Through These Eyes

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Dean Stockwell

 “His Life in Pieces”

 

La Fonda Hotel is considered the end of the historic Santa Fe Trail, and for people who love the Southwest like myself, it is a most splendid ending.  It is unequaled in its abundance of history, folklore, authentic cuisine and the overall flavor of the New Mexican way of life.  It is a good place to end.

 

However, for Robert Dean Stockwell, the so-called “end of the trail” made a sharp turn to the North and then hit the High Road to Taos – where “all great souls eventually come,” or so they say.

 

Arriving at this destination in 2004 was in no way a terminus for Mr. Stockwell; in actuality it was just a beginning.  Of course, we all know about the real beginning, some 150 films ago.  The Boy with Green Hair would go Down to the Sea in Ships, visit The Secret Garden during The Happy Years and The Careless Years, experience Compulsion, Rapture and Blue Velvet in The Gardens of Stone.  He would be Married to the Mob with Friends and Enemies – Be the Player with The Chasers as well as Mr. Wrong – be in Midnight Blue with the Rain Maker and The Buffalo Soldiers during the Venice Project.  He would find Mr. Wrong or Right in Paris, Texas and experience the Rights of Passage with the Manchurian Candidate and the list goes on and on and on, after all, what should one expect from an actor actually born in Hollywood?

 

 

And now, that having been said, let us project ahead to this present moment. 

“Deep is your longing

For the land of your memories

And the dwelling-place

Of your greater desires.”

 

The Spagyric Eye and Kahlil Gibran

 

Having had a longing to experience the mystical Taos for myself for quite some time, I laid my plans, and so one fine day in May, with a driver, a photographer and a few friends, we too hit the High Road to Taos for our scheduled visit with the elusive and illustrious Mr. Stockwell.

 

As we arrive at Dean’s house, with Taos Mountain towering in the background, we feel the heavy presence of his beloved Pueblo.  We are greeted on the porch by Dean, with several dogs at his heels.

 

 

Knowing of his weakness for three so-called vices; “Guinness, golf and good cigars,” Fernando De La Garza, a part of our group who is an avid golfer and an aficionado himself of a good cigar, comes bearing such.  He speaks appreciatively of Dean’s graciousness while they were acting together in one of my favorite movies – She Came to the Valley – in Texas.  Fernando recalled Dean taking the time to speak to his class of school children about the making of the movie, and how they were in awe of a real life movie star!

 

While movie roles are by no means declined these days, they are a far cry from what is uppermost in Dean’s life at this period of time.  As we enter his house, we see the art . . . . and we know. 

 

His good friend, Doug Coffin, says “If you know Dean, then you know he’s been on the inside of the art scene his whole life.  Art and artists are what make his personal world go ‘round.  His passion and commitment are apparent as soon as you enter his home.  It is filled with art. Discovering Dean’s level of expression means uncovering the depth of understanding of a totally mature artist.  His work is both exciting and thought-provoking.”

 

 

As we are shown around we understand that our friend Dean has made a “Quantum Leap” of all time.  We see the Collages – everywhere!  We are told that a collage is a composition of cut and pasted pictures and the word Spagyric means to take apart and reassemble – to make new from old.  To paraphrase some of the quotes from the foreword of his fantastic new book – The Spagyric Eye – will help one to grasp the meaning of it all – perhaps.  His book – a huge one – is full of numerous collages.  Dean’s works have been shown at galleries across the country – Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, and others.  But as of now, he is content to have his works and his book at the R. B. Ravens Gallery in Taos.

 

Walter Hopps says, “Dean Stockwell’s collage works are superb.  The compositions are varied, inventive and complex and generally take on a mysterious narrative character.  His collages have a degree of intensity both in composition and color rarely seen in the work of his contemporaries.  In oblique ways, the work addresses contemporary concerns at the same time as it addresses concerns basic to Surrealism – life, death and eroticism.  In and around Stockwell’s social critique, there is a sharp edge of humor.”

 

My personal favorite, as we are shown around the studio, is the Eye of the Beholder, and I realize that all of this is indeed, just that.   One sees what is within one’s own mind, with no explanations from the artist.

 

“No man reveal to you ought

But that which already lies half asleep

In the dawning of your knowledge.”

 The Spagyric Eye and Kahlil Gibran

 

 

Ralph Gibson says, “As an artist, Dean has taken the most basic visual elements of the vernacular and reconfigured them into visual tone poems lingering between the abstract and the real.  This place could be called the echo of memory because once seen, it hovers in one’s thoughts.”

