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About the French Paradox

Research points to the health benefits of antioxidants in red wine, while its ethanol content is the subject of medical research.

An investigation conducted by the French magazine Sciences et Avenir explores the truth about the benefits of wine on human health. A controversy had opposed the cultural tradition to the scientific field, and to the medical profession, all at a loss to determine a sensible boundary for what is acceptable consumption. Recent research is even debunking the so-called French Paradox.

Wine and Ethanol

The controversy started in 1998 after a government report classified alcohol as a harder drug than cocaine and heroin. Ten years later, the French Institut National du Cancer reignited the debate by stating that even one glass of alcohol can link to several types of cancer, a warning endorsed by the U.S. National Cancer Institute. But, in a country where viticulture is the second largest national production and wine an intrinsic part of life, this was a serious matter.

A measure of two glasses for a female consumer and three glasses for a male had been established as a sensible threshold by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). It was later revised as a recommendation only, to prevent excessive consumption, and not as the endorsement that drinking less is better. The controversy was not so much about alcohol as it was about wine.

Because wine contains the ethanol molecule (CH3, CH2, OH), it was assessed as chemically identical to other alcohols. With statistics pointing to the alarming consequences of alcohol consumption in France, the fate of wine seemed to be sealed until studies showed a major difference between wine and other alcohols.

Red Wine and Antioxidants

Whereas alcohols contain the potentially intoxicating ethanol, research shows that only wine contains powerful antioxidants. Furthermore, all wines are not equal.

In comparing red to white and rosé winemaking, there is a fundamental divergence in the maceration process—only red wine benefits from the skin and seeds of the grape. As many other fruit and vegetables do, grapes contain antioxidants—the fighters of free radicals responsible for cell oxidation. More precisely, red wine contains two kinds of polyphenols—flavonoids and non-flavonoids—among which resveratrol, known for its anti-inflammatory properties. As a result, wine is distancing itself from other alcohols.

Not only did research by the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) led to the first database of polyphenol-containing products, but it established that although white and rosé wines contain some polyphenols, red wine contains ten times more.

The French Paradox

The term French Paradox was invented after a correlation was established between the traditional French diet—that includes the consumption of wine—and a lower mortality rate from heart diseases. At the time, the assumption was that alcohol inhibited the formation of fatty deposits in the arteries. Eventually, a report published in Nature claimed that the major factor is the vasodilatory action of a type of polyphenols: the procyanidines.

The concept fascinated Joseph Kanner, then a young scientist at UC Davis, California, who had just completed his research on antioxidants. In an interview with Sciences et Avenir, Kanner says that his research group believed that the antioxidants in wine must, somehow, be playing a role. They opted to focus on the earlier theory that the polyphenols in wine modified the LDL—low density lipoproteins, or the bad cholesterol.

To sum up the process, rich meals contain fats with cholesterol, necessary for healthy cells. Not soluble in blood, cholesterol is transported by the HDL—high density lipoproteins—to the liver whereas the LDL transport it from the liver to the cells. According to the report, 15 percent of the cholesterol comes from food, and 85 percent from other fats—the tryglicerides—produced by the liver. Too rich a diet generates oxidative substances, known as malondialdehydes (MDA), which enter the blood stream and either modify or oxidize the LDL. No longer recognized by the cells, the LDL stagnate as fatty deposits in the arteries.

However, in 2008, Kanner’s team made an important discovery. The polyphenols in wine inhibited the oxidation of the LDL.

A Potential Breakthrough for Heart Diseases

Research continued at the pharmaceutical department of the Ein Karem campus of Medical Science in Israel, where it showed extraordinary results.

When red meat was consumed with water, the oxidative MDA reached 160 of a unit-measure known as nanomole. Conversely, when red meat was consumed with red wine, the level decreased to 40 nanomoles. And, if meat had been marinated in red wine, the level of MDA was reduced to traces.

The scientists proved that the polyphenols in red wine prevent the oxidation and the absorption of the oxidative MDA when absorbed at the same time as fats. They now need to prove that the polyphenols modify the LDL.

The Future of Polyphenols on Human Health

Kanner’s team hopes to bring the benefits of polyphenols into diet consideration particularly since heart diseases can develop from the age of ten. Polyphenols are present in other foods than red wine. According to Sciences et Avenir, Kanner says that the perfect solution would be “a food supplement, without sugar or alcohol, consumed with meals, that and with high doses of polyphenols.”

Note:  Since the publication of this article, read on: Is Alcohol Actually Good for Your Heart? Julie Corliss, February 19, 2018, Harvard Health Publishing

Sources

• La Vérité sur le Vin, Sylvie Riou-Milliot and Eléna Sender, Sciences et Avenir, Septembre 2010, 48-63
• National Cancer Institute 2013 Alcohol and Breast Cancer Risk: New Findings
• Nature.com 2006 Oenology: Red Wine Procyanidins and Vascular Health
• World Cancer Research Fund: Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: Global Perspective

First published November 2010 Suite101.com
Editor’s Choice Award

The Penelope Buitenhuis’s Way

Technology is changing filmmaking techniques. Meanwhile, Penelope Buitenhuis’s work might be a trend toward more focus on the message and less on the form.

After the screening of her film A Wake—at the 2010 Vancouver Women in Film Festival (VWIFF)— Roslyn Muir asks Buitenhuis questions about the shooting as I glance at the pistols embroidered on her pockets.  

