Running Fence
Brief Synopsis
After a four-year struggle, the artist Christo drapes twenty-four-and-a-half miles of white nylon across the California coast.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Albert Maysles
Director
Victoria Britt
Associate Producer
Lee Dichter
Sound Mixer
Lee Dichter
Sound
Jim Dickinson
Music
Robert Elfstrom
Camera Assistant
Film Details
Genre
Documentary
Release Date
1978
Technical Specs
Duration
58m
Synopsis
After a four-year struggle, the artist Christo drapes twenty-four-and-a-half miles of white nylon across the California coast.
Crew
Victoria Britt
Associate Producer
Lee Dichter
Sound Mixer
Lee Dichter
Sound
Jim Dickinson
Music
Robert Elfstrom
Camera Assistant
Michael Giovingo
Production Manager
Kate Hirson
Associate Editor
Stanley Hirson
Segment Producer
Petur Hliddal
Sound Mixer
L.a. Johnson
Sound
Donald George Klocek
Assistant Editor
Jill Lancaster
Song Performer
Don Lenzer
Cinematographer
Stephen Lighthill
Camera Assistant
David Macmillan
Sound
Albert Maysles
Director Of Photography
Albert Maysles
Producer
Albert Maysles
Other
David Maysles
Producer
David Maysles
Sound
David Maysles
Other
Richard Pearce
Camera Assistant
Tom Simon
Associate Producer
Bruce Sinofsky
Associate Producer
Nelson Stroll
Sound
Charlotte Zwerin
Editor
Charlotte Zwerin
Producer
Film Details
Genre
Documentary
Release Date
1978
Technical Specs
Duration
58m
Articles
Five Films About Christo & Jeanne-Claude by The Maysles Brothers
-Desson Howe, THE WASHINGTON POST
"The Christos' projects and our films are both outrageous acts of faith."
-Albert Maysles
This Spring, Plexifilm introduces its most elaborate release yet, FIVE FILMS ABOUT CHRISTO & JEANNE-CLAUDE. This three-DVD set is the most complete motion picture collaboration ever released between filmmakers and artists. Spanning 30 years, this unique DVD package shows the passion, vision and complexity of the environmental art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The five award-winning films have been digitally remastered with new transfers supervised by Albert Maysles and presented with new interviews, feature commentary on all five films by Christo, Jeanne-Claude and Albert Maysles, an 82-page full-color booklet with an introduction by Albert Maysles, an essay by film critic Charles Taylor and a detailed history of the projects with exclusive photos, technical details, film stills and credits. This deluxe box will be released in association with Distributed Art Publishers (D.A.P.).
FIVE FILMS ABOUT CHRISTO & JEANNE-CLAUDE chronicles a 30-year collaboration between acclaimed documentary filmmakers Albert and his late brother David Maysles (GIMME SHELTER, SALESMAN, GREY GARDENS), and the internationally renowned environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The Maysles Brothers, along with such frequent co-filmmakers as Charlotte Zwerin and Susan Froemke, have captured the artists' enduring relationship and the grandeur of their large scale temporary public works. This series stands as a permanent document of the process, the political drama, the emotional investment and the transforming effect the finished works have on all those who come in contact with them.
These huge undertakings, such as surrounding eleven islands in Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida, erecting a 24-mile-long/18-foot-high fence in two Northern California counties or hanging a giant curtain between two mountains in Rifle Gap, Colorado, become stories of hope and triumph in the face of adversity. The act of filming becomes the project itself, as the filmmakers are present every step of the way from planning, approval, execution and display of these temporary artworks.
As David Maysles said, "The Christos come up with an idea that at first seems impossible, then lets it grow; so do we."
The release of FIVE FILMS ABOUT CHRISTO & JEANNE-CLAUDE anticipates The Gates Project for Central Park, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's newest public work which will be making its appearance in February 2005, along with a major touring exhibition on the project at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in April 2004. Once again, Maysles Films will be documenting the entire process. All five films in the DVD set will be screened at the Met as part of the exhibition, with lectures by Christo, Jeanne-Claude and Albert Maysles.
The DVD set:
DISC 1:
CHRISTO'S VALLEY CURTAIN a film by the Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Ellen Hovde 1974, 28 minutes The first collaboration between the Maysles Brothers and the Christos and recipient of an Academy Award® Nomination, CHRISTO'S VALLEY CURTAIN celebrates the dramatic hanging of a huge orange curtain between two Colorado mountains and the powerful effect it has on a community.
"By far the finest film I have ever seen about an artist and his work."
- Calvin Tomkins, THE NEW YORKER
RUNNING FENCE a film by Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin 1978, 58 minutes An engrossing document of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's efforts to build a 24 1/2-mile-long, 18-foot-high fence of white fabric across the hills of northern California. The artists' struggle with local ranchers, environmentalists and state bureaucrats ends when the fence is unfurled, reuniting the community in a celebration of beauty.
"One of the most exhilarating hours of your life." - Judith Crist, THE NEW YORK POST
"Shows America at its very best. I was quite literally moved to tears."
