Portland Buckaroos Documentary To Debut At March 14 Winter Hawks Game
Fans attending the Portland Winter Hawks’ Salute to the Buckaroos Saturday night will have the opportunity to purchase “Kings of the Road: The Portland Buckaroos Story”, a 40-minute documentary about the beloved team.
The movie is a comprehensive history of the Portland Buckaroos, featuring never-before-seen game footage and exclusive interviews with team founder Harry Glickman and former players Jim Hay, Don Head, Andy Hebenton, Norm Johnson and Connie Madigan. Portions of the documentary will be shown before the game and during the intermissions. The DVD will also include the audio of an entire Buckaroos game.
Fans can purchase a copy of the DVD Saturday night at the Winter Hawks team store for $19.60, with the price set in honor of the team’s inaugural 1960 season.
“This movie is a must-have for fans who grew up watching the Buckaroos, and anyone who has an interest in the history of sports in Portland,” said Portland Winter Hawks President Doug Piper. “The Buckaroos paved the way for every team that has come after them here, and this movie captures the love affair between the team and the fans in Portland.”
The movie is being produced by Filmbyframe, a production company started in 2007 by Dan Schaefer. Their first film was last year’s documentary “Mania”, a history of the Portland Trail Blazers that was selected for inclusion in the Northwest Film Festival. Filmbyframe is also in post-production on the film “Figaro”, which follows a group of singers from Kentucky to Poland to perform the opera “Marriage of Figaro”. Schaefer was also an Associate Producer on the Sony film “Deep Winter” released in 2009.
"In the process of creating my film about the Trail Blazers, I read through the history of the Buckaroos and decided that they deserved a film of their own,” said Schaefer. “With three Lester Patrick Cups and beloved players who went on to make Portland their home, this film is a must for anyone who loves the Buckaroos and hockey."
Portland Winter Hawks tickets are available by calling 503-236-HAWK (4295), or online at ticketmaster.com.
April 3, 2009
Blaze Of Glory
Mania
It’s the yin to Fast Break’s yang: an informative, well-structured, linear retelling of the Blazers’ first years. Director Dan Schaeffer weaves together recent interviews from seemingly everyone who was there and gets an impressively coherent story that I expect will keep most Portlanders glued to their seats. The sweetness of the era, as evoked by Fast Break, is not corrupted by Mania. It’s a different kind of strange, seeing former world-class athletes that now look a lot like my dad. TONY PIFF. 6:30pm Tuesday, Nov. 11.
It’s the yin to Fast Break’s yang: an informative, well-structured, linear retelling of the Blazers’ first years. Director Dan Schaeffer weaves together recent interviews from seemingly everyone who was there and gets an impressively coherent story that I expect will keep most Portlanders glued to their seats. The sweetness of the era, as evoked by Fast Break, is not corrupted by Mania. It’s a different kind of strange, seeing former world-class athletes that now look a lot like my dad. TONY PIFF. 6:30pm Tuesday, Nov. 11.
Bringin' It All Back Home: The Northwest Film and Video Festival
Bringin' It All Back Home: The Northwest Film and Video Festival
by Stan Hall, Special to The Oregonian
Friday November 07, 2008, 7:30 AM
When the Northwest Film & Video Festival began, Tom McCall was still in charge in Salem. Portland was altering its national reputation by tearing up a riverfront freeway and replacing it with a park. The words "Northwest" and "film industry" weren't yet a natural fit, but people were making movies -- they just needed a way to show them.
Now in its 35th year, the Northwest Film Center's exhibition of work made in (or by residents of) Oregon, Washington and British Columbia is still fresh and relevant. NW Fest gives emerging and established camera-wielders and animators a showcase to reflect the region's past, depict present realities and point to possible futures. More often than not, festivalgoers come away with altered impressions of the place they call home.
Michelle Williams in "Wendy and Lucy," part of the NW Film & Video Festival
NW Fest 2008's marquee events include Kelly Reichardt's Cannes selection, "Wendy and Lucy," starring Michelle Williams as a young woman waylaid with her dog in rural Oregon (Reichardt is this year's honorary festival judge), and the Portland debut of Arnold and Jacob Pander's "Selfless," a big winner at this year's Bend Film Festival. A Hitchcockian tale about a hot-shot architect done in by hubris and a vengeful identity thief, "Selfless" is stylish, smart and compelling as it presents a sleek, modern vision of Portland.