 

As we stand, admiringly, in front of his so-called “crown jewels,” Dean explains, “Bruce Conner just out of the blue, sent me this most amazing collection of collage materials.  It was the likes of which it would take a lifetime to collect!  And he gave them to me!  So, in 2003, to honor that great friend, I put all my energies into working with these exquisite pieces.”

 

When I ask Dean if it is some primal urge to divulge all that is in his mind, he replies “I wouldn’t doubt it – it certainly feels primal.  Early on, I felt I might be able to make some interesting pieces, but I refrained until the time was right. That time was in 2003.”

 

His first collage called "Shot of Life" sold for $12, 500 and he was off and running!  When I inquired as to whether his images were premeditated, Dean replied, “Not really. I go through a process of a kind of discovery of what each one will be and then it takes over and takes on a life of its own.”  He laughingly acknowledges, “It’s news to me too.”

 

 

And indeed, it’s news to us and to the general populace.  How do you explain the logic behind The Pope’s Secret Girlfriends, Two Heads Are Better Than One, Mussolini’s Office and Bikeface?

 

Throughout our tour, we have heard an almost dreamlike, lilting voice singing bits of song from an innermost part of the house and we have wondered.  Eventually, a beautiful young lady bursts softly into the room in a glow of youthful radiance.

 

“It was but yesterday we met in a dream.

You have sung to me in my aloneness.”

The Spagyric Eye and Kahlil Gibran

 

Photo by Ed Breeding

 

Her name is Carol and she is his wife and they appear to share a unique love.  Dean explains, “We met several times and I don’t even recall it.  I certainly had no intention nor reason to be looking for love.”

 

“Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield,

Upon which your reason and judgment

Wage war against your passion and your appetite.

For reason, ruling alone is a force confining:

And passion unattended is a flame

That burns to its own destruction.” 

The Spagyric Eye and Kahlil Gibran

Carol, interrupting, says, “Oh, I have been obsessed with him since I was 13 years old!  I saw all his movies, many times, and I loved him!  I arranged to be where he was twice and he didn’t even pay any attention at all!”  Dean tells us, “But on the last time, she had on this cute little uniform, and she caught my eye.  But I still was wary of love with this very young lady.”

 

Photo by Ed Breeding

 

“And think not you can direct the course of love,

For love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.” 

The Spagyric Eye and Kahlil Gibran

In all actuality, Carol came marching into his life with a well laid out strategy plus a well fitting military uniform.  It certainly paid off!  We romantic ladies everywhere give her a sharp salute!  A well-deserved victory indeed!

 

We see how Carol has brought, in the last few years, a bright happiness to Dean’s life.  He smiles softly at her and says, “Well, things happened and now here we are.”

 

“And beauty is not a need but an ecstasy,

But rather a heart inflamed and a soul enchanted,

But rather a garden forever in bloom,

And a flock of angels forever in flight.” 

The Spagyric Eye and Kahlil Gibran

Carol is fresh and outgoing and is a great contrast to Dean’s chronic wariness.  His eyes soften when he speaks to her and they seem to need one another.  Carol laughingly says, “I know how he feels even when he doesn’t even know himself.  I know how he feels right now.”  Solemnly, Dean asks, “And how do I feel right now?”  Voicing all our thoughts, collectively, she retorts, “Hungry!”  We all agree, as we had earlier made plans to have lunch together at the historic Doc Martin’s Restaurant, not too far down the road at the historic Taos Inn.

 

Photo by Ed Breeding

 

But first, Dean, now ready to share some more outrageous works, leads us from one collage to another, each one more salient than the other, and as we observe, we marvel at his state of mind, admiring him tremendously!

 

Again we use a quote from his book, The Spagyric Eye.   From Peter Sarkisian:  “These are the private exclamations of a man in touch with the soul of things.  He turns the world on end by mining it for images, and then he hurls those toward us with some of the pieces missing.  Dean’s work embodies the graceful delinquency we exhibit while quietly breaking the law in our dreams; we breathe underwater; we run but go nowhere – always with a freedom that rings true while doing it. Playing on the tension between image and context, he chooses to surf in the turbulence caused by their pairing.  His collages are bright carnivals filled with bits and pieces of dreamlike material, which together tell stories born of imagination.”

