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closely-knit midwestern family struggles with loss, change, and
social progress during the 1940's. [TRAILER]
STEVEN
SNYDER'S REVIEW
“Red Betsy’s” final
moments evoke memories of “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington,” “It’s
A Wonderful Life” and so many other classics that successfully
tip-toe along the border between sincerity and sappiness. Outside
a rural Wisconsin farm in late 1940’s Wisconsin, “Betsy’s” characters
start to sing a Christmas carol. And, much to my surprise, it is
one of the most touching movie moments of the year.
This is a story about loss and change in a rural Wisconsin town.
Emmet (Leo Burmester) is the cantankerous, widowed old man, afraid
to make his way into the modern
world. Dale (Brent Crawford) is his son who, upon hearing news of Pearl Harbor’s
bombing, enlists in the army. And Winifred (Alison Elliott) is Dale’s
pregnant wife, a woman who longs to escape her mundane and simple country lifestyle.
Dale’s departure overseas leaves Winifred, their daughter and Emmet alone
on the farm, dealing not only with the issues of a son and husband away at
war but the changing landscape of everyday life. Electrical lines are going
up across
the state, citizens are advancing beyond the days of the outhouse, but while
Winifred embraces the leap forward, Emmet remains stubbornly against any advancements.
“Betsy’s” strength is its honesty. It feels like a genuine
story because it captures these simple, but important, days that truly changed
people’s lives forever, and it moves only as its characters dictate.
The simple and earnest performances by Burmester and Elliott bring a similar
realism
to the relationship between Emmet and Winifred. And the direction of Wisconsin
native Chris Boebel, while occasionally unfocused, never allows the film to
drift into Hollywood artificiality.
It is this collective effort that culminates in “Betsy’s” surprisingly
affecting ending. This is not a movie that feels like a movie, but is a story
about real people living in a very real and challenging time, each trying to
find their own place. And this sincerity allows its leap into sentimental optimism
to work the way it does.
Some movies are clichés that fail because they’re predictable. Others,
including “Red Betsy,” are clichés that succeed because
they just ring true.
An Interview with Chris Boebel
(Originally Appeared in Greater Milwaukee Today http://www.gmtoday.com)
In many ways the story behind
the making of “Red Betsy” is
as fascinating as the movie itself: A director and producer, both
Wisconsin natives, return home to make a movie about 1940’s
Wisconsin, based on a short story written by the director’s
father.
“My dad’s story drew on his early life in Wisconsin,” says
director Chris Boebel, whose father, Charles, grew up in Boscobel, WI and whose
grandmother still lives on a farm there today. Much of “Red Betsy” concerns
the two events that dominated the ever-changing lives of rural Wisconsin residents
during the ‘40’s – World War II and the spread of electrical
lines across the state.
Chris left the Midwest to attend New York University’s film school, where
he won awards for his student work before moving on to documentaries and television
projects. After reading several of his father’s stories, he became interested
in adapting one for his first feature-length film, penning “Red Betsy’s” script
himself.
“Making a movie, you need to do some soul searching,” says Boebel, “You
have to ask, ‘Why am I the one to make this movie?’ So I wanted to
do something really personal for my first feature. If you do something impersonal,
you can lose your way so quickly.”
Boebel’s script attracted the attention of Alison Elliott, who plays Winifred
in the film, and Elliott’s involvement soon sealed the deal for already-interested
executive producer, and Oconomowoc native, Andrew Lang. “ I had always
been interested in ‘Red Betsy’ before,” says Lang, “but
when I learned she was attached, I knew this film was really going to be something
special.”
Thus the stage was set for a most unlikely, homegrown project. Chris and Andrew,
along with their cast and crew, set up shop in Delafield, filming almost the
entire film on location in southeastern Wisconsin.
In an age when more and more films are leaving the country to save a dime on
production costs, the decision by both Boebel and Lang to film the work here
is a noteworthy one. “Everyone wanted to film (‘Red Betsy’)
where it should be filmed,” insists Boebel, “It was not a hard sell
at all for anyone involved. They all believed in the project.
“In fact, it made a lot of things easier. We were making a period piece,
and it would be hard to find another place where we could have found as many
people being so helpful. Since it was a Wisconsin story, people in the area were
very, very excited about helping.”
“Honestly, we could have shot in Canada or up-state New York,” admits
Lang, “but any time you see a film supposed to take place in one area and
then shot in another, audiences can tell. When you are surrounded by the people,
the environment and the culture, it has a large effect on the movie, all the
way from the production assistants up to the actors.”
One of the many ways “Red Betsy” maintains its genuine look is an
adherence to the period’s way of life. In addition to using houses built
during the time period, many of the film’s scenes were shot without electrical
lighting devices. “I wanted to give the film sweep, and shooting it with
lanterns made it feel like a movie,” says Boebel, “It was gutsy to
do because there are some focus issues but, as you can see, it worked beautifully.”
Even more refreshing than the story’s unlikely Wisconsin setting is its
sweet and soft-spoken story. In an era of Hollywood where box office receipts,
special effects and big name actors trump all other concerns, the very existence
of “Red Betsy” is a victory for lovers of touching and character-driven
dramas.
“I liken it to Macaroni and Cheese,” says Lang, “Most films
are well-tested products that are just put out there for consumption. They’re
like a product that sits on the shelf, rather than being something entertaining
and responsible. And I feel ‘Red Betsy’ is a very responsible film.
A lot of films out there insult the audience, but this is not one of them. It
has the audience in mind but it doesn’t pander to them. It treats them
respectfully.”
And while “Betsy” is a smaller film, built around emotions and family,
its makers believe it is unique enough to become the surprise hit of this year. “Sure,
this is a smaller film, but our inability to have some giant movie moments was
a good thing. It gave us some discipline and played in to what we trying to get
at with this simple story,” says Boebel.
“In the hands of another director, it could have gone in a completely different
direction,” says Lang, “The way it turned out, it is incredibly subtle
and it has more of a relationship with the audience because they’re actively
engaged in it.
“My goal for this film is to reach the audience it is intended for; an
underserved audience that is hungry for films like ‘Red Betsy - ’ films
that aren’t the big spectacles we’re used to from Hollywood. There’s
something very simple about ‘Red Betsy.’ It’s very simple,
honest storytelling.”
It is also a rare opportunity for Wisconsin moviegoers to make their voices heard.
Opening statewide tomorrow, its success this weekend will no doubt figure prominently
in the film’s future. For those Wisconsinites sick of Hollywood and eager
to see more wholesome, family-friendly films, there is no better way to cast
your vote than by supporting this local underdog.
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