, Hairspray), as well as renowned Bay Area photographers Rondal Partridge and Christina Gardner, both of whom recount tales of being in the field with Dorothea Lange during some of her most significant assignments.
Subjects & Collections
Art History Photography American History Psychology & Psychiatry Family Relations Native American Studies 2011
Festivals & Awards
* Official Selection, Mill Valley Film Festival, 2010Reviews
"Genius is readily appreciated on a gallery wall or around a dinner table, but it can be hard going in the role of parent. That's one lesson learned from Child of Giants, a son's-eye view of two iconic 20th-century American artists. Ropelewski's documentary affords a skillful overview of their work and influence while measuring the toll taken on impressionable young minds they tried to mold in their own image. Plentiful archival materials illustrate this engaging, well-crafted chronicle." - Variety"[Lange and Dixon’s son] Daniel's simple and honest reflections combine with interviews with other family members to create a portrait as compelling as his mother’s stark photographs and father’s soulful canvases." - Booklist
"Child of Giants is unique in its quality and broad appeal. The program can be readily recommended for personal enrichment, and is appropriate for course support in the study of Art, History, Humanities, Sociology, and American Studies. Highly recommended." - Educational Media Reviews Online
"Thomas Ropelewski's fascinating documentary... Child of Giants is by no means an indictment of Lange and Dixon - who are rightfully depicted as important and influential figures in American art world - but it does poignantly illustrate how their obvious eccentricities had a destructive impact on Daniel, and raises important questions about the nature of the artistic temperament. Highly recommended." - Video Librarian
"This film is as much a tribute to Daniel as to his famous parents. Recommended for devotees of the artists and arts libraries." - Library Journal