Description
Mark Wexler’s cinematic blend of biography and autobiography centers on his relationship with his father, legendary Oscar-winning cinematographer and filmmaker Haskell Wexler, whose long and illustrious career is a virtual catalogue of 20th-century classics. Haskell’s collaborations with such world-class filmmakers as Elia Kazan, Milos Forman, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola and Mike Nichols include such works as WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, AMERICAN GRAFFITI, COMING… More >>
#1 by Chris Roberts on April 27, 2010 - 8:19 pm
To me this movie reminded me of “Gunner Palace.” They were both documentaries that tried to tell about the lives of their subjects; however what the subjects had top say was far more interesting than what the filmmakers had to say. I understand that in this care Mark Wexler was trying to become closer to his father the famed cinematographer Haskell Wexler. I don’t think he necessarily accomplished that. Luckily for the audience they were still treated to Haskell’s political rants. And for me that was enough to put it over the top and be awarded my recommendation. I also greatly enjoyed the scene in San Francisco in which father and son battled over the background to a shot. Mark was insistent on shooting the sunset behind his father, meanwhile his father was infuriated, insisting that what he had to say was far more important than some sunset. I, of course, agreed with him. What kind of filmmaker would place a sunset over his subject’s words and wishes? It did make me wonder whether or not Mark was simply testing his father. But to what end? Throughout the film I was less than impressed with Mark. When his father accuses of him of needing to be more important than him I tended to agree with him. Why else was there a need for Mark to have all those pictures of him standing next to US Presidents? I also understood when it was mentioned that Haskell was deeply disturbed by his son buying into the American system wholesale. I too would be deeply disturbing if my son started riding around with the fuzz. It also goes without saying (at least to anybody who has read my other reviews) that I totally agreed with Haskell’s political rants. To Mark’s credit he did a great job of lining famous people up to say nice things about his dad. Of course Haskell points out that there is no way those people would speak poorly about him to his son, but I couldn’t get George Lucas and Jane Fonda to say nice things about my dad. Many people have compared this film to “My Architect” another film I liked but had reservations about. I prefer to compare it to “Tarnation” because it shows a man trying to come to terms with the hurt of his childhood. Jonathon Caouette had the advantage of a lifetime’s worth of video to work with, but he did spin that into a more interesting film than Mark Wexler did. It is said that Haskell Wexler was a magician because he could take a pile of money and turn it into feces, however with “Tarnation” Caouette did nearly the exact opposite. ***1/4
Rating: 3 / 5
#2 by Richard Hine on April 27, 2010 - 9:44 pm
Early in the documentary TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE, the movie’s star (legendary cinematographer-director Haskell Wexler) tells his son Mark (the director of the movie) that he’s not interested in a film that’s all about his life in the movie business. Haskell Wexler is more interested in the revealing what’s in his head and his heart. Or perhaps he realizes that by placing himself on the other side of the camera he will eventually reveal what he later calls “those subtle human things that we seldom understand.”
In an hour and a half, the movie does indeed get inside the octogenarian Haskell’s head and heart while also celebrating his career, wartime heroism, crusty personality and liberal activism. Even more important, it provides a window into the strained, competitive, antagonistic, unbreakable relationship between father and son. Ultimately, the movie becomes a memorable and moving family drama, summed up by a quote from Jane Fonda: “I don’t think there’s anything more important than making peace before it’s too late,” she says, before adding, “and it almost always relies on the child to move toward the parent.”
TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE is a movie that will intrigue anyone who’s interested in Hollywood or family histories.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Christopher B. Murray on April 27, 2010 - 10:38 pm
“Tell Them Who You Are” is an amazing film. I rented the DVD thinking that I might like it because I am a fan of “Cuckoo’s Nest”, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, “Days of Heaven”, and other movies photographed by Haskell Wexler. I ended up loving the movie because of the courageous journey Wexler’s son (this film’s director) embarks on–he uses the documentary as a means to break through his father’s macho, gruff, prickly emotional armor. The director flatters his father’s considerable ego by making him the subject of this documentary, but Haskel has no idea what he’s agreed to. He parades his cocky, opinionated, arrogant self in front of his son’s lens and is revealed as the insecure man he truly is. However, the director does not gratuitously exploit this fact. Rather, he continues to observe his father–the son is both cruel and kind. As he “exposes” his father, he also frees him from the emotional cage he has erected about himself (his legendary status in the film industry, for instance). The film is, finally, both a work of art and an act of love. I was moved by “Tell Them Who You Are.” (Let me also recommend that you watch the special feature that shows Haskel Wexler’s reaction once he has seen the film–it’s an incredible thing to watch.)
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by Ask MK on April 28, 2010 - 12:29 am
Tell Them Who You Are presents an achingly honest portrait of a fascinating and troubled relationship. It expertly examines the struggle between this father and son with real humor and raw emotion. Haskell Wexler is outrageously talented, famously outspoken, and unapologetically brash. The genius of this film is that it refuses to rely on the Mommy Dearest model but delves into the truths that lie between the lines. As we watch Mark discover the rare tenderness and surprising vulnerability in his father, we can’t help but re-examine our own assumptions and relationships.
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by Markus Youssef on April 28, 2010 - 2:18 am
A son finds a way to form a relationship with his Dad – appeal to his vanity by making a movie about him and visit Julia Roberts together. Through the kindnesses of those interviewed we get to humanize our fathers from an Image to an ordinary man living in a time with less consciousness. More optimistic than My Architect and has left me feeling lighter about my own father.
Rating: 4 / 5