The documentary fare is marked by some well-crafted history lessons. "Politics of Sand" fastidiously details the political sausage-making that went into the landmark 1967 Beach Bill, which codified the public's unfettered access to Oregon's beaches. Ivy Lin's "Pig Roast & Tank of Fish" explores the vibrant past and imperiled present of Portland's Chinatown. Ilana Sol's delicate "On Paper Wings" chronicles the only fatal enemy attack on American soil during World War II, a Japanese balloon bomb that killed six near Bly. For Blazermaniacs, Dan Schaeffer's new paean to the Blazers-fan relationship, "Mania," is combined with Don Zavin's vintage curio about the 1977 championship team, "Fast Break," likely the most Zenlike, spaced-out sports film ever made.
NW Fest's heart is often found in its wildly imaginative short-film offerings. The Reichardt-selected Shorts II program includes Seattle filmmaker Margot Quan Knight's "Portrait of a Woman 1947-2007," which in three rapid-fire minutes documents 60 years of a person's life in pictures; Storm Tharp's quietly unsettling "Grey Room"; and Jamie Marie Waelchli's provocative "Little Pleasures," which consists of a single 11-minute shot of a woman gradually becoming physically distressed as she continually crams chewing gum into her mouth.
Even works not selected for inclusion get their due in the form of the popular (and free-admission) "What's Wrong With This Picture?," in which Seattle film scholar Warren Etheredge screens rejected shorts, then instantly analyzes, humorously and constructively, why they weren't up to snuff -- or why the judges made a mistake.
Where to start? Poke around the Web site (www.nwfilm.org) and find what piques your interest; I've mentioned just a few of the worthy titles. Most works will be presented by their creators, so if you're especially impressed, go ahead and tell 'em so -- it's a small way to nurture Northwest film talent.
Stan Hall is a Portland freelance writer; beyondthemultiplex@gmail.com
by Stan Hall, Special to The Oregonian
Friday November 07, 2008, 7:30 AM
When the Northwest Film & Video Festival began, Tom McCall was still in charge in Salem. Portland was altering its national reputation by tearing up a riverfront freeway and replacing it with a park. The words "Northwest" and "film industry" weren't yet a natural fit, but people were making movies -- they just needed a way to show them.
Now in its 35th year, the Northwest Film Center's exhibition of work made in (or by residents of) Oregon, Washington and British Columbia is still fresh and relevant. NW Fest gives emerging and established camera-wielders and animators a showcase to reflect the region's past, depict present realities and point to possible futures. More often than not, festivalgoers come away with altered impressions of the place they call home.
Michelle Williams in "Wendy and Lucy," part of the NW Film & Video Festival
NW Fest 2008's marquee events include Kelly Reichardt's Cannes selection, "Wendy and Lucy," starring Michelle Williams as a young woman waylaid with her dog in rural Oregon (Reichardt is this year's honorary festival judge), and the Portland debut of Arnold and Jacob Pander's "Selfless," a big winner at this year's Bend Film Festival. A Hitchcockian tale about a hot-shot architect done in by hubris and a vengeful identity thief, "Selfless" is stylish, smart and compelling as it presents a sleek, modern vision of Portland.
The documentary fare is marked by some well-crafted history lessons. "Politics of Sand" fastidiously details the political sausage-making that went into the landmark 1967 Beach Bill, which codified the public's unfettered access to Oregon's beaches. Ivy Lin's "Pig Roast & Tank of Fish" explores the vibrant past and imperiled present of Portland's Chinatown. Ilana Sol's delicate "On Paper Wings" chronicles the only fatal enemy attack on American soil during World War II, a Japanese balloon bomb that killed six near Bly. For Blazermaniacs, Dan Schaeffer's new paean to the Blazers-fan relationship, "Mania," is combined with Don Zavin's vintage curio about the 1977 championship team, "Fast Break," likely the most Zenlike, spaced-out sports film ever made.
NW Fest's heart is often found in its wildly imaginative short-film offerings. The Reichardt-selected Shorts II program includes Seattle filmmaker Margot Quan Knight's "Portrait of a Woman 1947-2007," which in three rapid-fire minutes documents 60 years of a person's life in pictures; Storm Tharp's quietly unsettling "Grey Room"; and Jamie Marie Waelchli's provocative "Little Pleasures," which consists of a single 11-minute shot of a woman gradually becoming physically distressed as she continually crams chewing gum into her mouth.