The Way to a Career in Filmmaking

Buitenhuis studied film history at UBC (University of British Columbia) and made her first experimental films in Paris. She later attended SFU (Simon Fraser University) film program and completed four shorts. She spent the following ten years in Paris and Berlin, making underground films in super 8-16 mm, a respected art form in Europe. The screening of her documentary on the Berlin Wall (Llaw), at the Berlin Film Festival, got noticed by German television and led to her first commissioned commercial feature.

Since then, she has been a prolific and sometimes controversial writer and director of documentaries, features, and series. She still makes short films in-between projects because “with digital media, you can make your films cheaply.” In an interview with the Vancouver Sun, Buitenhuis’s advice to aspiring filmmakers is to make shorts to gain experience and credibility, and before applying for film financing. A no-nonsense character in her own life, the industry knows her for what she preaches. She is fast, and she is thrifty.

A Wake Short Synopsis

A Wake follows the death of a theater director (Nicholas Campbell). His (secret) wish was to have the estranged members of his last and ill-fated production of Hamlet meet again. When the director’s son (Kristopher Turner) insists that they tell the truth, each member’s confession wildly rocks the emotions of the group. The widow (Tara Nicodemo) suggests that the evening be filmed as a tribute to her late husband. A camera in the powder room records intimate monologues with the defunct. When morning comes, foggy minds leave the country-estate, yet the wake is no wrap.

How to Shoot a Movie in Ten Days

Buitenhuis explains that her Telefilm-funded feature was shot in one location in ten days and edited on an avid for four months. It was filmed in HD on a Sony 900 with two cameras at once.

The script was limited to four lines to let intuition flow through the impromptu exchanges. “Regular scripts pull away from life and therefore from the truth,” she says. Truth is important to Penelope Buitenhuis, whose father passed away shortly before she started filming. “Only the truth remains,” she adds.

Buitenhuis prefers to spend time talking with the actors about their characters rather than imposing the control of a linear script. The Gemini-award winner for Tokyo Girls and Leo-nominated director of Dangerous Attractions likes short-time shoots—so the actors and their emotional momentum don’t have time to wind down. Instead, she filmed A Wake with eight to ten takes per scene.

The central dinner scene was rehearsed for two days. But the rape disclosure was impromptu to let the actor (Sarain Boylan) travel through her spectrum of emotions. A similar approach was used for the scenes in the powder room. All were improvised, to the anecdotal point that one actor dug so deep into his emotions, he forgot he was in character.

The casting included multi-tasking. The actor who played the neighbor (Paul Braunstein) also did the reading for auditions. Buitenhuis likes to recall that Danielle (Sarain Boylan), the wildest among the film characters, was hard to handle at times but was the right casting for the unrestrained hysterical scenes she created.

First Published 2010 Suite101.com

Marketing an Independent Film

I meet Penelope Buitenhuis at the 2010 Vancouver Women in Film Festival, before the screening of her film A Wake.

Despite two awards for best feature film, one nomination for editing and another for directing, and releases in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver, Penelope Buitenhuis is nevertheless frustrated by the distribution struggle of Canadian Films.

A Wake and the Clint Eastwood Filmmaker’s Award

A Wake was released in 2009 and was first screened at the Cannes Film Festival where Montreal Domino Film and Television International Ltd. noticed it and distributed it in Canada. It then won the Best of Show Award at the Toronto Female Eye Festival. Then, In October 2010, Clint Eastwood presented Buitenhuis and her cast with the Clint Eastwood Filmmakers’ Award at the Carmel Art and Film Festival—Eastwood had been impressed by the difficulty and originality of the compelling ad-lib scenes.

Buitenhuis explains that improvisation requires quick decisions to stir the story without repetition. “The repartee is tight and snappy, thanks to my incredibly creative cast,” she says. “Audiences are blown away when finding out that most of the film is ad-lib.”

She is pleased that the film is a crowd-pleaser on the film festival circuit, “especially among the 30-year-old demographic who appreciates smart films with subtext and mystery,” she says. Thanks to media influence, audiences have become highly literate around storytelling “They understand things almost as if they were in shorthand.” Besides, she points out, without expensive special effects, an indie film needs good acting.

The Financial Risk of Distribution Without Hollywood

Buitenhuis deplores the celebrity-fixated audience that ignores a film if the lead actor is not famous. Unlike the North American audience that remembers a film by the name of its lead actor, in Europe artistry is appreciated first.

As a result, numerous good films are not seen. “In Canada, we have to create contemporary, original stories that provoke and engage to compete with our richer American counterparts,” Buitenhuis explains. Without Hollywood support, the journey of Canadian independent films is a financial risk.

To be overlooked by film distributors is the curse to indie films, so is to be cut short at movie theatres because of a higher profile film, regardless of artistic merit. The box office return is always key to visibility.

However, Buitenhuis credits digital filmmaking with taking some of the financial burdens off production. “Fortunately, I can create a quality film or series with high production value and strong acting for very little money,” she says of her extensive filmography.

Still, Domino Film and Television Ltd.—the distributors—face a challenge since even Canadian theatres are reluctant to book a Canadian film with Canadian stars. And the same goes for coverage by Canadian newspapers and magazines. A Wake has Canadian stars like Nicolas Campbell and Martha Burns, but they are unknown in the US, a must for international buyers.

Social Media as the New Marketing Strategy

The filmmaker points out that due to survival uncertainty at movie theatres, no advertising funds, and little time to publicize, only social media can keep the film alive.

