The Crazy-Quilt

this movie is absolutely bizarre, but it sucks you in. you have to stay with it to see what will go wrong next.

Like many others, I only saw this movie once on TV one Saturday afternoon, many years ago, but I think it is one on the most realistic and endearing movies I have ever seen. Some scenes and the narration have stayed with me for a long long time. It is short, in black and white and, if I remember correctly, only two lines of dialog from the characters in one scene near the end, but it is narrated throughout with near perfection. The story is told mostly from the man's perspective, but the movie also shows the woman's perception of the marriage, and the phases her husband is going through. By the end of this movie, you will know these people, you will feel for them, and you will see a bit of them in yourself.

I agree with other users that it is a shame this is not available. One commenter suggests a double feature with another Korty film. I think that 'Crazy Quilt' would be great as a double bill with 'Silence', which probably even fewer have seen, and is also very moving. Korty's Emmy-winning documentary about the family with 17 or so children I remember well from TV in the 70s. I don't know whether that's available either, though. Very sensitive filmmaker, along the lines of Terence Davies (Distant Voices, Still Lives) and, to some degree, Patrick Keillor ('London','Robinson in Space'}.

I was actually surprised to see this many comments on it, and it makes me aware of how many films have never made it even to VHS and sometimes these are very important ones like 'I Can Get It for You Wholesale', one of Susan Hayward's best, which I only managed to get from someone's taping on eBay. Then a lot of times people tell me everything that was on VHS is on DVD now, but that's not so at all. Plenty of VHS tapes that went out-of-print never have been put on DVD and probably won't be.

Anyway, things like these 2 Korty films used to be made more frequently by alternative directors, and you still find some. But back in the day, things like 'Crazy Quilt' even got a fair amount of publicity, were reviewed in magazines like The New Yorker. By now, you might find a hidden write-up in the Village Voice, and a week-long showing at a place like Quad Cinema, but the audience for this kind of quiet film, never large, is much smaller still today.

In an age when Hollywood beats us over the head with multi-million dollar promotional schemes, and alleged stars, this quiet movie just does everything right. If I were to direct a prospective film-maker to one flick, this would be it. The woman who believes in everything and the man who believes in nothing. The film was shot in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some scenes use members of The Committee, a local comedy club, (Think Second City) to marvelous effect. This is a droll comedy. If you need to be beat over the head, it ain't your flick. My only disappointment is that it is unavailable. Jan Wahl, the film critic, promised to carry my plea to John Korty but somehow that never happened. When I tell you I see a movie about every two years, you'll understand just how special this movie is.

Get this picture out on DVD!!!!! Given its short length, perhaps a double-feature with one of John Korty's other early films would be an interesting package.

Anyone know who owns the rights to Crazy Quilt these days?