Educational Media Reviews Online

Born into unimaginable wealth and privilege, a poet, a collector, an eccentric, a raconteur, a patron of the surrealist art movement and a man rumored to be the bastard son of Edward VII, King of England, the life of Edward James (1907-1984) defies any attempt at categorization, as this film makes plain.

Believing that art should compete with reality, when James glimpsed Simon Rodia’s Watts Towers in Los Angeles, it came as a revelation. Subsequently in the rainforest of the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico, James found his Garden of Eden, and set out to create Las Pozas (“The Pools”).

Bursting with ideas and inspiration but with no experience in architecture or drafting, and little concern for money, James conceived of Las Pozas as 36 fantastical concrete structures spread out over 80 acres of jungle—requiring 40 workmen 25 years to build.

An enthralling story, this documentary skillfully weaves a compelling portrait of Edward James and what drove him, drawing on archival footage—interviews with James, his colleagues and friends—and current videography of Las Pozas as it looks today, all set to a hypnotic, percussive score.

Fittingly, the film opens and closes with a performance by the avant-garde dance/theatre group Byakko-sha at Las Pozas—surrealism in the flesh. No doubt Edward James would have loved it.

Photos of Edward James and Las Pozas can be found at Fondo Xilitla.

A preview of the DVD is available from the Microcinema website.

Highly recommended for all libraries.