 "Photo: Courtesy of Pam Berger")
"Adventure and romance in the New World ... [The film is] appealing, eye-opening, winning, beautiful," wrote The Boston Globe in October 1994, describing Pamela Berger's film, Kilian's Chronicle.
Berger, an art history and film professor at Boston College, has received similar reviews in praise of the three films she has made. She has accomplished what many of her own film students long to do, and has been lucky enough to make her films based on her passions. Berger fell in love with art and art history during her studies in France. When she was 19 she studied at the Sorbonne, where she took a French art history course, and was able to see the places and pieces that were being discussed in class.
While in Europe, she was also able to visit artistic hot spots like Spain and Italy, and to learn the languages that would later become essential to her in her profession as an art historian. At the same time, she became interested in cinema.
"I never thought about making films, but you never know what is important in your life that will have an impact in what you do later," said Berger. "At that point, I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I'm fortunate I have that background."
It wasn't until her senior year of college that Berger focused her attention on the fine arts.
"Film and art are very connected for me. How artists create motion and composition is part of film," she said. "Also, things like palate and lighting are big with both arts, like how cinematographers use light. The meaning of imagery is also important in both, and how you set up an image."
Berger came to BC in 1974.
"I'm very interested in learning, and on the college level you can do more with materials and help individuals grow. I was less interested in the psychological development of learning [of high school] than I am in the material itself. I find what is of interest to me and the students."
Berger teaches general survey courses in art history, medieval art, and pre-production film courses. She has incorporated the knowledge she has learned from teaching into her three films.
Berger weaves her films from historic details and uses her knowledge in medieval art and culture to sculpt her portrayal of the times. Her first film, The Sorceress, is about a medieval woman accused of being a heretic when she is actually a healer.
"It's based on a 13th century text. The film is from the woman's point of view, but the text was actually written by the monk who accused her," said Berger. "I wrote a plot where he realizes that she isn't a heretic. I read the text closely and did a lot of research. I used his words and interpreted them broadly. For example, he was involved in the earlier burning of another woman, but this woman he didn't burn."
Berger develops her films around the seasons of the school year.
"The inspiration came fast for that movie. I wrote the script in about a week," she said. "The re-writing took a year and a half, and the shooting took 40 days. It was shot in France."
For another one of her films, Berger wanted to keep things closer to home, so she wrote a script that took place on the Massachusetts shore line. The Magic Spell, finished in 1993, is about an escaped Irish Slave of the Vikings who is rescued by Native Americans. The script is based on Icelandic sagas. The character of the Irishman arose from her studies of the Vikings' penetration of the Newfoundland, and she read an account of an Irish slave on the Viking ships.
"I teach Irish art, so I saw the whole thing from [the slave's] point of view," she said.
She describes the film as the synthesis of the three medieval cultures: Irish, Icelandic, and Native American.
Berger's experiences with filmmaking have helped her enrich her classes. "I teach this, I will always incorporate this experience into my classes," said Berger.
She is also able to relate to her aspiring filmmakers on a personal level. "It's just a thrill to make movies, it's a really exciting thing to do. To develop characters, get a musical score, the whole shebang. I've been through that in a really intense and personal way."
Be the first to comment on this article!