Buitenhuis only had three weeks to publicize her film after the release date. Like her peers, she resorts to the power of the Internet to promote her website and send out trailers. “Indie filmmakers must build their own marketing campaign.”

The first weekend is crucial. “If we get a good turnout on the first weekend, the theatre will keep the film for another week, allowing social media to build up. It’s the best we can hope for, this and some good reviews.”

She hopes that “the word of mouth will result in a valuable critique and help her film remain on a movie theatre billboard because a good film keeps us on our toes and engages our hearts and our minds.”

In A Wake, Penelope Buitenhuis wanted to keep the audience guessing, with the film ending as a new beginning. So is the journey of independent films in Canada.

First published 2010 Suite101.com

The New initiative for better gender parity in the media industry

Statistics talk loud for the non-profit organization Women in View after the results of two studies—commissioned by the BC Institute of Film Professionals with the support of Service Canada—highlighted the gender inequity in the media industry.

Gender parity, the bane of women filmmakers, set off the creation of SexMoneyMedia (SMM)—an international symposium held in Vancouver in October 2010. It led to a new initiative: Status of Women in Canada for Mainstreaming of Media Diversity (in association with Women in Film & Television Vancouver).

Jointly supported by academic and business partners, grants and donations, and funds from SMM, Women in View officially launched in September 2011 by Managing Director Marsha Newbery. The venue was the 13th Annual Martini Madness Party that summed up the Vancouver Women in Film Festival (VWIFF) at Republic Nightclub, where Newbery highlighted for me the fundamentals for the development of the initiative.

What is Gender Mainstreaming?

Defined in 1997 by the United Nations Development Program, Gender Mainstreaming is a strategy to prevent inequalities by identifying gaps between genders. Several organizations are involved in the studies and the new initiative:

Service Canada
Since 2005, this initiative of the Government of Canada responds to the demand for a less cluttered delivery of programs and services. It supports the labor research of the BC Institute of Film Professionals.

The BC Institute of Film Professionals
Its ten-year mandate ended in 2008 after serving as an alliance of professionals. It ensured to the BC film and television workforce world-class skills through access to high-quality education, training programs, with the support of all sectors of the industry (labor organizations, producers, suppliers, post-production facilities, public and private educational institutions).

SexMoneyMedia (SSM)
The international symposium organized by Women in View in 2010 addresses cultural, industrial, and economic opportunities and challenges for women working in film, video, television, digital media, and ICT (information, communication, and technology). Two labor studies—commissioned by the BC Institute of Film Professionals—showed the absence of women in leadership positions despite their remarkable achievements.

Women in View
The non-profit organization was founded in 2011 after the success of SMM. Its mission is to increase the diversity and participation of women in the media and entertainment industry and raise awareness of the positive impact of greater gender equity on business, content, and culture. Executive Director, Women in View and SSM: Rina Fraticelli.

Status of Women Canada (SWC): This federal government organization promotes women’s participation in the economic, social, and democratic life of Canada and works to improve women’s participation in society, with an emphasis on economic security and elimination of violence against women.

Women in Film & Television Vancouver (WIFTV) is an internationally affiliated non-profit society whose goal is to advance and celebrate women in the screen-based media industry.

Mainstreaming Media Diversity: This new mentorship from Women in View is the research initiative recently launched in Vancouver to increase the proportion of women working at senior job levels in the screen-based media industry. It is supported by a grant from the Status of Women Canada.

 

An Action plan based on two major questions

1. Why are the notable achievements of women in media disproportional to their statistical presence in leadership positions?

SMM acknowledges the exemplary successes of women who moved to the top level of what was male territory 25 years ago. Yet, Lynda Gratton—Director of the Lehman Centre for Women in Business at the London School of Business—indicated to The Economist that “the tipping point seems to be about 30 percent” for women’s presence as screenwriters, directors, and producers, in favor of men. The “leaky pipeline” replaced the “glass ceiling.”  At a certain stage of their career, circumstances push women off the career ladder.

As a result, men hold the leadership in content creation (writers, directors) and financial control, women facing systemic discrimination. It’s apparent in the labor force in general, and in the media industries in particular. According to the BC Institute of Film Professionals, down the crew chain, women occupy “taking care” rather than “taking charge” jobs.

2. How to achieve a more diverse, culturally, and globally relevant media landscape?

The digital revolution is transforming media industries with a great impact on economics, infrastructures, production and applications, workplace culture, and labor practices. This innovation might give women the opportunity to enter a more inclusive media culture, which led to further questions among which:

• How does the intertwined nature of technology development and content development affect women’s success in digital industries?
• How does the education system affect women’s ability to become leaders within the digital media culture?
• Why did training and employment readiness initiatives not result in greater employment?
• What is the relationship between diversity behind the screen and on the screen?
• What are the responsibilities of labor organizations, corporate leaders, and government to give better access to female workers?

Other Implications of Gender Disparity

Since 2004, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media has for mission to track the prevalence of stereotyping of female versus male characters in popular film and television programming aimed at children and families. It is “uniquely positioned to spotlight gender inequalities at every media and entertainment company.”

Children’s media consumption implies the importance of creating images and stories that empower young people “to become more than good consumers.” Media power should reflect the cultural and gender diversity of our societies, not only the bottom tier.

Since plots based on violence and negative gender stereotypes are scheduled at the primetime of mass media, such media consumption might increase the tolerance for violence in our communities.

