Documentary captures the long love affair between Harold and Lillian Michelson and Hollywood
HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY (Daniel Raim, 2016)
Quad Cinema
34 West 13th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Opens Friday, April 28
212-255-2243
www.quadcinema.com
www.haroldandlillian.com
Burton and Taylor. Bogie and Bacall. Gable and Lombard. Michelson and Michelson? In Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story, documentarian Daniel Raim traces the sixty-year relationship between storyboard artist and production designer Harold Michelson and his wife, film researcher extraordinaire Lillian, and their roles in Hollywood’s Golden Age and beyond. New York City native Harold was a bombardier navigator in WWII who developed a talent for illustration. Lillian lived in a series of orphanages, seeking to be part of a family. She accepted Harold’s offer to move to Los Angeles to be with him mainly because she had no better plan for her life — and his mother didn’t approve. But soon their love blossomed, as did their impact on the movie industry. Harold had a natural ability for creating storyboards that incorporated camera angles and other technical elements that was a boon for directors; meanwhile, Lillian did extensive research for a myriad of films, doing whatever it took in order to make sure every possible detail was correct, from major plot points to clothing and household objects in backgrounds. Among those paying tribute to the happy couple, whose work was often uncredited, are Danny DeVito, Francis Ford Coppola, Mel Brooks, and such production designers as Gene Allen, James D. Bissell, Rick Carter, Richard Sylbert, and Tom Walsh. Raim, who wrote, directed, produced (with his wife, Jennifer Raim), and shot (with Battiste Fenwick) the documentary, includes clips from many of the films Harold and/or Lillian worked on, including The Ten Commandments, Full Metal Jacket, Rosemary’s Baby, Spaceballs, The Birds, Scarface, and Winter Kills, in which Harold discusses how his storyboards were turned into a gripping scene.
Patrick Mate’s storyboards follow relationship between Harold and Lillian
The film features new interviews with Lillian along with archival footage of Harold and Lillian, from photographs and home movies to old interviews as well as love letters they wrote to each other; animator Patrick Mate has also created numerous storyboards, in Harold’s style, about the Michelsons that are a beautiful homage. The film focuses on how Harold and Lillian, who were honored with the American Academy of Dramatic Arts lifetime achievement award last year, didn’t merely perform tasks given to them by producers and directors but used their unique skills to bring something extra to the projects they worked on, elements that no one else was capable of providing. Raim previously made the Oscar-nominated The Man on Lincoln’s Nose and Something’s Gonna Live, both about one of his teachers, production designer Robert Boyle, and he completes the trilogy with Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story, a classy film about a classy couple. Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story opens April 28 at the newly renovated Quad Cinema, with Raim participating in Q&As at the 7:15 shows on April 28 & 29.