Thursday, June 28, 2007

CITIZEN LAMBERT:
JOAN OF ARCHITECTURE




Documentary

REVIEW
Unlike most autobiographies, this one does not follow the traditional timeline to parallel the subject’s growth over the years. Instead, it offers up a combination of frank on-camera interviews along with mock grainy newsreels of key events in the life of Phyllis Barbara Lambert (née Bronfman), C.C., G.O.Q., M.Arch., O.A.L., F.R.A.I.C., F.R.S.C., R.C.A., and LL.D.

A letter in the alphabet often appears on screen and is then followed by Ms. Lambert’s thoughts pertaining to that letter. But even then there is no formal “going through the alphabet” from a to z with the result at the end when not all have been addressed you get the feeling this was an idea that simply petered out.

But even if it is a bit unorthodox, the film provides a wonderful insight to one of the world's leading architectural activists. The fact she has done it pretty well on her own with little moral support of her family only adds to her achievement.

CLASSIFICATION
Rated


P.S.
The title is a play on words of the classic movie Citizen Kane produced by Orson Wells and released in 1941 in which movie clips for the first time were used to advance the storyline.

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