Even works not selected for inclusion get their due in the form of the popular (and free-admission) "What's Wrong With This Picture?," in which Seattle film scholar Warren Etheredge screens rejected shorts, then instantly analyzes, humorously and constructively, why they weren't up to snuff -- or why the judges made a mistake.
Where to start? Poke around the Web site (www.nwfilm.org) and find what piques your interest; I've mentioned just a few of the worthy titles. Most works will be presented by their creators, so if you're especially impressed, go ahead and tell 'em so -- it's a small way to nurture Northwest film talent.
Stan Hall is a Portland freelance writer; beyondthemultiplex@gmail.com
Films make it a festival for Blazer fans
Films make it a festival for Blazer fans
By kerry eggers
The Portland Tribune, Nov 11, 2008, Updated Nov 11, 2008
There is plenty of good stuff in the film “Mania,” a reflective on the Trail Blazers that premiers at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Whitsell Auditorium in the Portland Art Museum as part of the 35th Northwest Film and Video Festival.
Director Dan Schaefer, a Portland native, put together a couple of years of interviews and research as a video narrative of the franchise’s 38-year history and its love (and occasional hate) affair with the city.
It’s an enjoyable piece of work that, in tandem with a film that runs after it at 9 p.m., “Fast Break,” will work well for Blazermaniacs.
“Mania” could have used some tweaking here and there. All that was needed to tidy things up was a project consultant such as ... well, myself.
Schaefer, 43, is a Molalla High grad and life-long Blazer fan who has been involved in movie-making for 22 years.
“I meant this to be a positive documentary about the Blazers,” says Schaefer, who began interviewing for the film in 2006 and didn’t complete the project until last month. “It’s coming from a fan’s point of view.”
Schaefer starts at Day One, when promoter Harry Glickman pushed the envelope with the NBA and landed an expansion franchise in 1970. There are excerpts of interviews with Glickman and the late Stu Inman, the team’s first scout and director of player personnel; with Jack Ramsay, coach of the 1977 championship team, legendary radio voice Bill Schonely and Rick Adelman, a guard on the original Blazer team and later coach of the teams that reached the NBA finals in 1990 and ‘92.
Glickman reveals that the Blazers paid Cleveland $250,000 to take Austin Carr with the first pick in the 1971 draft, leaving Sidney Wicks to Portland — a story I had not heard.
Dozens of ex-players are interviewed, including Maurice Lucas, Lloyd Neal, Dave Twardzik, Lionel Hollins, Larry Steele, Bobby Gross, Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey and the late Kevin Duckworth. There is a nice tribute to Inman and Duckworth in the credits at film’s end.
I most enjoyed, though, the insight provided by long-time trainer Ron Culp, who delivers inside stories that true fans will appreciate, such as the psychology of Hall of Fame coaches Lenny Wilkens and Ramsay. Culp was honest when he said of Bill Walton, “He didn’t alienate the city of Portland, but he certainly had people scratching their heads.”
Wilkens, who coached the Blazers for two years leading into the championship season, reveals some lingering bitterness at being fired when he says, “instead of trading Wicks, they let me go.”
There is some vintage footage — though not enough — such as Walton walking in what appears to be Forest Park, Walton riding a bicycle, the ‘77 Blazers greeting large crowds of fans at the airport, Twardzik teaching at a summer kids’ camp. There’s precious film of Walton and Lucas celebrating after winning the title. There’s part of an interview with the media-shy Walton by a lake, and at the Oregon Coast. And there is audio of Schonely calling the closing seconds of a Blazer-Laker playoff series in ‘77.
Schaefer takes us through the current Blazer era, but other than the teams of the early ‘90s, it’s a bit of a rush. That’s understandable — because the film runs long (two hours, five minutes) — but disappointing. There are tales to be told in other years, too.
The format features mostly interviews with talking heads and very little game footage, or any kind of film from the good old days. There was no interview with Walton or Geoff Petrie, the Blazers’ first superstar. The team’s first coach, Rolland Todd, takes a bit of a pounding — perhaps deserved — but it would have been nice to hear what “Mod Todd” had to say.
Ramsay’s name is misspelled in the opening credits. Practice footage from the 1977-78 team — with Tom Owens taking part — is passed off as from the championship season. Culp offers observations on the ‘92 team, though he was long gone from Portland by then.
There’s too much from an interview with Art Alexakis, the Everclear front man who had very little of anything to offer.
