HONORABLE MENTION : SHORT FILM

2008 Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival

 ”Such a passionate and inspiring project. The judges gave the project really good scores.”

Shandra Davis, Director

The 2008 Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival (BCIFF)

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Film Connects Central Maine with South
By: KRISTEN HEWITT
Posted: 3/18/08
It may seem strange to find similarities between extremely Northern Central Maine and the deep South. Yet that is just what theater professor Paul Kuritz does in his film adaptation of the short story “A New Life” by Mary Ward Brown. The story centers on the Christian widow Elizabeth’s emotional stress following the death of her husband as well as the intervention of a zealous religious group.

Before the film’s debut showing in the Olin Arts Center at Bates College Saturday afternoon, Kuritz, who both wrote and directed the film, expressed gratitude for everyone involved in the production, many of whom were in the audience. The involved group included Patricia Phillips from Auburn as the widow, students such as assistant director Sam Leichter ‘08 and actress Maggie McCally ‘08, Bates alumni, staff and other members of the Lewiston/Auburn community.

Kuritz began work on the project during Short Term two years ago. While he has been in theater for 40 years, this is only his fifth in film, which he studied at Rockport, ME. He received the idea to use “A New Life” after a lively talk about it in a short story discussion group. He got permission from the author to adapt the story for his screenplay, and then set about finding a way to produce the film here. The result is that the adaptation has quite a local flavor incorporating Federal house architecture, 500 Canal Street and real Lewiston police officers. In another nice touch, Elizabeth balances her checkbook while consulting a grocery receipt from Hannaford’s.

Transposing the story from the South onto a small town in Maine is effective largely because of the parallels between religious and community lives in the two places. It indeed could be set in many communities with a strong religious background. In the story, members of the Vineyards led by young, bearded, T-shirt-wearing Steve try to help Elizabeth through her grief by encouraging her to turn herself over to God. After various intrusions into Elizabeth’s home by members of the group, however, she finds that she must find her own way to create her new post-marriage life.

Using film to express the story presents some limitations in “A New Life,” as the story itself is privy to many of Elizabeth’s reflections, which reveal her past relationship with Vineyard member, Paul. Nevertheless, the film remains largely true to the events of the story, pays great attention to subtle details, and is successful in its portrayal of Elizabeth’s loneliness and the buildup to her catharsis.

Kuritz has made two five-minute films in addition to “A New Life,” which ran for a half hour. In 2000, he adapted Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” into a script for a student’s performance thesis. The script was published in “The Best American Short Plays 2001-2002.” He currently plans to continue showing “A New Life,” and he has been invited to do so at Dartmouth.

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“Although Bob wished the end was different ( all explained and tied up neatly), I thought it spoke so many things: a knowledge of God versus the true application of living within God; ways to witness, true friendship; being there for God’s ‘right’ timing; even how God’s creation brought a sense of expectation as the earth was weeded and plants cared for – she kept going back – things weren’t all taken care of at once. The title told me she became Christ’s!”

— Vernice Pelletier, Mechanic Falls, Maine

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“I shared [the film] with family and friends, Christians and non-Chjristians. It fascinates me how a viewer’s perspective on a film changes with the knowledge of the director’s beliefs. Why is it that way? Shouldn’t a work of art stand the same regardless of it’s creator? I don’t suppose we look at people of other faiths differently depending on what their perceived relationship to a creator is? ”

Jake Paris