The result could be that women are reluctant to work under those stereotypes, which could negatively impact the career of performers, directors, and writers. Furthermore, stereotyped female portrayals play a role in the age versus appearance standards set for women in the media. Yet, older women are the majority of online consumers and audiences.

Since women usually remain primary caregivers, symposium representatives from unions and guilds pointed to the importance of a supportive system (flexible and part-time) for childcare in an industry with unpredictable work schedules, a working model that systemically disadvantages women.

Note: 2010 statistics for Hollywood indicated that 15% of executive producers were women, down 2% from 2009.

Advancement of Women in Social Media and Online Computer Game Industry

Women play a leading role in social media as participants and designers/producers of social media. The work of Canadian Aboriginal women, in particular, has been significant in media and digital media arts. The SSM’s report indicates that according to Yahoo! the percentage of women accessing the web via mobile phones rose by almost 600% in the last two years, doubling the rate of the men’s increase.

Whereas sexism is still prevalent in computer games, the emergence of online games is changing the industry. Girls who grew up gaming might become designers. Women-owned studios are now producing entertainment games for girls.

According to Jutta Treviranus—Inclusive Design Research Centre Director—open-source software promoting the creation of user-generated content is an example of the tools that women could use to offset the discriminating diversity practices of existing powers. Her team is working on interface design for open-source tools for non-technical users.

Recommendations of the SMM Symposium as Focus for Mainstreaming of Media Diversity

Government accountability for the “demographic deficit” created by gender inequities in federal and provincial media investment

Long-term plan to identify gaps in research such as tracking women’s employment trends (lacking in Canada unlike in European countries)

Inclusive media strategy regarding cultural differences and the disabled.

Programs designed to solve the disconnect between training and employment and leading young and mid-career professionals to more senior levels.

A pilot program at the elementary school level with early intervention in mathematics and sciences education to girls in fields leading to advancement in technology design.

All participants from all related sectors of the media industry recommended that the SMM symposium become an annual medium “to build and develop, to track and assess, and refine progress and initiatives.”

Update on Canada Human Development and Gender Inequalities

The United Nations Human Development Report for 1995-2011 indicates that Canada moved up to sixth place in 2011. Whereas Canada ranks well overall, it dropped to 20th place when the index is adjusted for gender inequalities.

Sources

• C. Institute of Film Professionals. “Please Adjust Your Set.” Fact sheet.
• Lynda Gratton. “Steps that can help women make it to the top.” 2007.
• SexMoneyMedia (SSM). Initial Conference Report and Action Plan. January 2011.

First published 2010 Suite101.com

A Clear Plan for Your DIY Landscape Project

Professional landscapers know how to create harmonious and balanced small gardens. If you want to do it yourself, plan as professionals do. Online garden designs and publications are good resources but remember that achieving a valuable impact on a limited space requires discipline. What’s more, new homeowners shouldn’t rush before re-landscaping, going through a year of seasons instead, and see what’s worth keeping and what’s not.

Get Ideas: Landscaping Magazines, Garden Shows, Books

Online garden designs, specialized publications, garden shows, and Pinterest will help you visualize what you could do in a small garden.

Small Garden by John Brookes proves that balconies, terraces, courtyards, and small backyards can be transformed into havens for relaxing, meditating, entertaining, or for enjoying luxuriant vegetation.

Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens by Keith Davitt on how to rehabilitate a soulless garden by eliminating the negative, enhancing the positive, and injecting personal style.

Practical Techniques for the Home Gardener by Judith Adam is an ingenious guide with basic design techniques for small or large projects.

Western Sunset and other national gardening associations will advise you on guides specific to an area or purpose.

Steps for Planning a Small Garden

You think your small outdoor space is too limited for all you have in mind. You are probably right.

Compromise by focusing on what you need:

• Relax (by a water feature, lounging chair setting)
• Entertain (barbecue, seating area)
• Let kids play (with a sandbox, small play structure)
• Garden with flowers (place to store tools and a trimming bin)
• Grow vegetables (with raised beds, and an irrigation system)

Identify the micro-climates in your small garden:

• Sunny or shade
• Light shade (2-3 hours without direct sunlight)
• Partial shade (4-5 hours without direct sunlight)
• Exposure to wind or frost
• Protection from the rain (flowerbeds under the eaves)

Observe the existing garden, and others:

• Make a list of well-established perennial plants.
• Take a photograph of the bushes and the trees that you like in your neighborhood.
• Consider the loss of privacy in winter from deciduous trees.
• Notice the hardscape (path, arbor, fountain).

Resist the temptation of a quick makeover:

• A small garden needs a well-defined overall structure.
• A mistake with the hardscape is expensive to correct.
• An unprofessional look adds no value to a property.

Look at the garden from inside the house:

• What do you want to see from the main rooms?
• What rooms particularly need privacy?
• Where would landscape lighting add interest at night?

Collect pictures to keep your DIY vision on track:

• Pictures striking a chord, perhaps a Japanese garden bridge, or a water basin
• Ideas bookmarked in specialized publications or online landscape designs
• Clippings from garden magazines
• Photographs from trips, or from gardens with an interesting plant selection

Consider the overall budget:

• Know your budget: a small-scale landscape can be surprisingly costly.
• Keep in mind that your investment will be seen from a close look.
• Visit landscape suppliers for prices, options, and guidance

With this in mind, your next step will be to sketch the site.

