dtb Review of The Man on Lincoln's Nose

The Man on Lincoln's Nose (2000)

Penultimate Moments of The Golden Age of Film Through Robert Boyle's Eyes

[10/10 · 3 September 2010]

You know someone's special when the "worst" thing anyone can say about him is that "He has no ego." That's what veteran storyboard artist Harold Michelson affectionately says about his friend and colleague, renowned production designer Robert F. Boyle, subject of Daniel Raim's justifiably Oscar-nominated 2000 short film THE MAN ON LINCOLN'S NOSE (TMoLN). This 40-minute documentary is as fond and upbeat as it is riveting. Boyle and his comrades share their stories and techniques for building on screen intrigue, including "the penultimate moment" versus the endless series of rock 'em-sock 'em action climaxes too many films depend on nowadays. We meet Japanese-American art director Albert Nozaki, who was forced into the Manzanar internment camp for six months by the U.S. Government after the attack on Pearl Harbor. On a more upbeat note, Boyle and friends also treat us viewers to sketches, collages, and footage of their decades of work, including the original THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, and anecdotes about classic Hitchcock films such as SABOTEUR, MARNIE, and my own favorite, NORTH BY NORTHWEST. (Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell, who our family has adored since we saw her in STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, is listed as an Executive Producer.) Raim and company use storyboards, sketches, and pictures to bring the production designer's work to life for us viewers. TMoLN is now available on DVD through Adama Films, so if you love filmmaking, you owe it to yourself to add this compact gem to your film collection! (http://www.lincolnsnose.com/)