- John Walker, Director Emeritus, National Gallery of Art
DISC 2:
ISLANDS a film by Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin 1986, 57 minutes A film that further explores the artists' fusion of culture, environment and politics. Christo and Jeanne-Claude's fight for permission to surround eleven islands in Miami's Biscayne Bay with 6.5 million square feet of bright pink fabric, interwoven with their struggle to wrap the Pont-Neuf in Paris and the Reichstag in Berlin.
"A wryly funny and ultimately beautiful film. Splendid."
- Bill Cosford, THE MIAMI HERALD
"Captures the shimmering tropical poetry of blossoms more epic than any painted by Monet."
- Manuela Hoelterhoff, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
CHRISTO IN PARIS a film by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Deborah Dickson and Susan Froemke 1990, 58 minutes Winner of the Grand Prize at the Amsterdam Film Festival and Best Cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival, CHRISTO IN PARIS explores Christo's escape from Bulgaria, his early years as a struggling artist, his romance with Jeanne-Claude and the fulfillment of a ten-year obsession: the wrapping of the Pont-Neuf in Paris.
"Never did anyone look at the Pont Neuf as much as the day it was hidden... Christo teaches us to see."
- Jack Lang, French Minister of Culture
DISC 3:
UMBRELLAS a film by Albert Maysles, Henry Corra, Grahame Weinbren 1995, 81 minutes East and West are brought together through the medium of art: 1,340 blue umbrellas are opened in a rice-farming valley in the Japanese province of Ibaraki, and 1,760 yellow umbrellas across a cluster of cattle ranches in the rolling hills of southern California. A beautiful journey filled with both triumph and tragedy.
"An ambitious documentary about an ambitious environmentalist art project. UMBRELLAS unfolds as an increasingly suspenseful drama."
- Howard Feinstein, VARIETY
INTERVIEW
- New video interview. Albert Maysles, Christo and Jeanne-Claude discuss their friendship, the films, and their ongoing collaboration as well as the upcoming Gates Project for New York City's Central Park.
AUDIO COMMENTARY
- Feature commentary on all five films by Christo, Jeanne-Claude and Albert Maysles
+BOOKLET:
82-page full-color booklet contains:
- An introduction by Albert Maysles
- An essay by film critic Charles Taylor
- a detailed history of the projects with exclusive photos, technical details, film stills and credits.
These films are presented in 1.33:1 aspect ratio, preserving the ratio of their original theatrical exhibition.
In 1962, when Albert and David Maysles first met Christo and Jeanne-Claude in Paris, they immediately recognized kindred spirits. The Maysles Brothers, known for their pioneering works of non-fiction, draw from real human dramas, capturing life as it unfolds. Their films extend the boundaries of conventional documentaries. Likewise, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's large-scale temporary works of art have helped change our perceptions of art and society.
Maysles Films have captured Christo and Jeanne-Claude's enduring relationship and the grandeur of their creations, along with the political and social controversy that always seems to surround them. The environmental artworks are displayed for only a short period, therefore these films stand as a permanent document of the process, the political drama, the emotional investment and the transforming effect the finished works have on all those who come in contact with them.
For more information please email info@plexifilm.com or check http://www.plexifilm.com
Five Films About Christo & Jeanne-Claude by The Maysles Brothers
"The Maysles Brothers have made a compelling statement about the artist
and society; Christo's success becomes personal, artistic and allegorical
triumph." -Desson Howe, THE WASHINGTON POST
"The Christos' projects and our films are both outrageous acts of faith."
-Albert Maysles
This Spring, Plexifilm introduces its most elaborate release yet, FIVE FILMS
ABOUT CHRISTO & JEANNE-CLAUDE. This three-DVD set is the most complete
motion picture collaboration ever released between filmmakers and artists.
Spanning 30 years, this unique DVD package shows the passion, vision and
complexity of the environmental art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The five
award-winning films have been digitally remastered with new transfers
supervised by Albert Maysles and presented with new interviews, feature
commentary on all five films by Christo, Jeanne-Claude and Albert Maysles,
an 82-page full-color booklet with an introduction by Albert Maysles, an
essay by film critic Charles Taylor and a detailed history of the projects
with exclusive photos, technical details, film stills and credits. This
deluxe box will be released in association with Distributed Art Publishers
(D.A.P.).
FIVE FILMS ABOUT CHRISTO & JEANNE-CLAUDE chronicles a 30-year
collaboration between acclaimed documentary filmmakers Albert and his late
brother David Maysles (GIMME SHELTER, SALESMAN, GREY GARDENS), and the
internationally renowned environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
The Maysles Brothers, along with such frequent co-filmmakers as Charlotte
Zwerin and Susan Froemke, have captured the artists' enduring relationship
and the grandeur of their large scale temporary public works. This series
stands as a permanent document of the process, the political drama, the
emotional investment and the transforming effect the finished works have on
all those who come in contact with them.
These huge undertakings, such as surrounding eleven islands in Biscayne Bay
in Miami, Florida, erecting a 24-mile-long/18-foot-high fence in two
Northern California counties or hanging a giant curtain between two
mountains in Rifle Gap, Colorado, become stories of hope and triumph in the
face of adversity. The act of filming becomes the project itself, as the
filmmakers are present every step of the way from planning, approval,
execution and display of these temporary artworks.
