In my career, I’ve been to plenty of opening-nights and premieres. But I’ve never been to one that was more personally meaningful than the world-premiere I attended the other night, of Barry Rubinow‘s new film, “Banded Together: The Boys from Glen Rock High.” (I’m already looking forward to seeing it again when it plays the Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival.) Barry is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, who’s worked on lots of documentaries for PBS, TBS, IMAX, and the Documentary Channel (where he became Senior Vice President).
He also was a student at Glen Rock (NJ) Jr. Sr. High School–as I was, and as the subjects of his new film were. So I can’t claim to be objective here. The film, rich with sentiment, evoked lots of great memories for me. I was there. I’ve liked people captured so vividly in this film for decades. So it was personally moving for me to watch this film. (And I’m even briefly seen, as a broadly smiling teenager with black-rimmed glasses, in one moment in the film.) It touched me on a lot of levels.
But there is much for anyone to savor in the film. It tells the story of an exceptional group of student musicians who went on notable successes. And their affection for one another, and for the teacher who mentored them, Mr. Joseph Sielski, has remained strong for all of these decades. So it’s sort of a love story. And a story of kids following their dreams, with an unusually supportive mentor, and succeeding against all odds.
Hearing them play together–whether it’s “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “Mercy Mercy” or their original “Glen Rock Blues”–remains a joy. And Mr. Sielski, looking remarkably unchanged 50 years later, is seen onscreen playing, too, and was there for the opening of the film (at the Montclair film Festival), and participating in talk-back after the film along with his onetime students.
And those students — Jimmy Vivino, Jerry Vivino, Floyd Vivino, Lee Shapiro, Douglas Romoff, John Feeney, Jeff Venho, Frank Pagano— have worked with everyone from Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, to Conan O’Brien (who adds some fun commentary to the film), to Paul McCartney, to Keeley Smith, to Rosemary Clooney, to Laura Nyro, to Leonard Bernstein, and many more.
I’ve always loved what the Vivino brothers do. The warmth, joy, exuberance, and heart you hear in their music reflects who they are as people. But it is so hard to have a viable career in the arts, it is amazing that all eight of the friends covered in this film have been able to do just that. And having supportive teachers who believe in you is a blessing. And boy! We had some great, caring teachers–with lots of personality–at our school at that time. All of this is caught in this film.
So being there at the premiere was a rewarding experience for me on lots of level. The film will be going out on the film-festival circuit. When its goes into wider distribution, I’ll share that news, too.
But I’m very happy for the people who’ve made and appear in this film. And I’m glad I got to see, however briefly, friends at the premiere, like Keith McElwee, Michael Lally, Amy Karig Sommer… I wanted to say “hi” to Mr. Sielski after the film, but others were chatting with him. (Hopefully, at the Ridgewood Festival…). He was a terrific teacher. He did a lot of good. This is probably the most personal film Barry Rubinow has yet made (and he’s worked–as an editor, writer, director, producer etc.–on films covering everything from country music to Frederic Remington, to doctors, to Dada-ism, to zombies).
My sister Deb very much wanted to be there, but she’s overseas at the moment. I will give her a full report. And will be happy to tell her that her backyard in Glen Rock happens to be seen very well in the film!
