2011 Sundance Docs in Focus: BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY

My look at the more than forty feature-length documentaries in the 2011 Sundance Film Festival begins with the US Documentary Competition and Constance Marks’ BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY, a portrait of the man behind SESAME STREET’s wildly popular furry, red, and perpetually three-and-a-half-year-old Muppet.

Sundance Program Description:

Each and every day, millions of kids tune in to SESAME STREET to see one of the world’s most adored and recognizable children’s characters, a furry red monster named Elmo. Yet, with all of Elmo’s fame, the man behind the Muppet is able to walk down the street without being recognized.

Meet Kevin Clash. As an average teenager growing up in Baltimore in the 1970s, Kevin had very different aspirations from his classmates—he wanted to be a puppeteer. More specifically, he wanted to be part of Jim Henson’s team of Muppeteers, the creative force responsible for delivering the magic of SESAME STREET on a daily basis. With a supportive family behind him every step of the way, Kevin made those dreams come true. Combining amazing archival footage with material from the present day, filmmaker Constance Marks explores his story in vivid detail, chronicling the meteoric rise of Jim Henson’s Muppets in the process.

Some Background:
Marks’ previous documentary, 1997’s GREEN CHIMNEYS, picked up awards at the San Francisco International Film Festival and elsewhere. The film followed three troubled inner city boys as they took part in a year-long program of therapy, school, and farmwork designed to get them out of abusive or neglectful environments.

Why You Should Watch:
Henson fans will especially be interested in the archival material featuring Henson and behind-the-scenes peeks at Muppet creation, as well as present-day interviews with Frank Oz and other Muppet masters and SESAME STREETers. Even if you’re not a big Muppet fan (and why not?!), Clash is a protagonist almost as likeable as his fictional persona, with an unusual career spanning decades and intersecting with cultural touchstones like CAPTAIN KANGAROO and THE DARK CRYSTAL. That he is African-American adds a further, if ultimately incidental, level to the story. Finally, celebrity Muppet fans Rosie O’Donnell and Whoopi Goldberg (who also narrates), also lend their thoughts about Elmo and Clash’s parallel success stories.

Screening Info:
For screening dates and times at Sundance, click the link in the first paragraph.