1/20/2012

The Loss of Nameless Things Review

The Loss of Nameless Things
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A recent airing of Bill Rose's THE LOSS OF NAMELESS THINGS on PBS's "Independent Lens" afforded me the opportunity to see this extraordinary documentary film about an extraordinary playwright, Oakley Hall, III. Like so many of life's chance discoveries, I was completely surprised by the beauty of this film - both in its subject matter and its crafting.
It is more than apparent that Mr. Hall was - is - one of those uniquely gifted individuals who appear rarely on life's stage. Unfortunately, such exceptional characters seem inevitably to be cursed with flaws which lead to their own "falls." Though this was largely the case with Oakley, too, his tale ends on notes of redemption and rebirth.
Changed though he may be today, few among us will ever be able to create anything of lasting significance as Oakley has done. In his achievements, he is a fortunate man, indeed.
Bill Rose has captured this man's dramatic life in an artful and sensitive way. His use of old photos and films, interviews with friends and family, and visual references back to the LTC environs (especially, the haunting old bridge and the river below) are all superbly done. The care that has obviously been put into the creation of this documentary betrays a genuine fondness for the subject and the genius of the film artist behind its production.
Though Oakley appears at least contented with his life today, much was lost at the time of his accident. The saddest piece of the story, of course, is the apparent lack of reconciliation that exists between Oakley and his first wife. Hopefully, she - and their son - will one day see this film and it will serve to awaken those memories that are good ones; and, perhaps, they will be proud and thankful to have participated in Oakley's life.

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In 1978, Oakley Hall III was a 28-year-old playwright with a reputation for brilliance and on the verge of national recognition. The son of novelist Oakley Hall (Downhill Racer, Warlock), he was the charismatic co-founder of the Lexington Conservatory Theater in upstate New York, where he served as artistic director. His work had been optioned by Joseph Papp at New York's famed Public Theater. Mandy Patinkin and William Hurt starred in his staged readings of his plays. Hall was an enfant terrible in every sense, with not just a bright future but a great one. He had just completed work on his verse play Grinder's Stand, based on the mysterious death of Meriwether Lewis, when his life was violently interrupted by a mysterious fall from a bridge. He suffered horrific head injuries, was hospitalized nearly a year and incapacitated much longer. There was little thought of him ever using his brain again, let alone having an artistic life... until twenty-five years later, when a Northern California theater company received an NEA grant to produce the very play Hall was writing the night he fell.The story does not end there, however, as The Loss of Nameless Things uncovers much more about Hall s work and that fateful night, long ago. It is the tale about how one powerful soul finds strength in who he is, when he could no longer be who he d been.

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