The film is without narration, which at times leaves holes for the viewers, such as when Glickman refers to “the Scotts.” The reference is to Jack and Mickie Scott, social activists who befriended and lived with Walton and later were involved in the Patty Hearst drama.
There is no mention of the Blazers’ second coach, Jack McCloskey, or of Moses Malone, traded just before the championship season began. Nobody interviewed could quite remember details of the Lucas-Darryl Dawkins scrum that was so pivotal to the ‘77 championship series — even Lucas. Film evidence of the incident would have been priceless.
“Fast Break” is a documentary of the championship season shot by Portlander Don Zavin, who died in 1998. Glickman granted Zavin inside access to the team, and the 107-minute film shows about an even split of on-court, off-court footage of the players, according to Zavin’s widow, Northwest Film Center education director Ellen Thomas.
The film went to final edit just as Walton was leaving town under a cloud of controversy involving the injuries that ended his Blazer career. It premiered at the Fox Theater in 1979 but never got national distribution and was stored at the Oregon Historical Society until now.
Thomas makes “Fast Break” sounds like a winner. I’m hoping it ties up some loose ends left in viewing “Mania.”
By kerry eggers
The Portland Tribune, Nov 11, 2008, Updated Nov 11, 2008
There is plenty of good stuff in the film “Mania,” a reflective on the Trail Blazers that premiers at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Whitsell Auditorium in the Portland Art Museum as part of the 35th Northwest Film and Video Festival.
Director Dan Schaefer, a Portland native, put together a couple of years of interviews and research as a video narrative of the franchise’s 38-year history and its love (and occasional hate) affair with the city.
It’s an enjoyable piece of work that, in tandem with a film that runs after it at 9 p.m., “Fast Break,” will work well for Blazermaniacs.
“Mania” could have used some tweaking here and there. All that was needed to tidy things up was a project consultant such as ... well, myself.
Schaefer, 43, is a Molalla High grad and life-long Blazer fan who has been involved in movie-making for 22 years.
“I meant this to be a positive documentary about the Blazers,” says Schaefer, who began interviewing for the film in 2006 and didn’t complete the project until last month. “It’s coming from a fan’s point of view.”
Schaefer starts at Day One, when promoter Harry Glickman pushed the envelope with the NBA and landed an expansion franchise in 1970. There are excerpts of interviews with Glickman and the late Stu Inman, the team’s first scout and director of player personnel; with Jack Ramsay, coach of the 1977 championship team, legendary radio voice Bill Schonely and Rick Adelman, a guard on the original Blazer team and later coach of the teams that reached the NBA finals in 1990 and ‘92.
Glickman reveals that the Blazers paid Cleveland $250,000 to take Austin Carr with the first pick in the 1971 draft, leaving Sidney Wicks to Portland — a story I had not heard.
Dozens of ex-players are interviewed, including Maurice Lucas, Lloyd Neal, Dave Twardzik, Lionel Hollins, Larry Steele, Bobby Gross, Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey and the late Kevin Duckworth. There is a nice tribute to Inman and Duckworth in the credits at film’s end.
I most enjoyed, though, the insight provided by long-time trainer Ron Culp, who delivers inside stories that true fans will appreciate, such as the psychology of Hall of Fame coaches Lenny Wilkens and Ramsay. Culp was honest when he said of Bill Walton, “He didn’t alienate the city of Portland, but he certainly had people scratching their heads.”
Wilkens, who coached the Blazers for two years leading into the championship season, reveals some lingering bitterness at being fired when he says, “instead of trading Wicks, they let me go.”
There is some vintage footage — though not enough — such as Walton walking in what appears to be Forest Park, Walton riding a bicycle, the ‘77 Blazers greeting large crowds of fans at the airport, Twardzik teaching at a summer kids’ camp. There’s precious film of Walton and Lucas celebrating after winning the title. There’s part of an interview with the media-shy Walton by a lake, and at the Oregon Coast. And there is audio of Schonely calling the closing seconds of a Blazer-Laker playoff series in ‘77.
Schaefer takes us through the current Blazer era, but other than the teams of the early ‘90s, it’s a bit of a rush. That’s understandable — because the film runs long (two hours, five minutes) — but disappointing. There are tales to be told in other years, too.
