Beyond the Bolex 2018
Distributed by Collective Eye Films, 1315 SE 20th Ave. #3, Portland OR 97214; 971-236-2056
Produced by Alyssa Bolsey, Philippe Coeytaux, et. al.
Directed by Alyssa Bolsey
Streaming, 91 mins
Middle School - General Adult
20th Century History; Biography; Filmmaking
Date Entered: 05/21/2021
Reviewed by Ray Boucher, Lecturer of Theater and Film (SUNY Buffalo State, SUNY Geneseo, GCC, NCCC) and actorAlyssa Bolsey's homage to her great grandfather, Yakov Bogopolsky (also known Jaques Boolsky or Bolsey), the inventor of the Bolex camera, is a slick and well-produced documentary featuring a cavalcade of historians, personal friends and family, and filmmakers (notably Wim Wenders). The film is a combination of archival footage, family testimonials, and interviews with undeniable experts.
Beyond the Bolex is, on one hand, extremely entertaining, but on the other, not, perhaps, as illuminating as one would like. There are segments that delve into the technical details of how the Bolex works and its import on the filmmaking world, but they are interspersed with the biography of its inventor, and the journey of his great granddaughter, as she follows his history both historically and physically, piecing together the life of a man she has only recently realized was her ancestor. What we get, in the end, is a hodgepodge of three distinctly different through lines. Yet, with the beautiful restoration of Bogopolsky's home movies, the film gives us a wonderful look at the early 20th Century through the lens of an immigrant escaping Nazi Germany and leaving his mark on the world of film.
Awards:
Best Documentary, Jury Award, Dallas Film Festival; Best Emerging Filmmaker, Festival Honors Award, Newport Beach Film Festival
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