First published 2010 Suite101.com

 

Insights on Gender

Film festivals are meant to connect with peers and learn about the industry. The Vancouver event Women in Film and Television Festival features international films with women as the key creators. It also offers workshops and forums organized by Women in View, an association of independent media professionals in Canada.

For the Women in View panel, it’s evident that the issues of past years are still relevant at the 2010 forum.  Moderated by Women in View Executive Director Rina Fraticelli, the panelists were Kirsten Newlands-Davidson from Studio B Productions, native actress Tantoo Cardinal, producer Anne Wheeler, and journalist and film critic Katherine Monk.

Points on Gender in Media Jobs

A major issue is a blunt evidence that male power at the top means a lesser female representation overall. As a result, women producers surround themselves with a team of women.

Kirsten Newlands-Davidson cited Studio B Productions where both producers are women and where the gender representation is 12 women for 20 men at the corporate level, whereas women occupy one-third of the movie production jobs.

Corporately, men tend to interact differently with women, even in the simple setting of a meeting. Women, however, are extremely competitive and tend to be critical of each other. Because of the multiple challenges for any advancement, women might not be aware that they often play a mental video game in which obstacles must be eliminated.

Rina Fraticelli pointed that women also need to be a part of the change and more supportive of each other.

Points on Gender Discrimination in Films and Television Series

The panelists and the audience voiced their frustration about the abusive portrayal of women in television series.

James Cameron gave powerful roles to the female characters of Avatar, yet that it involved researching the ideal breasts for their portrayal still ruffles some feathers. Surprisingly, women are less characterized in video games.

Tarantino and television series such as CSI spawned anger for their constant exploitation of visual violence on women. Yet, research shows that viewers resent voyeuristic films. Anne Wheeler, who directed Better than Chocolate, a sexually charged comedy, explained that sex needs a dramatic purpose, structured content, and logical context.

Points on the Outlook for Women in Media Jobs

“The original model of the narrative feature must change,” Katherine Monk said. The reality is that people are locked in roles. She cited the set of Juno and the emergence of a new generation who has let go of the archetype director.

A new generation of young women doesn’t have the same deference for the male CEO, as; as if their tattoos were symbols of their sassy-ness and entitlement.

“There is nothing women cannot do,” Tantoo Cardinal said. “Today women have expertise that used to be that of men.”

Anne Wheeler is still irritated by the so-called “gender limitation” due to heavy filming equipment. “A camera was never heavier than a six-month-old baby,” she said.

Fraticelli pointed that women need to move forward especially now that a woman has broken the Glass Ceiling (referring to Bigelow’s Oscar).

Points on Film Financing and Technology

Technical innovations in film equipment have greatly reduced costs and production time. But funding and distribution remain the bane of women filmmakers, although social media has contributed to more transparency in the allocation and politics of funding.

Distribution is a problem because the big screen loses to viewers who watch movies online. “Unfortunately, the web does not raise funds,” Wheeler said. Besides, television ratings would benefit by catering to the largest audience of women, which is 30-50 years old.

Wheeler said that technology will allow her to shoot her next film in 12 days with an eight-person crew. Her ideal formula for production would be less crew for a longer time, and a multi-tasking cast. This would mean that unions would need to be more flexible.

First published April 2010 Suite101.com

Women Directors and Action Films

Time was running out to book a hotel in Toronto for the 30^th Genie Awards held on April 12, 2010, at the Kool Haus Entertainment Complex located on the city waterfront.  

After American Kathryn Bigelow’s Academy Award, expectations were high that the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television would celebrate Canadian Kari Skogland as Best Director for Fifty Dead Men Walking.  Since the inception of Best Director in 1929, Bigelow is the first woman to have received the distinction—breaking the notorious and infamous glass ceiling.

Bigelow is an independent filmmaker. If her DVD-released action film, The Hurt Locker, won over high-profile blockbusters, it might be that her expressive focus on a small elite of unsung Army heroes struck a chord. They save lives by “diffusing Improvised Explosive Devices according to an Ordinance with no margin of error.” The film is about annihilating— locking up—the painful emotions that come with making war.  

With her action film based on the Irish Republican Army and violence-torn Belfast, Ottawa-born Kari Skogland is Bigelow’s Canadian counterpart with her nomination for Best Director, and subsequent award. “In this film [Fifty Dead Men Walking], Skogland, as Kathryn Bigelow does in The Hurt Locker, demolishes the notion that women can’t direct action.”

The change was overdue for a “notion” held by the Hollywood establishment—the powerful financing and political machine—that female directors should stay within the realm of their gender. Action films in particular make the financing process quite challenging when the director is a woman.

The situation is somewhat different in Canada where public funding—Telefilm, the Canadian Feature Film Fund (CFFF)—and tax credits have curbed the financial obstacle for Sarah Poley, Sandy Wilson, and Micheline Lanctot, who won Genies for best directing.

Women’s power was always in the shadow of American award-winning films. That Barbra Streisand should give the Academy Award to Kathryn Bigelow was evident catharsis after her 1991 film, The Prince of Tides, received seven nominations, except for best directing. Her take on the “notion” is that “it’s as if a man is allowed to feel passionate commitment about his work, and a woman is allowed to feel passionate commitment only about a man.”

Bigelow and Skogland bypassed the gender obstacle by ignoring the “notion.” They proved their point, and that of other female directors too.

First published 2010 orato.com

Between Butterfly and Bees

Meeting Muhammad Ali was intimidating, and he wasn’t even wearing boxing gloves. He sat patiently at the photographer’s setting, acknowledging each guest with a faint smile. He may even have given an extra blink to the matching shimmering color of our pantsuits.

