Don't Expect Too Much

Don't Expect Too Much (2011)

*** (out of 4)

This is a pretty fascinating documentary from director Susan Ray, wife of Nicholas, who takes a look back at her husband's experimental film WE CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN. Before watching this documentary I took a look at the film in question and I must admit that it didn't work for me. After seeing this documentary I wish I had watched this first as it really does explain what Ray was trying to do with that student film. What I enjoyed most about this was hearing from countless crew members who actually worked with Ray on WE CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN. I thought it was rather fascinating hearing from these film students who were getting an education from a professional director who had worked with all sorts of legends in his time. There's no doubt that Ray was down on his luck by the time he took that teaching job but you wouldn't know it by hearing the stories from the students. It's clear that all of them were very touched to be working with Ray and it seems that he taught them everything that he could. Another good thing is that we get a brief interview with the last surviving cast member from REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. Clocking in at just over an hour, this documentary is certain better than the film it's talking about. I think fans of Ray should really enjoy this and I'd recommend watching it before WE CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN.

Most film director's with a resume the likes of Nicholas Ray usually find work in the industry until retirement amid the aristocratic splendors of Beverly Hills and Malibu. But Ray unlike most successful Hollywood directors had more demons and daring than most so when out of desperation the off beat director took a job teaching film in an upstate NY University it was not that unusual a fit. The director of They Live by Night and Rebel Without a Cause clearly showed a strong sympathy if not a complete understanding of the challenges of youth attempting to make sense of the world they are inheriting and in Don't Ask Too Much, a documentary by his widow and former student Susan Ray we witness his unorthodox attempt to get his work screened on the big stage (Cannes) again. Both comic and tragic in part, Ray's self destructive bent is not pretty to watch but admirable for its lack of self pity where in spite of the obvious career downturn he remains engaged and involved with his students.

Don't expect Too Much is divided between archival footage and present day interviews with former students with mixed feelings but all in agreement about the experience. Outside of Jim Jarmusch no major names in film making evolved over the next generation but it's clear Ray had a lasting impact on their life view. Ray himself is a fascinating character to watch whether drunk, stoned or sober cajoling or consoling students passing on both sage and contradictory advice while at the same time inquiring where he can get some killer weed in quantity. In many ways its clear that the anti-establishment adult with street cred dealing with a disenfranchised generation of hippies and freaks is a match made in heaven for the process. The finished product "We Can't Go Home Again" ends up being an incoherent disaster and while there are hints of bitterness and feelings of betrayal among the former students they all seem to a letter grateful for the experience.

So, let me say, up front, that I have not seen "we can't go home again", the film that this is the making of...of(?). And I am certain that I would jump at the chance to make a film with Nicholas Ray, which apparently is the subject of this film. The problem... no one involved in this film seems to know the first thing about making a film. while the intention is noble, and the idea is promising, i was astonished at the anecdotes. not because they were too odd or offensive or whatnot. instead they provided information that was of literally no value. for example, they seemed to be impressed by the fact that, as a class and a crew of the film, they all "pitched in and did whatever job needed to be done". Indeed, they make that point a number of times (i want to say more than ten). Now, I went to film school. I was in several classes no doubt extremely similar in composition and concept as the ones at SUNY Binghampton taught by Mr. Ray. I also crewed on several student films, and indeed have served as freelance crew on several independent features as well. On every one of those films, in ever single one of those situations, it would have been an act of exceptional rudeness to NOT help out in whatever way you were needed. Now, i know that the perception is on big Hollywood movies, that no one touches a piece of gear for fear of being reprimanded by the unions. I've never worked on a big budget movie, so it may be that way, but I can say that in every other situation I've encountered, it would be really rude and almost confrontational not to help out in whatever way possible.

another guy talks about the hardships encountered during the shot. He reported that they had to go to the trouble of setting up all the lights BEFORE they started filming! (gasp!) and that the camera would, on occasion, simply... RUN OUT of film during a take.

okay, let me qualify this by saying sure, you may be shooting a documentary or something where lighting set ups are either non existent or minimal. And yes, when shooting on video, esp on hd cards with a lot of memory, the idea of a finite run time on film reels might seems a bit antiquated. But in a situation where you are shooting a standard type of film with typical film lighting, and using your standard film camera, the above "hardships" occurred ON EVEY SINGLE FILM EVER MADE!!!!! in fact, the ENTIRE IDEA of using lights is to set them up so they create a desired effect. There is not just one, but indeed several members of the crew whose job is just ti set and juice lights. as for running out of film... yeah... depending on the size of the reel, it was about every 11 minutes. I'm not sure what this guy thought the process was like, but i guess he thought that movies were just, you know, shot all at once. 2 hour movie? Easy. 2 hour shot. we're all home by 5.

and even worse... these people don't seem to have anything interesting to say, even if its about themselves... a lot of "it was the 60s, and i was embarking on a search to find out exactly... who was this guy i saw in the mirror. so you've got pretentious people telling a story about which they seem to have zero understanding. It would be as if a WWII submarine battle were brought to the screen by a kindergarten class. It's probably a great story. Thy may even be excited by it, but they won't really be able to explain why its great, and though you may admire their pluckish verve and amateur spirit, its still not going to make a lick of sense. thats "don't expect too much". since this really is almost literally an amateur film, its probably unfair to be too harsh on it. The film the class made with Mr. Ray is described as experimental, and it would be fair to apply that label to this film as well. It is probably most accurate to imagine this as a class project, turned in for the grade, whereas Ray's feature is "extra credit". I'm sure they were nice people, and I'm sure it was a great experience. I hope they all got an "A", but unless you are scoring their tests, you should probably skip this.