USA,
1995, 54 min
Shown in 1995
CREDITS
- dir
-
Les Blank
- prod
-
Les Blank
- cam
-
Les Blank
- editor
-
Maureen Gosling
-
COMMENTS
Les Blank was the subject of a tribute in 1995; he appeared in person.
Blank’s profile of Bay Area artist Gerry Gaxiola, a.k.a. the Maestro. With an approach that matches Gaxiola’s own good-humored, quick-draw wisdom, The Maestro is a portrait of a fascinating man and the wide range of artwork—paintings, sculpture, songs, intricately stitched cowboy outfits—he’s produced over the last couple of decades. But it’s also a film about creativity itself—what it means to dedicate your life full-time to art. “Art is a religion, not a business,” is the Maestro’s philosophy, and he’s stuck to it: He loves showing his art—as he did annually from 1977-1990 at his locally famous Maestro Day celebrations—but he has no desire to sell it. As one friend explains, “His life itself has become his greatest canvas.”
—Kurt Wolff
FACTOID #384
Henry Fonda attended the SFIFF in 1967 to receive a tribute for his work in classics like The Grapes of Wrath and 12 Angry Men. Daughter Jane showed up in 1975 for a tribute of her own. And her brother Peter made two Festival appearances, one as a guest in 1963 and another to accompany the film Nadja (in which he gleefully portrayed Dr. Van Helsing) in 1995.