The format features mostly interviews with talking heads and very little game footage, or any kind of film from the good old days. There was no interview with Walton or Geoff Petrie, the Blazers’ first superstar. The team’s first coach, Rolland Todd, takes a bit of a pounding — perhaps deserved — but it would have been nice to hear what “Mod Todd” had to say.
Ramsay’s name is misspelled in the opening credits. Practice footage from the 1977-78 team — with Tom Owens taking part — is passed off as from the championship season. Culp offers observations on the ‘92 team, though he was long gone from Portland by then.
There’s too much from an interview with Art Alexakis, the Everclear front man who had very little of anything to offer.
The film is without narration, which at times leaves holes for the viewers, such as when Glickman refers to “the Scotts.” The reference is to Jack and Mickie Scott, social activists who befriended and lived with Walton and later were involved in the Patty Hearst drama.
There is no mention of the Blazers’ second coach, Jack McCloskey, or of Moses Malone, traded just before the championship season began. Nobody interviewed could quite remember details of the Lucas-Darryl Dawkins scrum that was so pivotal to the ‘77 championship series — even Lucas. Film evidence of the incident would have been priceless.
“Fast Break” is a documentary of the championship season shot by Portlander Don Zavin, who died in 1998. Glickman granted Zavin inside access to the team, and the 107-minute film shows about an even split of on-court, off-court footage of the players, according to Zavin’s widow, Northwest Film Center education director Ellen Thomas.
The film went to final edit just as Walton was leaving town under a cloud of controversy involving the injuries that ended his Blazer career. It premiered at the Fox Theater in 1979 but never got national distribution and was stored at the Oregon Historical Society until now.
Thomas makes “Fast Break” sounds like a winner. I’m hoping it ties up some loose ends left in viewing “Mania.”
Out of the Woods The Northwest Film & Video Festival Gets Local by Marjorie Skinner
Let it Out" is the theme of this year's NW Film & Video Festival, now in its 35th year. With the stresses of trying times, it's a welcome premise—an invitation to use creative channels to express one's perspective in this increasingly worrisome world. And the filmmakers who answered the Northwest Film Center's call—all of whom come from a loosely defined Northwest region that includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and British Columbia—have brought with them an appropriately diverse collection of films, from two-minute shorts to two-hour features on topics as broad as the plight of soldiers returning home from Iraq to documenting how many pieces of gum you can stuff in your mouth until the giant wad makes you spit, gag, and eventually puke.
Each year, an accomplished individual working within the film industry is chosen to help curate the festival. Past judges have included critic Amy Taubin, producer Christine Vachon, filmmakers Gus Van Sant and Todd Haynes, and cartoonists Matt Groening and Bill Plympton. This year, director Kelly Reichardt (Old Joy) has taken up the reins, and the festival will include a screening of her latest, Wendy and Lucy, starring Michelle Williams, which wasn't screened for critics.
Much of the festival is devoted to collections of short films, divided into three programs, and spanning the gamut from atmospheric ephemera to animation and short documentary. Some standouts are Margot Quan Knight's Portrait of a Woman 1947-2007, which chronologically compiles an entire lifetime of photographs of its subject; Nickel and Dimin' it with Buddy, in which documentarian Tomas Soderberg walks a mile alongside a man living on Portland's streets; Andrew Blubaugh's The Pull, a story of what happens when a romantic relationship is given an expiration date at the outset; and Jamie Marie Waelchli's Little Pleasures, the aforementioned gum-stuffing demonstration that walks the line between excruciating and hilarious in its exploration of how excess can transform that which gives us pleasure into that which can harm us (and make us hurl and drool).
In addition to Wendy and Lucy, the festival also presents some notable feature films, several of which delve into specific, significant areas of Portland's culture and history. Mania (Dan Schaefer) documents the history of the Portland Trail Blazers from its inception in the mind of Harry Glickman to the present, and Pig Roast & Tank of Fish (Ivy Lin) gives a detailed account of the history of this city's Chinatown, once the second largest in the nation, which has since been in decline but is now the subject of many plans for revitalization. Also showing is the feature film premiere from the Pander Brothers, Selfless, a gorgeously shot (if formulaic) thriller about a successful architect's disastrous encounter with identity theft that takes place in Portland and Seattle, set to a soundtrack contributed to by locals like the Dandy Warhols and Storm Large. She's a Boy I Knew (Gwen Haworth) is an amazing, personal documentary about male-to-female transitioning and the effect it has on even the most open-minded friends and relatives.