 

Contemplating reflectively on the answer to my question of what comes most into play-color, form or inner meaning – in all his artworks, Dean puffs on his ever-present, and I mean, ever-present cigar.  He answers, “They all apply.  I choose very carefully the color balance. I make decisions about sepia tones or light tones – where each goes and then I make the decision about the inner meaning.”

 

 

When I questioned him about his patterns of black and white being often interspersed with blocks of red, he simply replies that, “That really can’t be explained.”  Then, with a quick glance toward Carol, he quietly says, “Carol knows.”  And you begin to understand and appreciate the inner connection between the two.

 

Likewise, when asked if he ever studied art, his terse answer of “No” makes even more fascinating this observation of his friend, Paul Shapiro:  “What I see in these collage pieces is that Dean is a true saboteur of consensual reality and his creative mind is inhabiting an alchemical territory from which hidden authentic art manifests.  He seems to understand how to push reality through a grinder, blending the resulting mixture into a new confrontive, mythical reality which contains its own rules and metaphors.  This is art that derails the comfort zone.”

 

 

Speaking of comfort, Carol says the energies from all the art was overwhelming to her at first, but now, she says, “After about a year or so of it, it is a comfort to pick up on the energies.”

 

In answer to my question of whether he interprets his works, Dean wryly comments, “No, I don’t interpret them; a sensitive person can see and maybe understand, unless he has a mud puddle mentality, of course.”

 

“He does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom,

But rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.” 

The Spagyric Eye and Kahlil Gibran

 

 

As we pass the little kitchen area, we notice all the exotic bottles of seemingly mysterious libations Dean and Carol collect.  We welcome the brief respite for our senses after all we have seen, as Dean boyishly, like a kid with a present, breaks open the bottle of White Dog that we have gifted him with.  Being as close to Kentucky moonshine as we could legally maneuver, it has quite a bite!

 

As we all enjoy a round of the White Dog, our eyes are drawn magnetically to the items on the wall.  Seeing our interest, Dean points out the gold record inside the Neil Young album that he is famous for – it is a collage entitled American Stars and Bars.  Quite a collaboration between good friends and one to be proud of!

 

 

Now Dean and Carol, to our delight, offer to show us the work studio where all the magic takes place!  Lisa Law sums it up wonderfully in her quote from the foreword of his book:  “Time warp; bent mind; glue; x acto knife; sharp scissors; paper Life; digital imaging; electric painting with high end Epson printer; 50 years of mental digestion of visual impact on psyche has spewn forth a plethora of imagery from the agile mind and nimble fingers of Robert Dean Stockwell – images that will delight your mind and imagination like brain food just digested.”  And indeed, we see all these images reflected in front of us on the workbench and the materials used to produce these wonderful works!

 

So now as we again begin to discuss our sojourn to Doc Martin’s with thoughts of his famous chili rellenos and the giant margaritas, we begin to focus in now on another amazing subject – dice!   Yes, dice – fascinating sizes and shapes!  Is there no end to this man’s surprises?  Now some might surmise that this latest “craze” came about for the lack of another stimuli, but Dean tells us otherwise. “Doug Coffin, just out of the blue, and for no reason whatsoever, sent me six white dice and a hummingbird head.”  Just that – no explanation at all.  Dean says he paid no attention to them for a long time, but one day just started playing around with them.  Then he bought more and it all exploded, as no doubt his friend knew it would.

 

 

Dean explains, “When I went from collages to all of a sudden making dice pieces, that was an entirely different thing-it was big-really cool!”  Continuing on, Dean relates, “I got to thinking – What would be the greatest contrast you could do with them? It came to me to make a cross from the dice!  To make a very interesting statement – one is tactile – it’s only function is motion and is the exact opposite of the severity of the cross!  So I made several crosses and I just love them.  When kids come to my house, they gravitate to them. Children – they know how to listen, and they understand.”

 

“Let the voice within your voice speak to the ear of his ear.

For his soul will keep the truth of your heart…..

When the color is forgotten and the vessel is no more.” 

The Spagyric Eye and Kahlil Gibran

 

 

So finally, after our fabulous dinner, Dean relaxes with yet another huge cigar, and says, with great conviction, “I am so fortunate to be exactly where I want to be at this end portion of my life.”

 

“But if in your thought, you must measure time into seasons,

Let each season encircle all the other seasons,

And let today embrace the past with remembrance

And the future with longing.”

