A Generation Apart (1983/City Lights DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: B- Film: B
When it
first was issued, I managed to see Jack Fisher’s heartfelt documentary A Generation Apart (1983) and was
struck by how deeply investigative and journalistic it was while still being so
personal. It was bold in the way it
showed his family, discussed the Holocaust and asks many relevant questions
that are still difficult on already 25th anniversary. City Lights has issued it on DVD and it
remains a solid piece of filmmaking of several kinds.
One theme
it investigates is in what way The Holocaust affects a family and how those
born of survivors have the event haunt them so badly, yet that it is still not
like actually having gone through it.
Anything about guilt aside, since this is such a difficult subject to
discuss, just addressing this awful situation and that gap takes some
boldness. However, Fisher is determined
to do so for the future health, well being of his family, legacy and to find a
new way to find a more honest grasp of the situation in general.
There is
much to still be learned from this and its arrival on DVD is highly welcome as
it is long overdue.
The 1.33 X
1 image is softer than one would like and is sourced from some video master that
is likely later analog. A film this
important deserves an HD transfer form the original film materials, which
hopefully still exist. The Dolby Digital
2.0 Mono is better, a generation down, but still a decent recording for its
time. Extras include Fisher and his father
doing a touching audio commentary and two featurettes: Telling The Next Generation and Epilogue.
- Nicholas Sheffo
