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“CATSKILL MOUNTAIN LOCALS” is the second feature-length documentary by Roger Bobley about life in New York State's north-central Catskill mountains. In his first film, “Marvelous Margaretville!” he uses a broad brush to capture the essence of the lives of people of diverse backgrounds who happen to live in the Catskills. In this second film, he chooses a brush with a finer point, homing in almost exclusively on the “locals” who have lived in the area all their lives - in most cases, for at least several generations. While he asks them all sorts of intriguing questions about their lives (including their recollections of the “good old days” and speculations about the future), his main focus is to capture their thoughts about the problems and changes they've experienced as a result of the continuing influx of outsiders from the Metropolitan New York area - people with values and expectations unsettingly different from theirs. The film starts with a prologue in which the filmmaker introduces the audience to the main theme of the film: the gulf between the “hillbillies” and the “flatlanders.” It then segues to the Tremperskill Country Store, where the proprietor, licensed outdoor guide Sonny Somelofski, offers to introduce Mr. Bobley to a host of amazing and outspoken local “characters” whom the filmmaker would not ordinarily have a chance to meet - and certainly not to interview in depth. Immediately thereafter, we begin to know one personality after another and, in the process, learn some of their innermost thoughts, feelings, and recollections. Before long, we see that, while they are individuals who are very different from one another in many respects, they also share certain ideas and beliefs that are in conflict with those of the non-locals. Ironically, these candid interviews may simultaneously reinforce and break the stereotypes that “flatlanders” have of the locals. Among the interviewees are Raymond R. Kearns, retired from the U.S. Special Forces, who uses blunt language to assail that of which he disapproves; Allegra Tomlinson, a retired assembly-line worker, |
who tells of the impression that some New Yorkers made on her as a young woman; Sye Reynolds, a farmer who, in a most unexpected way, relates two sad incidents in his life; Jimmy Finch, a welder, who gives a sarcastic opinion of America's involvement in Iraq; Melissa Finch, his wife, who thinks highly of downstaters; George Becker, a former tire shop owner, who proposes that the Catskills sell water to New York City; Betty Becker, his wife, who recalls a hideous old home remedy for a bad cough; Don Liddle, a telephone man and farmer, who exhibits a profoundly positive outlook on life; Dot Andrews, whose family founded Shavertown, who describes being forced from her home so that the Pepacton Reservoir could be built in its stead; Lester Bourke, a jack-of-all-trades, whose words and body language signal his deep belief in personal liberty; Howard Gerken, an old farmer, who shows us the Model-T Ford he still owns, that he drove when he was fourteen; Evelyn Gerken, his wife, who boasts of sitting in her living room and shooting a deer out an open door; Karen LaFever, manager of a bulldozing company, who helps run a big annual venison breakfast for her friends and clients; Tammy Storey, owner of a house-cleaning service, who tells of overcoming her unfounded fear of Manhattan; Mike Porter, a retired earth-science teacher, who tells of his wishes for the future of the area; Sherry Shaver Bellows, a trout farmer, who is proud of running a business started by her great-grandfather; Ralph Felter, a master carpenter, who recalls the days when everybody knew and helped one another; Homer Benedict, a 104-year-old woodcarver who still drives his own car; and other fascinating, down-to-earth locals - plus a few other residents who are not strictly locals, but who have nevertheless lived in the mountains for many years. By the end of the film, the viewer has not only spent an enjoyable hour and ten minutes, but has gained new insights into the lives of rural folk whose lifestyle will soon be history. In this regard, “Catskill Mountain Locals” serves as an important historical document as well as a charming piece of entertainment. |
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TESTIMONIAL a letter to the editor about “Catskill Mountain Locals” Page 2A — Catskill Mountain News, Margaretville, N.Y. Wednesday, May 10, 2006 Mailbag To the Editor: Having just seen Roger Bobley's short film, “Catskill Mountain Locals,” Peter and I were inspired to respond to it. In the film some locals, the “from heres,” felt that the downstaters, the “come heres,” treated them as service people. However, as downstaters, we can tell you that is how these kinds of people treat everyone. Locals should realize that being treated like a servant, or a lesser person, is not unique to them. These types treat all of us like that. Some self-centered downstaters have the same attitude towards people who work for them in the city as they do upstate. It partially comes from the fact that service people downstate are often over-priced rip-off artists. That's where the lack of trust often comes from. That same distrust is brought up here. For others, well, they're just snobs. No excuse for them. We average folks in the city don't care for their attitudes either! We feel the locals are descendants of pioneers, who stayed here, and settled in the face of adversity and economic downturns. Downstaters are kind of the new pioneers, revitalizing the area while still keeping in harmony with the land's beauty. Hopefully, we won't see the McMansion phenomenon that we've seen in the city where old, beautiful houses are torn down and a huge monstrosity put up. Progress anywhere, no careful managed, can destroy the character of an area. it's up to the locals to make sure the area is preserved by enforcing and establishing building codes that everyone, not only downstaters, must adhere to. I live in what is now Soho. When I move there in 1977 it was a quiet, almost desolate, industrial area, very safe, little crime. I loved the urban peace and tranquility. Now, there's a Bloomingdale's around the corner and I can barely walk down the street on a Saturday because of the enormous crowds. I hate the change, although my home is now worth a lot more. I sympathize with locals who dislike the progress that disturbs what they valued. Neither of us can stop change. Progress is the economic blood of an area, like it or not. Roger's film points out the importance of working together, understanding each other's boundaries and having a similar goal to keep this community vital and in harmony with its natural beauty. Ms. Joan Miller, |
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