The Spagyric Eye and Kahlil Gibran

Here in this spiritual, mystical place is where Dean finds peace.  Having said, “I always knew I would end up here,” he has found his place – “the first house I looked at” and is settled in, with his wife, his dogs, and all his art. The legendary Mabel Louhan, perhaps Carol’s prototype, once said that “Nothing ever happens here in Taos – yet every day is a miracle!” And to quote from their friend, George Herms, “Where one might read the morning news printed on the wings of butterflies – in blood.”

 

The famous writer, D. H. Lawrence, also a resident of Taos at one time, has been quoted as saying: “One gets something out of the wind here – something wild and untamed – cruel and proud.”

 

“We wonderers, ever seeking the lonelier way,

Begin no day where we have ended another day;

And no sunrise finds us where sunset left us.

Even while the earth sleeps,

We travel.” 

The Spagyric Eye and Kahlil Gibran

 

 

For an actor whose first words ever uttered on the Broadway stage in 1943 were, “ I won’t be damned,” inspiration must have come occasionally, if not often.

 

When asked, from whence comes his inspiration, Dean reflectively lists a few.  He says, “D. H. Lawrence for sure, for various reasons.  His Sons and Lovers without a doubt – probably my favorite movie, and also, Long Day’s Journey into Night – the play by Eugene O’Neil.”  Having just seen his brilliant portrayal of the son and the amazing rapport between he and Katherine Hepburn, I was taken aback by his fantastic soliloquies, but mainly by his, and for want of a better word, for there is no better word – his “beauty” at that time of his Young Manhood!

 

Further ruminating, in complete harmony with his cigar, Dean says, in an obvious understatement, “Inspiration came for me also from Wallace Berman and Doug Coffin, for sure.”

 

With the majestic Taos Mountain looming in the distance and the Pueblo in the background, both of which he has portrayed numerous times in all shadows and colors and forms, we question him further as to whether he is a satisfied man.  His reply, “I don’t think I will ever be perfectly satisfied.  I don’t see that as being possible for anyone,” and then softly, “except for children.  But I’m very close. I know that.”

 

Paradoxically, for a man whose peace at times seems almost tangible, we learn that the condition of our Mother Earth is a major concern.  Dean states emphatically, “My primary interest is the creation and its reflection of man.  I think anyone with a brain has to be an environmentalist.  Evolution is something nature is in control of, but this rape of the planet is something that the egocentric and egotistical race, the human race, is doing.”

 

“The timeless in you is aware of life’s timelessness,

And knows that yesterday is but today’s memory,

And tomorrow is today’s dream.” 

The Spagyric Eye and Kahlil Gibran

 

 

Again, a longing indeed for the continuation for this peaceful space – and his place in it is Dean’s desire.  He ends the subject by saying, “We all have this nest; at least we can try to keep it clean.”

Dean, who was called, in his Hollywood days, the King of Quirk, no longer needs such titles.  He now lives, or reigns, if you will, in the realm of the Sacred Mountain – and that in itself is quite sufficient.

Leaving Doc Martin’s, many Irish whiskeys later, we are all ready to bid farewell.   Dean and Carol, huddling close together with their ponchos encircling them, seem to be one entity – complete and needing no one else as they wave good-bye.

As we leave Taos and head down that long road to Santa Fe, we are quiet, lost in our own thoughts.  My conclusion, after much contemplation is that, after reflecting on, but not listing them, the numerous people who have left their mark on Taos:  It is where ordinary people do extraordinary things, under the inspiration of Taos itself.  It is where fireworks explode in one’s mind, but silently and in slow motion, lit not by peyote, but by joy. . . . .

Photo by Ed Breeding

Dean, having been somewhat taciturn and reserved throughout our interview and with his eyes always wary, had nevertheless opened up to me a glorious word picture of a recent occurrence.

One evening, after a very long dry spell, the sky suddenly darkened and threatening winds came up.  Dean and Carol and the dogs burst out of their house, welcoming the ominous clouds and loving the wildness of it all!  And then, just as the storm clouds centered over their house, they stopped and with one paroxysmal ‘dump,’ the ecstatic couple was drenched!

As Dean tells it, they embraced the storm with arms outstretched and with complete abandon, even as the dogs raced for cover under the porch!