As David Maysles said, "The Christos come up with an idea that at first
seems impossible, then lets it grow; so do we."
The release of FIVE FILMS ABOUT CHRISTO & JEANNE-CLAUDE anticipates The
Gates Project for Central Park, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's newest public
work which will be making its appearance in February 2005, along with a
major touring exhibition on the project at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in
New York in April 2004. Once again, Maysles Films will be documenting the
entire process. All five films in the DVD set will be screened at the Met
as part of the exhibition, with lectures by Christo, Jeanne-Claude and
Albert Maysles.
The DVD set:
DISC 1:
CHRISTO'S VALLEY CURTAIN a film by the Albert Maysles, David Maysles and
Ellen Hovde
1974, 28 minutes
The first collaboration between the Maysles Brothers and the Christos and
recipient of an Academy Award® Nomination, CHRISTO'S VALLEY CURTAIN
celebrates the
dramatic hanging of a huge orange curtain between two Colorado mountains and
the powerful effect it has on a community.
"By far the finest film I have ever seen about an artist and his work."
- Calvin Tomkins, THE NEW YORKER
RUNNING FENCE a film by Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin
1978, 58 minutes
An engrossing document of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's efforts to build a 24
1/2-mile-long, 18-foot-high fence of white fabric across the hills of
northern California. The artists' struggle with local ranchers,
environmentalists and state bureaucrats ends when the fence is unfurled,
reuniting the community in a celebration of beauty.
"One of the most exhilarating hours of your life."
- Judith Crist, THE NEW YORK POST
"Shows America at its very best. I was quite literally moved to tears."
- John Walker, Director Emeritus, National Gallery of Art
DISC 2:
ISLANDS a film by Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin
1986, 57 minutes
A film that further explores the artists' fusion of culture, environment and
politics. Christo and Jeanne-Claude's fight for permission to surround
eleven islands in Miami's Biscayne Bay with 6.5 million square feet of
bright pink fabric, interwoven with their struggle to wrap the Pont-Neuf in
Paris and the Reichstag in Berlin.
"A wryly funny and ultimately beautiful film. Splendid."
- Bill Cosford, THE MIAMI HERALD
"Captures the shimmering tropical poetry of blossoms more epic than any
painted by Monet."
- Manuela Hoelterhoff, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
CHRISTO IN PARIS a film by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Deborah Dickson
and Susan Froemke
1990, 58 minutes
Winner of the Grand Prize at the Amsterdam Film Festival and Best
Cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival, CHRISTO IN PARIS explores
Christo's escape from Bulgaria, his early years as a struggling artist, his
romance with Jeanne-Claude and the fulfillment of a ten-year obsession: the
wrapping of the Pont-Neuf in Paris.
"Never did anyone look at the Pont Neuf as much as the day it was hidden...
Christo teaches us to see."
- Jack Lang, French Minister of Culture
DISC 3:
UMBRELLAS a film by Albert Maysles, Henry Corra, Grahame Weinbren
1995, 81 minutes
East and West are brought together through the medium of art: 1,340 blue
umbrellas are opened in a rice-farming valley in the Japanese province of
Ibaraki, and 1,760 yellow umbrellas across a cluster of cattle ranches in
the rolling hills of southern California. A beautiful journey filled with
both triumph and tragedy.
"An ambitious documentary about an ambitious environmentalist art project.
UMBRELLAS unfolds as an increasingly suspenseful drama."
- Howard Feinstein, VARIETY
INTERVIEW
- New video interview. Albert Maysles, Christo and Jeanne-Claude discuss
their friendship, the films, and their ongoing collaboration as well as the
upcoming Gates Project for New York City's Central Park.
AUDIO COMMENTARY
- Feature commentary on all five films by Christo, Jeanne-Claude and Albert
Maysles
+BOOKLET:
82-page full-color booklet contains:
- An introduction by Albert Maysles
- An essay by film critic Charles Taylor
- a detailed history of the projects with exclusive photos, technical
details, film stills and credits.
These films are presented in 1.33:1 aspect ratio, preserving the ratio of
their original theatrical exhibition.
In 1962, when Albert and David Maysles first met Christo and Jeanne-Claude
in Paris, they immediately recognized kindred spirits. The Maysles Brothers,
known for their pioneering works of non-fiction, draw from real human
dramas, capturing life as it unfolds. Their films extend the boundaries of
conventional documentaries. Likewise, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's
large-scale temporary works of art have helped change our perceptions of art
and society.
Maysles Films have captured Christo and Jeanne-Claude's enduring
relationship and the grandeur of their creations, along with the political
and social controversy that always seems to surround them. The environmental
artworks are displayed for only a short period, therefore these films stand
as a permanent document of the process, the political drama, the emotional
investment and the transforming effect the finished works have on all those
who come in contact with them.
For more information please email info@plexifilm.com or check
http://www.plexifilm.com
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
16mm
color
2052 feet
Film is second in the Maysles' Christo trilogy.