Facing Ali is a documentary featuring his former illustrious rivals as they celebrate the three-time World Heavyweight Champion and 1960 Rome Olympic Gold medalist. Based on a book by Canadian sportswriter Stephen Brunt, Facing Ali focuses on the human nature of the rink warriors. The testimonials are an explosive retrospective of the boxer’s career and a tribute to the man.

Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie arrived secretly in Vancouver, BC, on October 9^th, 2009 for the private screening of Facing Ali/The Untold Stories of Warriors, at District 319 Theatre. Released by Lions Gate, directed by Pete McCormack (See Grace Fly, Uganda Rising), it was produced by Network Entertainment Derik Murray (Legends of Hockey, Making the Cut).

After Murray’s welcome, the room went dark, and Ali’s silhouette leaned toward the screen for the next 100 minutes. When the lights came back on, he remained seated, perhaps collecting his thoughts. He just watched a retrospective of his life through his former opponents’ emotionally charged and honest interviews. “The Greatest” then slowly stood up and moved cautiously to the exit under the audience applause and cheering. The documentary deepened their understanding of the charismatic athlete.

At the reception—an exclusive fundraiser for the Ali Center—Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robinson presented Ali with a framed Proclamation by the City of Vancouver, honoring the man and his mission with a Muhammad Ali Day.

His health condition, however, was a reminder of the necessity of a cure for Parkinson’s. But Ali’s assistant was clear, “He doesn’t want people to feel sorry for him, he is happy.” Ali didn’t talk, but his presence exuded all that he stood for.

The Warriors of the Ring

Other than in The Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire, The Thrilla in Manila in the Philippines, and vintage footage of the seventies, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, George Chuvalo, Sir Henry Cooper, Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, and Leon Spikes play themselves on the big screen, sharing intimate insights about “the man who could float like a butterfly, sting like a bee in the boxing ring.”

Muhammad Ali transformed the sport with a brilliant strategy, combining physical ability and psychological domination over his opponents. No one knows this more than Joe Frazier, who faced Ali in 47 rounds, sometimes at the risk of his life. With 56 victories for 61 fights and 37 wins by KO, the champion was truly “The Greatest.”

However, 1967 to 1971 were not his best nor easiest times. First, Sports Illustrated Tex Maule described Ali’s notorious win over Ernie Terrel as “a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a barbarous display of cruelty.” Then, in May 1967, Ali’s boxing license was suspended after he was prosecuted for his refusal to join the U.S. Armed Forces. During Ali’s three years of exile from the ring, Frazier regained the World Heavyweight Champion title yet extended financial opportunities to Ali. They met again in 1971 in the much-anticipated Fight of the Century with Frazier’s victory in the final round.

Ali’s Parkinson’s Diagnosis and Legacy

Ali retired in 1981 and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1986. His life purpose had just begun. He shared such insights in Soul of a Butterfly (2004), a memoir he wrote with Hana, one of his seven daughters—Ali has two sons:

“During my boxing career, you did not see the real Muhammad Ali. You just saw a little boxing. You saw only a part of me. After I retired from boxing my true work began. I have embarked on a journey of love.“

Ali has received numerous awards, and his humanitarian work is a testimony of his once rebellious yet always social justice-minded spirit. He traveled the world to bring awareness and compassion to desperate causes. In 1990, he negotiated the release of 15 hostages in Iraq. In 2002, the United Nations named him Messenger of Peace, and he went to Afghanistan.

John Ramsey, Ali Center VP of Marketing and Government Affairs, stressed the genuine compassion of a man who discretely visited hospitals. He shared Ali’s favorite story about a little boy with cancer. Ali had made a deal with him. “I whip Foreman and you beat cancer.” Ali beat Foreman, but the little boy was losing his fight. “Mr. Ali, I am going to meet God, and I am going to tell him I know you,” he said.

The Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky became Ali’s dream of a place that inspires adults, and children in particular, to pursue their dreams, be accepting of others regardless of ethnicity or background, and instill the belief in “the greatness that lies in each of us.”

“His impact recognizes no continent, no language, no color, no ocean… Muhammad Ali belongs to us all,” Maya Angelou said.

First published 2010 Orato.com

Dial V for Vineyard

With impressive filmography and classic blockbusters such as Dial M for Murder, Hitchcock’s legacy goes on. Other than for his creative life, the filmmaker is remembered for his foundation and surprisingly as a grape grower, the revival of his vineyard leading to a new label by the name of his hideaway in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Hitchcock The Filmmaker

Hitchcock’s legacy as a professional thrill-maker was widely celebrated with two Golden Globes, eight Laurel Awards, and no less than five-lifetime achievements awards. He was nominated five times for Best Director and his iconic film Rebecca afforded him the Oscar for Best Picture. He also has not one but two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—one for film and one for television. And besides a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth in 1980, his other claim to fame is in holding the record for the longest kiss ever filmed, in 1942.

The Hitchcock Personal Legacy

The legacy that was likely closest to his heart is the family drama that led to his involvement with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Earlier this year the Hitchcock family was recognized for committing to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. On November 7, 2009, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will hold the Inaugural Alfred Hitchcock Tribute Gala fundraiser. The theme, A Culinary Event with California Wine Masters, would have delighted the life-loving man with the iconic silhouette.

