Mark Twain's America . Newcity Chicago . 07-06-98

Mark Twain's America

DIRECTED BY: Stephen Low

REVIEWED: 07-06-98

A fish is still a fish, even if it's in 3-D on a movie screen. And accordingly, a 3-D documentary is still a documentary. Such is the case with the new IMAX 3-D "Mark Twain's America," which takes the Ken Burns school of documentary filmmakingÐextensive use of old photographs with the even more extensive use of celebrity narrationÐand try to pump new life into it via a theatrical rather than a PBS viewing experience. Stephen Low wrote, produced and directed the film, in which narrator Anne Bancroft details the ups and downs of Twain's colorful life, occasionally trading off with the vocal stylings of a Twain impersonator reciting the author's comments. The 3-D footage comes in modern-day depictions of life in America and particularly Twain's hometown of Hannibal, Missouri, where kids fly off of rope swings and into your lap, or splash mud in your face while engaging in a truly wet game of volleyball during a town festival. Meanwhile, actual 19th century stereopticon photographs (which resemble 3-D imagery) of the author and historic events blend in surprisingly well with the new footage. In the end, the film provides a lilting look at a firebrand's lifeÐone that might be better served by kids reading "Huckleberry Finn." As it stands, the film seems as though it may better inform parents than entertain their children. 50m. IMAX.

--Carl Kozlowski

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