Photo by Ed Breeding

What a glorious scene, but after all, and above all, what can one expect from a young lady who trills melodiously in Japanese, and from Dean – aka forevermore as Al Calavicci – the legendary Gent with the SPAGYRIC EYE?!
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Obama's Maximus Mea Culpa - NSA Aftermath

Far from the maddening lights and cameras to which he is accustomed, President Obama has been forced to offer the Maximus Mea Culpa to friends, allies and major investors alike as he is the first world leader caught with his fingers in the cookie jar of cyber scandal.

 

Leave it to the National Security Agency, NSA, the most mysterious of all our intelligence agencies in America, to give a top security clearance to a private NSA contractor who within a matter of months after getting the job was blabbering all the NSA secrets to an English newspaper.

 

 

Unfortunately these were not little secrets but really big stuff like the fact NSA bugged top secret computers of our friends and foes alike.  In fact they were hacked by the US 10-15 years ago and we have been listening in ever since.

 

From Germany and Britain to Russia and China, they were all hacked long ago and we have known all along what they were up to in terms of military, monetary or any other kind of policy.

 

 

Look what happened the past decade and a half.  There was Clinton's good time government with it's focus on strategic initiatives like global warming, alternate energy, legalizing fraudulent housing  mortgage programs, and increasing the duties of White House Interns.

 

Bush brought us the 911 terrorist attack, war in Iraq and Afghanistan and pretty much a collapsed economy, while Obama brought us, well, more of the same.  How many of our decisions were made based on information we "legally stole" from everyone else?

 

 

Better yet, if NSA was tapping phones and emails all these years surely they were aware of the 911 attack in advance.  Were they aware and did they sit on the information?  Let's hope not.

 

Regardless, they did bug all those nations and leaders through phones and the Internet so President Obama is now left with a lot of explaining to do and with a need to demonstrate a sincere Mea Culpa to those friends and allies.

 

Ironically, while it is Germany who demanded the first private meeting with the president people from Britain to the European Union are in the queue wanting similar assurances we have not compromised their national security.

 

Then there is China, our Sugar Daddy yet willing to join with Russia at any time to block Obama initiatives in the United Nations.  Many times Obama has accused the Chinese of "cheating" by hacking American computers.

 

The last time the White House made a big deal of showing how the hack attack had come from a very specific building in China.  I guess we know now how the White House knew about the Chinese hacking connection since the US has been hacking everyone for a very long time.  However, the truth that we were secretly hacking China the last 15 years while protesting Chinese attacks on us is quite disingenuous.

 

 

We need China as an ally to help us in Asia and the Middle East.  That is beyond the fact they are the largest owner of our national debt in the world.  And there is a great deal in import and export trade between the US and China significantly helping both nations.

 

We also need Russia as an ally in the same places.  Yet we accuse them both of all kinds of mischievous behavior.

 

 

Let us hope our national security policy is not guided by paranoid patriotism but by logic, ethics and a respect for individual rights and freedom.  I doubt the record as the NSA mess unfolds will be good news.

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The World's Only Superpower - What does it mean?

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Well, for a long time America has been the single super power in the world and how have we handled the responsibility?  It may take many years for historians to be able to fairly assess the performance of our government in terms of world affairs the past few decades.

 

As the financial engine that powers the world we have certainly helped the world economy but then our financial greed also led to the greatest collapse of housing, stock market values, treasury notes, and employment opportunity since our great depression in the 1930's.  Oh yes, because we are the last world super power we took down most of the world in our collapse.

 

 

Science and technology are also areas of great contributions in America weighed against equally great potential for harm.  Genetically altered seed developed in America made it possible for the USA to become the breadbasket for the world, often saving nation after nation faced with broken infrastructure, war, genocide or drought conditions.

 

Now we are discovering that there are dangers in the genetic manipulation as it may render much poorer results in the nutritional value of the crops produced, it can destroy the productivity of the land used to produce the crops, and may have a severe harmful effect on our immune system and it's ability to protect us from disease.

 

 

In terms of military muscle again the USA is dominate and we do have this desire to be the savior of the world.  In fact we love the world so much more than half of our military capacity is deployed around the world, not in the USA.

 

American presidents from Jefferson through Lincoln to Eisenhower have warned us of the dangers of the military-industrial complex in which our structure of civilian control of the military by having the president be commander in chief of all the armed forces, can be compromised.

 

As you can see from the following tables, Defense spending, according to President Obama's own office, now equals 17% of our total budget, and 57% of our new spending.  Sounds pretty substantial for a country winding down two wars.

