Film: A Catalyst for Change in the Adirondacks

     We have, through the blog and class discussions, looked into the art forms that have drawn inspiration from the Adirondacks. These have included various forms of writing, paintings, and photography. Another art form worth considering is film, which has become especially influential. Films give significance to certain events and the locations in which they take place. The street that I may have crossed on my way to school, for instance, suddenly becomes infinitely more important once it appears in a film. When applied to the Adirondacks then, film has the power to give the towns, land, and people further significance.

     Take, for instance, the movie The Last of the Mohicans (1992). Both through the explicit mention of places like Fort William Henry and the setting that creates the feel of the movie, The Last of the Mohicans brings attention to the Adirondacks. The filming locations themselves, though, are in North Carolina (the wildlife shown in the movie would likely reveal this - namely something like the species of trees). A movie like The Good Shepard (2006), on the other hand, uses Great Camp Sagamore Lake and takes it out of context. The association with the Adirondacks isn't clear to the common viewer, but the film certainly impacts the area. By hosting the likes of Robert Deniro, Matt Damon, and Angelina Jolie, the movie brings the region revenue and outside attention.

Great Camp Sagamore Lake (used in The Good Shepard)

     In my last post I discussed the role of buses and accessibility to the economy of towns in the Adirondacks. As I ended the post, I wondered how less accessible towns might increase the number of people that visit the area. It wouldn't make sense for bus companies to service these areas without a return on their investment, but the lack of buses takes away potential visitors. I now realize that art, especially film, has immense power that can certainly help poorer areas of the Adirondacks. Place a famous actor on a failing farm, for example, and things suddenly start looking up. A careful and deliberate use of art for this kind of purpose could have an immenseeffect on regions both within and beyond the Adirondacks.  

Sources:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343737/locations?ref_=tt_dt_dt

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104691/locations?ref_=tt_dt_dt

http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/l/Last-Of-The-Mohicans-locations.html#.VRtx5vnF98E

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Sagamore_Camp,_Long_Lake,_NY.jpg

http://www.apnmag.com/winter2012/subpages/fanitzi/film.html