The Alfred J. Hitchcock Foundation

This year is a special anniversary of Hitchcock’s birth; he would have been 110 years old. Fundraising events have nevertheless been an ongoing mission of the Hitchcock family Foundation, headed by Patricia Hitchcock O’Connell, his only daughter. The foundation also supports the USC School of Drama. Besides, the Seascape golf course in Aptos, near Santa Cruz, and the set for the thriller The Birds, holds the annual Alfred Hitchcock Memorial Golf Tournament.

Hitchcock The Grape Grower

Hitchcock indeed left his imprint on the historic estate Heart O’ the Mountain, located high in a glen of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The Hitchcocks emigrated from England to California in 1940 to direct the film Rebecca (Alma Hitchcock assisted on all projects). They fell in love with the Bay Area and wanted a weekend retreat near San Francisco. Joan Fontaine—who starred in the film with Lawrence Olivier—guided them to the Vine Hill area.

The area already produced prized wines in the late 1800s and early 1900s, so Hitchcock continued the tradition although he only grew the grapes, selling his first crop over Christmas of 1950.

There, Alfred and Alma regularly entertained Hollywood celebrities—and royalty. The thrill crafter had a passion for good vintages and was known for treating his friends with such generosity that everyone ended up falling apart.

Ultimately, after 34 years, it was time to sell their hideaway. The vineyard went dormant until,  two owners later, Robert and Judy Brassfield released a pinot noir, under the label Heart O’ the Mountain. Today, it stands as another tribute to the bucolic life on what had been Hitchcock’s beloved retreat. 

  First published 2009 Orato.com

 

 

A new Pinot Noir in the Santa Cruz Mountains

It’s a mild winter day when I head to the “secretive historic estate cradled in a glen among a deep forest of the Santa Cruz Mountains.” I left Highway 17 at the Scotts Valley Exit and drive straight up towards the mountain until I get on a dirt road that winds up, and unexpectedly down.

It begins to make sense that Alfred Hitchcock was attracted to such scenery. The thrill maker’s craze for the creepy is even getting to me. Anthropomorphic trees stare like ghostly onlookers clutching shreds of Spanish moss. It seems that I am on the set of a thriller, the knotty limbs of the forest elders leaning toward my intrusion. After many, many turns, a massive black gate opens onto young vines running down the incline. Beyond, the asphalted road is still a test of faith. Sharp edges disappear at every bent, letting me guess where the right side of the single lane is. Hitchcock couldn’t have cared less since he didn’t drive. Another sharp turn leads down to a mossy and rather romantic bridge. I am then let through another gate, with a grape-and-vine design, and come upon a graceful white house with a red-tiled roof, curved flowerbeds, trees beaded with citrus fruit, and groups of dormant bushes. The drive ends by the tower that was Hitchcock’s guest-house and is today the Heart O’ the Mountain emblem.

Robert and Judy Brassfield greet me, kindly asking about the drive up as we sit under a vine-covered pergola. As I look over the valley blanketed by the winter fog, Judy says their view extends “all the way to the Monterey Bay, on a sunny day.”

The New Heart O’ The Mountain Vineyard

The vines are young, but the vineyard goes back to the 1800s, Robert explains, when pioneer winemakers were determined to make good wines from mountain grapes. The connection with Hitchcock is that he grew and sold grapes after he bought the estate.

The Brassfields didn’t think of grapes when they bought the 155 acres estate, in 1978. “There was no vineyard,” Robert recalls. Then, one day, they were roaming their land when they discovered old vines among the thick brush, and what might have been the foundations of a winery. Intrigued, they did some research that would bring back the region’s prominent family names.  

The first owner was Pierre Cornwall, a member of the First California Legislature. He had bought the property as a land grant, in 1881. He labeled his wine Santa Sada—the name of his second wife. And in her diary about “the farm,” the Brassfields discovered the estate’s historic name—Heart O’ The Mountain.

Robert and his son Brandon run a hands-on operation and enjoy the freedom of crafting their first pinot noir—Robert’s younger son, Dustin, runs his own winery above Lake County under the label High Valley. The Brassfields wanted to make wine for their enjoyment but pouring at several tasting events of the Santa Cruz Winegrowers Association led to their first release.

The Santa Cruz Vintners of the Past

It had been a long journey until the late 1800s when a few pioneers formed the Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Company, then tunneled large cellars into the cliffs.

Among them were John and Georges Jarvis who, in 1860, acquired the newly clear-cut area and tilled the land to plant “mission grapes” originally introduced by missionaries. These were not easy times, even ten years later when the 1870 Report on the State of the Wine Industry of Alta California totally ignored them. What’s more, in 1874 they faced had to (successfully) fight back against the temperance movement bill—initiated by the Order of Good Templars.

Eventually, other winemakers emerged, and with them, thousands of acres. The wine trade boomed until entrepreneurship led to speculation and a disastrous lack of business foresight. Growers were obsessed with the per-acre yield, ignoring the inadequacy of their facilities and winemaking practices.  

It was a pricey mistake. Dealers bought entire cellars. To make matters worse, they sold good wines under foreign labels—stripping Santa Cruz of a legitimate validation. Worst still, bad wines were sold cheaply as California Wine. Grapes became feed for pigs and turkeys and the market collapsed. Wineries closed, and heavily indebted growers switched to walnuts and fruit. Others grafted stock for raisins.