 

 

 

One day someone in Washington will finally turn attention to why our defense spending as a percent of total federal spending keeps rising even when we stop fighting wars.  Perhaps then we will hear the dire warnings from presidents Jefferson, Lincoln and Eisenhower about the potential dangers ranging from national and international bankers to  defense contractors and arms dealers.

 

Until then Uncle Sam will remain the ever considerate Uncle Sugar to a host of bad people and bad ideas.

 

 

Warnings from Presidents

 

If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their  currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks…will deprive the people of  all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered…. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs. – Thomas Jefferson in the debate over the Re-charter of the Bank Bill (1809)

 

“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.” – Thomas Jefferson

 

The modern theory of the perpetuation of debt has drenched the earth with blood, and crushed its inhabitants under burdens ever accumulating. -Thomas Jefferson

 

History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by  controlling money and its issuance. -James Madison

 

 

If congress has the right under the Constitution to issue paper money, it was  given them to use themselves, not to be delegated to individuals or corporations. -Andrew Jackson

 

The Government should create, issue, and circulate all the currency and  credits needed to satisfy the spending power of the Government and the buying power of  consumers. By the adoption of these principles, the taxpayers will be saved immense sums of interest. Money will cease to be master and become the servant of humanity. -Abraham  Lincoln

 

Issue of currency should be lodged with the government and be protected from domination by Wall Street. We are opposed to…provisions [which] would place our currency and credit system in private hands. – Theodore Roosevelt

 

Despite these warnings, Woodrow Wilson signed the 1913 Federal Reserve Act. A few years later he wrote: I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of  credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most  completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world no longer a  Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men. -Woodrow  Wilson

Years later, reflecting on the major banks’ control in Washington, President Franklin Roosevelt paid this indirect praise to his distant predecessor President Andrew Jackson, who had “killed” the 2nd Bank of the US (an earlier type of the Federal Reserve System). After Jackson’s administration the bankers’ influence was gradually restored and increased, culminating in the passage of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. Roosevelt knew this history.

The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial
element in the large centers has owned the government ever since
the days of Andrew Jackson… -Franklin D. Roosevelt
(in a letter to Colonel House, dated November 21, 1933)

[Next story to feature NSA, Cyber Security, Homeland Security, Edward Snowden and other fun stuff.]
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Happy Birthday America

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Happy Fourth of July - Independence Day

 

 

1776 - 2013

 

 

237 years old today

 

 

 

At least one revolution got it right!

 

 

 

Through these eyes...

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 As In My Dreams

 

 

 The Puy du Fou - France

 

It has been said that at the moment of death, one's life unfolds before one's eyes.  That I cannot know, but what I can know and what I have seen at the Puy du Fou Cinéscénie in France is the unfolding of a life before my very eyes in the most unbelievable way!

 

It was a pageant that depicted the life of the people of France, the story itself and what I remember was so overwhelming as to defy description.  Mere mundane words, words such as "spectacle" and "extravaganza" pale and fade away and one feels the need to "coin a new phrase" so as to do justice to such an event.

 

Philippe de Villiers, creator of this, magnificent undertaking, did just that.  Because it was neither a "son et lumierè," a diorama, nor certainly not a theatre performance, he grandly proclaimed it to be La Cinéscénie.  It comes from the Greek words "kine" meaning movement and "scene" expressing space, therefore he called it "moving space."

 

 

But what, may you ask, did I see?  I saw a great living film, unfolding in three dimensions before my eyes.  It was a show unique in all the world, and advertised as one of Europe's greatest entertainments venues.  This is the 25th anniversary of the theme park and 35th anniversary of the La Cinéscénie show with  1.5 million visitors every year, well over 35 million to date, making it one of the most popular cultural tourism sites in all of historic France.

 

Do come along with me as I attempt to paint a word picture of this great Cinéscénie, the beauty of the people and events of the land, the magical land of Puy du Fou.

 

 

It has been said that if we could see light years out into space we could see the complete panorama of life, beginning with the Garden of Eden, all laid out as in a photo-drama.  Each successive generation would propel the previous one further and further on out, and so on and on.

 

That hypothesis describes the concept of this play; we see generations live out their lives, then pass before our eyes even as our eyes were drawn back to the succeeding chapters as they, too, unfolded before us.  And what "chapters" they were...

 

 

When the actual Puy du Fou site was discovered in 1977, it all came together for Philippe de Villiers.  Seeing the ruins of the great castle with the huge lake below gave him inspiration for the framework and setting for this human panorama.

