American writer and children's literature illustrator Maurice Sendak (June 10, 1928 - May 8, 2012) is remembered.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
2009, Warner Bros., 101 min, USA, Dir: Spike Jonze
In Spike Jonze’s lyrically atmospheric adaptation of the classic Maurice Sendak picture book, Max Records stars as Max, a young boy who throws such a temper tantrum that he is transported to a world of bellowing beasts and jungle treehouses. Wearing his hirsute onesie and an impish smirk, Max is crowned king of the unruly creatures. With the voice talents of James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara and Paul Dano as the tempestuously neurotic Wild Things, and a kicky score by Coen Brothers favorite Carter Burwell and Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O.
LAST DANCE
2002, First Run Features, 84 min, USA, Dir: Mirra Bank
Mirra Bank’s fascinating documentary goes behind the scenes of the collaboration between beloved children’s book author Maurice Sendak and spectacular dance company Pilobolus as they transform a haunting Holocaust tale into a stunning theatre piece. But, as with many meetings of serious minds, the collaboration is a stormy, uphill road to artistic creation.