However, within a decade of the debacle, the industry was reborn. Vine Hill acquired a fine reputation with George Bram’s white Riesling and Semillon, Henry Mel of Fontenay Vineyard and his Meunier and Chauche Noir, and Dr. John A. Stewart of Etta Hill Vineyard even won prizes at the 1893 Chicago Fair for his white Burgundy—attributed to pruning vines close to cordons. He was the first to blend wines in the French way, winning prizes at world fairs—Paris in 1889, Chicago in 1893, and San Francisco in 1894.

Across the hill to the west, the Ben Lomond Wine Company—founded by Scotsman John Burns, and eventually run by William Cooper—produced a Grey Riesling with the “thin, delicate, flinty dryness of a true Chablis” so described in 1889 by wine expert Frona Wait—in her book on California wines. It was prized at the 1900 Paris Exposition.

Success had settled in when economic recession, Prohibition, and personal hardship again crushed the industry. “There are so many stories,” Bob says. Those of Emil Meyer of Mare Hill Vineyards, for example. To his surprise, only his rootstock resisted the root-loose infestation that ruined most vineyards. And, in 1899, when the water supply dried up, he hooked up fire hoses to his claret vats to save his winery from the raging fires that consumed the mountains.

Wine expert Matt Kramer called the area “California’s all-time underrated wine district,” praising its “absolute uniqueness.” Since experts know best, wine collectors should take notice.

The vision of the founding fathers of the Santa Cruz Mountains Viticulture had been worth fighting for. “They validated the terroir for future generations,” Robert says.  

Today, some 70 wineries stretch over 350,000 acres under the Santa Cruz Mountains Viticultural Appellation, federally recognized in 1981. The domain extends from Half Moon Bay in the north to Mount Madona in the south. Surprisingly, East and West are defined by elevation, down to 800 feet in the east and 400 feet in the west.

Winemaking at Heart O’ The Mountain

If the past is a good indication of the future, Heart O’ the Mountain will thrive in the former Vine Hill vineyard district. A warm cocoon by day, cooled off at night by the marine breeze, its micro-climate at 1100 feet of elevation slows the maturing of the grapes and concentrates the flavors. What’s more, the small benches of land on steep slopes with the soil of loam, sand, clay, and chalk appropriately stress the vines while strengthening their rootstock, “a perfect terroir for pinot noir,” Robert says.

But winemaking is also a matter of personal techniques. The Brassfields believe that “a wine should be first about the vineyard it comes from.” They favor nature as a helper, as they do in their ranch of Quincy where they raise cattle under the Thomson Valley Natural Grass-Fed Beef Label. At the winery, they use gravity to let the juice flow from the outdoor press to the stainless-steel tanks inside the 1400-square-foot winery.

Their 2005 Pinot Noir is a blend of three Pinot Noir clones: two from the Dijon region and one from Pommard. Aged to perfection in the finest French and Hungarian oak barrels, the wine exhibits “soft supple tannins with a back-note of spice and elegant touches of blackberry and raspberry.” And it placed second at a blind panel of the International Pinot Noir Shootout in San Francisco, in 2008. 

With limited production, the wine is only available through a yearly allocation. The Brassfields “hope to gather a convivial group of people for private tastings at the future winery.” A businessman who traveled the world, Robert now prefers simplicity. “What matters, is the process of hand-crafting quality wines, and being able to enjoy them with people interested in our progress.”

Next year’s 2006 release gets their meticulous attention. Aging each clone separately in a variety of new French oak barrels will reveal unique characteristics. Recently racked from new barrels to one-year-old barrels—to limit the oak presence and preserve the rich fruit flavors—the vintage is already meeting expectations as a complex, multi-layered wine, rich in color, and with supple tannins.

As for the 2007 harvest, warm weather gave an early start, which slowed as the weather cooled. As a result, the fruit hung longer, bringing the sugar, acid, and flavors into perfect balance. With a smile and a few nods, Robert can “hardly wait for the 2009 release.”

A Tour of Hitchcock Old Stomping Grounds

Owners since 1978, Robert and Judy met Pat Hitchcock O’Connell and her family on several occasions. An actress in some of her father’s films, she shared many memories.

As we tour the property, Robert briefs me on Hitchcock’s history on the premises. The filmmaker took a liking for the area in 1940 while shooting Rebecca with actress Joan Fontaine whose parents lived nearby, in Los Gatos. When the Hitchcocks bought the two-hundred-acre property, it included a farmhouse, cows, chickens, and a horse—they kept the caretaker and his family.

The house was renovated and enlarged, but most of the interior features are original. Judy points to the impressive stainless-steel O’Keefe & Merritt gas-powered stove with multiple ovens. And indeed, none of the corridors are straight, curved or bent instead, in a deliberate Hitchcock way.

Other than making thrillers, Hitchcock loved a good time with friends, among which Ingrid Bergman and her family, Jimmy Stewart, and Kim Novak. A photograph shows that we are sitting where Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly once sat—from the allegorical tiled mural on the wall.

The gardens were designed by the local artist Roy Rydell. The mosaic with doves—commissioned to Georges Braque and seen on vintage photographs of the (white) rose garden wall, and posters—was dismantled when the house was sold. Friendly statuaries in secretive patios and courtyards add charm to the mystery. A serene walkway under a long wood framework supporting an elderly wisteria leads to the pool.  

As I later snail-drive down the mountain flank, I can’t help imagining that, with such a historic and entertaining background, the Heart O’ The Mountain’s future releases could be named The Legislator’s Reserve, The Director’s Reserve, and the Revival’s Reserve. All with a tinge of Hollywood finish.

First published 2008 Orato.com