 

As for the setting and story itself, prepare yourself.  The setting, Puy du Fou, stands among the granite hills and farmlands of the upper Vendeén Bocage, between the Mont des Alouettes and Saint Laurent-sur Sèvre, the burial place of Père de Monfort, who evangelized the area at the beginning of the 18th century.  The place took its name from a rocky hillock called Puy du Fou.  The word Puy came from the Latin podium topped by fouteaux, the common botany name for beeches.

 

On the borders of Poitou, An Jou and the marches of Brittany, close to Nantes, Angers, Poitiers and New Rochelle, the strategic position of Puy du Fou once led to the erection of a medieval keep which was razed to the ground by the English during the Hundred Years' War.  It was recently rediscovered by the archaeological club of Puy du Fou.

 

 

The pink brick renaissance chatêau was built under King Francois I at the invitation of Catherine du Puy du Fou, using plans drawn up by Le Primatice, the Italian architect of the 16th century.  However, in 1794 it was set on fire by General Turreau's "infernal columns" which wrought havoc on the Vendée.

 

This chatêau which serves as a backdrop to the Cinéscénie is on the territory of the Commune of Les Epesses in the canton of Les Herbiers.

 

Philippe de Villiers was 27 years old when he came up with the idea of creating a great folk pageant which would combine oral tradition with very modern technology.  It tells the story of the upper Vendéen Bocage and covers the 700 years from the Middle Ages to the Liberation.

 

The story is shown beautifully through scenes of everyday life.  A life with its simple joys, its work carried out through all four seasons, with its sorrows and tragedies, all seen through the eyes of a simple farm family, the Maupilliers.

 

 

The narrator is the distaff merchant, a traveling salesman who takes anecdotes and small knick knacks from town to village.  To hear his commentary and to observe the fantastic scenes of life as it was then is almost beyond description.

 

Try to visualize the stage, the setting for this grandiose affair.  I will relate it to you as it was told to me, by our most gracious host, Etienne Morille.  Our small party consisting of Melania and Pierre Simon, who are residents of the area, and Doris Clark and myself, were greeted warmly by Mr. Morille who proceeded to tell us wondrous things.

 

Now, about the "stage," imagine, if you can, the magnificence of a stage which encompasses 15 hectares (that is 37.5 acres) with a peripheral circuit of 1500 metres (4,500 feet) around the lake and a width of 350 metres (1050 feet)!  Unbelievable!  But what came on stage was even more splendid.

 

 

Mr. Morille patiently explained to us that on any given night of the 28 performances held only on weekends from May to September 2600 players will take to the lights and water for this epic.

 

If you think I was overly impressed, just listen to these figures.  Every performance has a cast of 4500 different characters, which of course calls for 4500 costumes.  To insure that the show goes smoothly there are 300 people providing services at each performance plus 20 frogmen, 65 first-aiders and 700 people for the stage management alone.

 

And now for the part that enhanced the overall picture, the animals.  Horses, not just any horses, but many were royal, white, stunning Lipizzaner, prancing and dancing.  And there were dancing bears, great falcons, vultures, owls, eagles, wild boar, greyhounds, flocks of sheep, pairs of trudging oxen, cows, rams, goats, gaggles of geese, pigs, and even Poitou asses.

 

 

But what, you may ask, did they do?  Were the circus animals performing on cue?  Did people watch their antics and politely applaud?  No, they were part of this awesome kaleidoscope of humanity, this trudging, marching, flailing, dancing mass that lived and died, the people of France, through the ages.

 

We saw the villagers laboring in the fields with their plodding oxen, then joyously singing at their parish festivals alongside the dancing bears.  We saw the jousting of chivalry in all its bravado.  When King Francis I visited the Lord and Lady of Puy du Fou, we saw the happy celebrations of the people of the land, the wine drinkers and food eaters, the local color, and the characters.

 

We saw the horrors of the Vendeén wars with the many casualties, wailing and bloodshed, the despair as shown through the weary figures as they moved through time and space.

 

 

The beautiful "Pardon of Bon-Champs" thrilled us when the "white" general, mortally wounded at the battle of Cholet in 1793, orders the desperate Vendeéns to honor the 5000 "blue" prisoners as they had been threatening to kill.  Against all their instincts, they did honor the prisoners and the general.

