Review: The story of Ray Johnson is, in itself, a collage that no one will probably ever truly comprehend. To be honest, I'd never heard of him before this documentary, but despite my lack of artistic knowledge the story of Johnson intrigued me beyond most biographies. Why does this documentary stand out? Because its conception mimics the art of its main subject. What do I mean by this. You may have to watch the documentary to truly comprehend, but this is not your typical biography that starts with his birth and ends with his death. Instead, it starts with his death, the mystery of his death and then piece-meals backwards. It truly is a collage of ideas and perceptions of the artist. Some knew him through little pieces of mailed art, others knew him through attempts to showcase his art, some were in love with him and others were estranged by him. No perception is alike, and every story seems to uncover a different layer of character. This explanation makes it sound like a grand epic documentary detailing every minute morsel of knowledge, but John Walter's direction avoids this approach. Instead, he truly does create a video collage. Makes no sense, right? We'll I agree that this is the reason why I both like and dislike How To Draw a Bunny. On one hand, you see layer upon layer of intricacy in a man's life, but on the other hand you seem to have all this wonderful information and yet no context or use for any of it in the end. I for one cannot explain much more about Ray Johnson then I could have prior to this documentary, but at the same time I can experience what many of his acquaintances must have felt or understood. It's difficult to accept and appreciate, and I feel that in the end, this is a movie meant for the artistic minded, who appreciate new forms that stretch into uncharted territories. Sure there are countless other more experimental documentaries out there, but for the mainstream film world, this may be a little uncomfortable (or even boring to watch). But, if you are up to the challenge, you may leave the documentary appreciating both the art and artist much more. Of course, you may very well hate it. And for this reason of ambiguity, I can fully endorse this documentary to anyone. Review by Matthew Abshire Informative: 3- Tries to collect the disbursed pieces of Johnson's life into a coherent story, but you'll soon find there are too many holes remaining. Entertainment: 3- If you enjoy artists like Johnson and Warhol, you will certainly find this piece both entertaining and informative, if you don't, then you might be bored. Technical: 4- Manages to capture the collage talents of Ray Johnson in it's filming Overall: 3- A very interesting an artistic work that should not go overlooked by art lovers.
How to Draw a Bunny
Format: DVD Year: 2002 Running Time: 90 Min Distributor: Elevator Pictures, Moticos Motion Pictures Inc, Mr. Mudd Producer: Andrew Moore Director: John Walter Date Reviewed: 4-30-2007 Story: The story of the life of artist Ray Johnson is cloaked in mystery not only at the moment of his death, but also throughout a career that was difficult to know and to understand. As one of the seminal figures in the Pop Art era, Johnson is known as the founding father of mail art and as a collagist extraordinaire. But, overshadowed by those like Warhol who manipulated that world in a very dissimilar manner, he was also a reclusive and sometimes enigmatic figure who has been called New York's most famous unknown artist, but who challenged the commercial and critical establishment. (IMDB)