In addition to the screenings, the festival offers events for budding filmmakers to network and glean advice on their work. In addition to the opening night party at the Cleaners, one of the most promising happenings is "What's Wrong with This Picture?" at which witty Seattle film whiz Warren Etheredge will candidly critique festival submissions that didn't make the cut.
Each year, an accomplished individual working within the film industry is chosen to help curate the festival. Past judges have included critic Amy Taubin, producer Christine Vachon, filmmakers Gus Van Sant and Todd Haynes, and cartoonists Matt Groening and Bill Plympton. This year, director Kelly Reichardt (Old Joy) has taken up the reins, and the festival will include a screening of her latest, Wendy and Lucy, starring Michelle Williams, which wasn't screened for critics.
Much of the festival is devoted to collections of short films, divided into three programs, and spanning the gamut from atmospheric ephemera to animation and short documentary. Some standouts are Margot Quan Knight's Portrait of a Woman 1947-2007, which chronologically compiles an entire lifetime of photographs of its subject; Nickel and Dimin' it with Buddy, in which documentarian Tomas Soderberg walks a mile alongside a man living on Portland's streets; Andrew Blubaugh's The Pull, a story of what happens when a romantic relationship is given an expiration date at the outset; and Jamie Marie Waelchli's Little Pleasures, the aforementioned gum-stuffing demonstration that walks the line between excruciating and hilarious in its exploration of how excess can transform that which gives us pleasure into that which can harm us (and make us hurl and drool).
In addition to Wendy and Lucy, the festival also presents some notable feature films, several of which delve into specific, significant areas of Portland's culture and history. Mania (Dan Schaefer) documents the history of the Portland Trail Blazers from its inception in the mind of Harry Glickman to the present, and Pig Roast & Tank of Fish (Ivy Lin) gives a detailed account of the history of this city's Chinatown, once the second largest in the nation, which has since been in decline but is now the subject of many plans for revitalization. Also showing is the feature film premiere from the Pander Brothers, Selfless, a gorgeously shot (if formulaic) thriller about a successful architect's disastrous encounter with identity theft that takes place in Portland and Seattle, set to a soundtrack contributed to by locals like the Dandy Warhols and Storm Large. She's a Boy I Knew (Gwen Haworth) is an amazing, personal documentary about male-to-female transitioning and the effect it has on even the most open-minded friends and relatives.
In addition to the screenings, the festival offers events for budding filmmakers to network and glean advice on their work. In addition to the opening night party at the Cleaners, one of the most promising happenings is "What's Wrong with This Picture?" at which witty Seattle film whiz Warren Etheredge will candidly critique festival submissions that didn't make the cut.
Mania articles posted!
I wanted to post as many of the articles posted about the film that appeared in various newspapers, blogs and on-line reports. If anyone has a comment about the film or see's an story not included on the blog please let me know and I will post it. Thanks again to all those who have supported the film!
Oregon native's "Mania" analyzes Blazers, fans
Story Updated: Nov 21, 2008 at 5:23 AM PDT
By Sarah Berry
PORTLAND, Ore. - Being a sports fan is like having a really big family. Your team may bring you joy or disappointment, but it is yours for life.
Film director Dan Schaefer is one of those fans. “Mania,” his documentary film about the Portland Trailblazers, premieres Tuesday at the NW Film and Video Festival.
If the Blazers are like a family, this is the ultimate home movie. Everyone is there — the proud parents, the baby steps, teen-aged triumphs, youthful misbehavior and, finally, signs of maturity.
When he started the project back in 2005, Schaefer planned to make a straightforward history of the franchise. But his conversations with players and staff made him realize that this was also his story.
“Most first-time filmmakers do something personal,” he said, “and eventually I realized that for me the Trailblazers’ story was personal — these were the people I grew up with.”
Schaefer is an easygoing 43-year-old Oregon native with a knack for drawing people out. While doing interviews for the film, his subjects “just opened up,” he said, “so much so that I have material I can’t use. They’d just say things flat out.”
The film is packed with interviews: former players, coaches, managers and fans who have been there since the beginning. This rich array of voices illustrates how the young team became part of a community.
The late Kevin Duckworth describes how “Blazermania” could boost players’ morale and push them to excel. Clyde Drexler credits fans with making Portland a special place to play because the fans “love their Blazers. It was always like a college environment.” And Damon Stoudamire, a Portland native, could look out at a game and “probably know half of the crowd personally.”