 

We cheered at the rebirth of the martyred land in the 19th century and we watched in dreadful silence as the refugees from the Ardennes made their silent trek home to the Vendeé after the defeat of 1940.

 

The thrilling and emblematic figures of Saint Louis Grignion de Monfort, the evangelizer, Georges Clemenceau and Marshal Jean De Lattre de Tassigny, two heroes of the world wars of the 20th century, were represented amid spectacular fireworks at the conclusion.

 

You must understand and visualize the entire production consisted of the haunting narrative of the merchant.  Each chapter, each age passes before your eyes in all its joy and pathos, then moves on slowly until the figures are too small to distinguish.  As one age exist another age is springing to life before your very eyes.

 

 

It's a great arch of life, a dance of the human spirit and beautiful beyond words.  The constantly moving carousel of life and death and all the human drama that comes between, that is the history of France.

 

Having been roused from our trance like reverie at the end of the pageant, we were thrilled to accept Mr. Morille's invitation to enter the magical backstage, and what a place it was.  It was truly the land of Puy du Fou!

 

It is hard to grasp the magnitude of this venture and what is even more astounding is that the actors, ranging in age from 3 to 90, are all volunteers.  All of them live in the area in 15 communes or villages.

 

They are the Puyfolais, three generations of them, and this intermingling of ages and occupations has been the secret of their great success.  These Puyfolais are young children, teenagers, mothers, white-collar workers, farmers, craftsmen and shopkeepers in their regular lives during the week and perform only on weekends.

 

 

Philippe de Villiers, the original volunteer, calls this commitment of giving one's free time, energies, ideas and skills to bring thrills and happiness to the public for 2 hours per performance "personal sponsorship".

 

However, this volunteer work cannot be considered amateurism as the dedicated Puyfolias have managed to combine the enthusiasm of amateurs with the expectations of professionals, not an easy task.

 

Nothing is left to chance as the young people are taught through the junior academy of Puy du Fou about the traditional skills, heritage and responsibilities expected of them by their region.

 

Pageant techniques, costumes, traditional dances, theatre, regional history, woodcarving, juggling and illumination are among the skills taught.  Children in particular are interested in their history, the fauna and flora and their cultural heritage.

 

Because horses and horsemanship are a major part of the spectacle an equestrian academy was also established to train the 130 riders and coachmen.  After witnessing the dazzling displays by the horses and riders it is clear nothing is left to chance.

 

Imagine intermingling with all these people and animals "backstage" which is really several villages on the perimeter of the "Great Stage", a world unto its own and one I will never forget.

 

Much to our delight Mr. Morille then whisked us up to the inner sanctuary itself, the projection room.  High above the 14000 seats in the panoramic stands, which are all equipped with headphones to translate the program into numerous languages, we found 2000 projectors with 450 kilometres of electric cables.

 

 

The lighting was fantastic, outdone only by the bedazzlement of the fireworks exploding in the program finale.  Ten thousand fireworks per season add great excitement to the performances.  Add to the impressive program 1500 computer-controlled fountains that combine fire and water in ways beyond the imagination.

 

Cinéscénie combines quadriphony, laser, electronics, computerized pyrotechnics and huge water screens to create a magical atmosphere defying expectations.

 

The powerful music, as everything else, is also performed voluntarily.  The famous composer Georges Delerve created the soundtrack and popular music of Vendée was recorded with harpist Lily Laskine.

 

An ensemble of 73 musicians from the French National Orchestra and 92 chorus singers from the Paris Opera House perform music you will never forget.

 

 

Imagine a mixture of perfect script, timeless music, spectacular colors and the mystical presence of the actors who paradoxically appear to be both near and yet so far away in time and space.

 

Oh yes, the actors, or should I say glorious, resonating, mesmeric voices of actors who volunteer their well-known talents and trademark voices to the project.  The star packed list includes Francios Chaumette, Marie Dubois, Michael; Duchaussoy, Susanne Fion, Robert Hossein, Dominque Leverd, Denis Manuel, Jean Piat, Catherine Salviat, Nicolas Silberg, Pierre Zimmer and Philippe Noiret.

 

Now, if I close my eyes, I see it once again.  The strong figures moving behind the sturdy oxen planting their seeds.  When adversity and wars strike they tire and bend toward the ground and the oxen slow their pace, trudging along.

 

I hear the hypnotic voice filling my senses and I feel I am a part of history, while being in the present between life and death.  There is no distinction.

 

And this I will remember always as in my dreams...

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