Maybe you've noticed, but 2008 is somewhat special simply for the fact that it's an election year. If you're a political action committee, a marketer, or just a political junkie, you're delighted. If you're not, you're ready to whip out the snub-nose and sink one of Federal's finest full-jackets into the television.
While Elvis made it look cool to shoot TVs and wear sequined pants-suits, there's a word to describe any of the rest of us who do either: crazy. Besides, LCD and plasma technology has eliminated the dramatic flourish that a conventional television tube generates as it-to flog an Elvis metaphor-leaves the building. Instead, put your television to more constructive use: Watch a movie.
Since the DVD format seems to have made a Capra out of anybody with a camcorder, there are lots of videos out there. While the majority of them range from tedious to agonizing, there are a few worth watching. To save you the financial and emotional pain of finding out for yourself which ones are, we screened a bunch of the automotive-related releases and whittled down the list to eight.
Despite the relatively sophomoric genre (these are films about silly ol' cars, after all), the majority of these films are quite, well ... educational. Three are outright documentaries. Four of them are snapshots of pop-cultural movements within our industry/hobby. In one way or another, five of these films tell historically significant stories.
What it's called: DEUCE, An American Hot Rod Foundation Film
Who done it: Anna Lee, director; interviews by Henry Astor
What it's about: DEUCE outlines the significance and virtues of the '32 Ford in the words of several dozen industry personalities, pioneers, and one coattail rider (this author). Predominately in interview format, it includes priceless photos and film footage from the American Hot Rod Foundation archives.
Notes: Oh, we've been waiting for something like this. Five years back, historians and hot rod enthusiasts Carol and Steve Memishian hatched a plan to archive the hot rod movement. The American Hot Rod Foundation entity that the Memishian family founded represents what we know as the first comprehensive multimedia endeavor dedicated specifically to chronicle the contributions of hot rod pioneers. By virtue of documentary film director Henry Astor, the foundation now boasts thousands of hours of archive-quality interviews based on several hundred interviews.
DEUCE represents one of the first fruits of this archive. By way of a 50-minute DVD, a dozen or so influential hot rod enthusiasts from several generations tell the story of the '32 Ford. These are firsthand accounts from those who either elevated the Deuce to its cult status (Ed Iskenderian, Ray Brown, and Wally Parks, to name a few) or continue to perpetuate the legend (Pete Chapouris, Chip Foose, and our own Brian Brennan, to name a few more).
Laid over these narratives is a stream of film clips that'll simply knock your socks off. Ford's own archival assembly line footage showing shop rats stamping virgin body panels will make you drool; amateur movies shot at the lakes and seminal dragstrips will flat-out make you ache for a time machine.
Without a doubt, the American Hot Rod Foundation has so far embarked upon the most intense and professional projects to chronicle the hot rod movement. By its own admission, the program is decades overdue; however, in this brief period it has created a priceless tome. Expect to see more from this foundation, but act fast if you expect to get one of these DVDs before they're gone.
Where to buy it:
American Hot Rod Foundation
(203) 625-4774
www.ahrf.com