The film also shows how appropriate the team’s name is. An interview with the Blazer’s founding manager Harry Glickman details his struggle to get an expansion franchise for Portland back in 1970, when “anything west of Brooklyn” was off the map for the NBA.
And what a trail they blazed. At first, crowds came to see the other NBA teams. But that all changed when Bill Walton and Jack Ramsay came to town. The famous championship season of 1976-77 was documented in a 1978 film, “Fast Break,” by the late Don Zavin, which will also be shown at the festival on Tuesday.
But “Mania” treats 1976 as one chapter in a longer story, one that includes the Clyde Drexler days and even the sad era of the “Jailblazers.” That’s when the relationship between team and fans became strained. It was also what prompted Schaefer to make his film. He had to ask himself, “Why am I a fan?”
If you're not a Blazer maniac, parts of the film may leave you feeling like a bystander at a sports-bar debate. The details of management decisions, player strengths or weaknesses, etc., can become dull.
But the film also shows what makes the team unique: in a small market, the Blazers have loomed large in Portland culture. Their successes have seemed to mirror the city's own growth and increasing sophistication. We have become big enough for the major leagues, but are still small enough to feel like the Blazers are, as Drexler says, our "college team."
“Mania” premieres at the NW Film and Video Festival on Tuesday Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Whitsell auditorium, Portland Art Museum - 1219 SW Park Ave. The movie “Fast Break” (1978) follows at 9 p.m.
- Sarah Berry is a freelance writer on film and popular culture
By Sarah Berry
PORTLAND, Ore. - Being a sports fan is like having a really big family. Your team may bring you joy or disappointment, but it is yours for life.
Film director Dan Schaefer is one of those fans. “Mania,” his documentary film about the Portland Trailblazers, premieres Tuesday at the NW Film and Video Festival.
If the Blazers are like a family, this is the ultimate home movie. Everyone is there — the proud parents, the baby steps, teen-aged triumphs, youthful misbehavior and, finally, signs of maturity.
When he started the project back in 2005, Schaefer planned to make a straightforward history of the franchise. But his conversations with players and staff made him realize that this was also his story.
“Most first-time filmmakers do something personal,” he said, “and eventually I realized that for me the Trailblazers’ story was personal — these were the people I grew up with.”
Schaefer is an easygoing 43-year-old Oregon native with a knack for drawing people out. While doing interviews for the film, his subjects “just opened up,” he said, “so much so that I have material I can’t use. They’d just say things flat out.”
The film is packed with interviews: former players, coaches, managers and fans who have been there since the beginning. This rich array of voices illustrates how the young team became part of a community.
The late Kevin Duckworth describes how “Blazermania” could boost players’ morale and push them to excel. Clyde Drexler credits fans with making Portland a special place to play because the fans “love their Blazers. It was always like a college environment.” And Damon Stoudamire, a Portland native, could look out at a game and “probably know half of the crowd personally.”
The film also shows how appropriate the team’s name is. An interview with the Blazer’s founding manager Harry Glickman details his struggle to get an expansion franchise for Portland back in 1970, when “anything west of Brooklyn” was off the map for the NBA.
And what a trail they blazed. At first, crowds came to see the other NBA teams. But that all changed when Bill Walton and Jack Ramsay came to town. The famous championship season of 1976-77 was documented in a 1978 film, “Fast Break,” by the late Don Zavin, which will also be shown at the festival on Tuesday.
But “Mania” treats 1976 as one chapter in a longer story, one that includes the Clyde Drexler days and even the sad era of the “Jailblazers.” That’s when the relationship between team and fans became strained. It was also what prompted Schaefer to make his film. He had to ask himself, “Why am I a fan?”
If you're not a Blazer maniac, parts of the film may leave you feeling like a bystander at a sports-bar debate. The details of management decisions, player strengths or weaknesses, etc., can become dull.
But the film also shows what makes the team unique: in a small market, the Blazers have loomed large in Portland culture. Their successes have seemed to mirror the city's own growth and increasing sophistication. We have become big enough for the major leagues, but are still small enough to feel like the Blazers are, as Drexler says, our "college team."
“Mania” premieres at the NW Film and Video Festival on Tuesday Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Whitsell auditorium, Portland Art Museum - 1219 SW Park Ave. The movie “Fast Break” (1978) follows at 9 p.m.
- Sarah Berry is a freelance writer on film and popular culture
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
