Directed by Tina Mascara and Guido Santi
USA; 2007
It's not until somewhere in the second act that Don Bachardy's magnificent drawings are revealed. It is a revelation, a story element that adds another level of complexity to this already engaging tale. Don Bachardy was a wide-eyed teenager swept off his feet by an older and considerably more cultured gentleman, a man whose renowned joie de vivre had been lifting spirits at affluent parties on both sides of the Atlantic for three decades previous. Directors Mascara and Santi begin with a run-down of Chris Isherwood's illustrious life prior to his meeting Don, describing through interview, photo archives, and narration of Isherwood's journal the handsomeness and great attraction of this man. By the time we meet Don, the impressionable youngster, it's certainly no surprise how quickly he falls for the older fellow. The two make a fine pair, radiant and lovable, openly gay in a conservative era (but what era isn't?), and proud to be in love, despite the gauche age difference. But there is a stereotype happening, and as barrier-busting as this power duo seems to be, their story is as old as storytelling itself. Almost two thousand years ago, Ovid's Ganymede and the Eagle was describing a similar story, where an older patrician (in that case Zeus, king of the gods no less) seduces a beautiful young boy, and takes him away to a luxurious and chic lifestyle on Mount Olympus, not much different from the Hollywood of the 1960's and 70's.
However progressive their relationship, and however significant this pair's cultural leap is considered, it is not the mere premise that makes this film so rich. The interviews with Don tell the story of a man who grew into a distinct individual within those relationship confines. He has a similar British accent, yes, from his developing years under Isherwood's wing, but it's his voice that is different. And somewhere in that second act his drawings are revealed. Don's sheer talent as a painter suddenly increases the plane on which this film sits, in truth providing a reason to remain interested in the story. What makes for a good personality doc are these various shades of complexity that form not just a good linear story, built on a good linear premise, but a fascination that goes a step beyond. As the film moves, the pair of lovers depicted in the seemingly endless cache of 8mm home movies (some of the most skilled home cinematography I've ever seen, by the way, is this 16mm?) become more than the stereotypes, three dimensional humans in fact. But stereotypes there are many. Don describes the infidelities of the relationship as maintenance countermeasures, something done in order to maintain true love, but mostly just succeeds in reinforcing the notion of gay promiscuity. Aside from a few stumbles such as this, some funny expressionist directorial choices when visually describing Don's daily routines, and a failure to actually recognize much of what I'm saying here, this film is right on the mark.
