Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey_720p(480P)

source: Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey

A great documentary about Muppets which I'm sure has made our childhood more beautiful. By watching this, I got some answers to the questions that I had about this magical universe. Moreover, I liked the final message, the great power Kevin Clash has in convincing everyone to persuade their dreams and make children happier by being Elmo. On the other hand, I would've liked to see more about his personal life. Yes, I agree that Elmo has taken part in his professional growth process but what abou his family?

There are basically three ways to tell a story, written, verbal and film. Film captures all three in one medium, and Being Elmo tells the story of achievement and success attained by following a dream unequivocally. One cannot tell Kevin Clash's story however, without also telling the story of Sesame Street, Jim Henson and the talented and dedicated staff of the most beloved children's television program of all time. By following the story of Clash's life in chronological order, Constance Marks, Director, is able to bring this story to life, much like the way a puppeteer breathes life into the character of the puppet they perform with. Mr. Clash is the artist who brought Elmo to life on Sesame Street, and Clash's story has at its heart the classic "rags to riches" factor. As a young boy in Baltimore, he became enamored with puppets while watching his favorite TV shows. With unwavering commitment the youthful Clash began creating puppets with the drive of the successful artist he was to develop into. As Marks follows his life from the backyards of Baltimore to New York City, Paris and beyond, one is left with a sense of the unlimited possibility that Clash's passionate drive cultivates. The story is told in the first person narrative and directly to the viewer. When the narrator Whoopi Goldberg or Clash himself are adding to this narrative, they are speaking directly to the audience. The film clips of Clash's life and rise to "Elmo" fame are blended beautifully in the first person. We see and hear Clash's parents telling the audience the story of how Kevin went directly from high school to New York. Being Elmo has the distinct advantage of a story told about performances on TV, thus having many clips, episodes and interviews from which to draw. Marks brilliantly weaves the elements of Clash's story, his life and rise as a puppeteer together with a combination of clips, narration of Goldberg, Clash himself and a wide variety of others. In the telling of this intimate, moving and beautifully done story, Director Constance certainly hits her Marks.

In 1985, seasoned puppeteer Richard Hunt was growing exasperated with his attempts to find a voice and personality for a mediocre, bit-part furry red muppet. Believing it to be futile, he threw the role to Kevin Clash, a young, talented puppeteer who had only recently joined the Sesame Street crew. Adopting a falsetto tone and a desire for a muppet to represent 'love and kindness', Elmo was born. Marks' story is ostensibly that of Kevin Clash, but we soon learn that the puppeteer and his puppet are essentially one and the same. Growing in a large, working-class family in Baltimore, puppetry was always Clash's calling. Ignoring the social embarrassment of the hobby, the artform's future star would perform impromptu shows for local kids in his garden, build new muppets out of his parents' clothes and eventually garner his first local TV role before he finished high school. Those same kids who teased him would now vote him most likely to be a millionaire. They weren't wrong. Whoopi Goldberg is the somewhat questionable narrator of the rest of Clash's journey to stardom. With a lot of hard work and the odd phone call from his mother on his behalf, Kevin is soon rubbing shoulders with the likes of Frank Oz (of Miss Piggy and Grover fame), muppet designer Kermet Love, and eventually the father of the artform, Jim Henson himself. The grandfather-grandson relationship with Love is the film's high point; inviting the young puppeteer into his workshop, Henson's chief designer unlocks the magical world that Clash has longed to immerse himself in. Thereafter, it appears only a question of how hard Clash is willing to work until he gets his big break with Elmo. There is a whole other documentary in the character of Elmo himself (and I'm sure they exist), but to see the giant Clash operate the lovable monster as he meets Make-A-Wish children and their families is as heart-warming as their situation is heart-breaking. To be responsible for and continue to operate a character that means so much to so many is a wonderful testament to the character of Clash himself. Given a world dominated by the gritty and complex, Elmo's simple message of love and care is a much-needed comfort - for all ages and sizes. There are admittedly parts of the puppeteer's story that Marks chooses not to explore; the black Clash is implored to use his race as a card to get himself onto a Jim Henson project, yet the question of race is not mentioned thereafter (despite the obvious lack of black puppeteers in most of the footage shown). Similarly, his relationship with his ex-wife is skimmed over despite allusions to problems associated with treating their new-born daughter as just another puppet. If the intention was to keep a story about Elmo fairly up- beat and happy, fair enough, but there's not much of a moral message in simply ignoring the lulls of life. Having not grown up exposed to the Sesame Street phenomenon or the wider cinematic world of Jim Henson's band of muppets (Muppets: A Christmas Carol still confuses me to this day), I was concerned I would miss something with Marks' 'Being Elmo'. I need not have worried. While Mark's film is not the in-depth look at the artform of puppetry that many may have hoped, it is nevertheless a charming biopic about Clash and the rewards of hard work and persistence in chasing one's dream. And ultimately, it is rather comforting to know that the love and care personified by Elmo is in no way artificial - if Clash wasn't the gregarious, warm character we see, would we think differently of the muppet on his arm? Concluding Thought: If Elmo is a quintessentially Kevin Clash creation, when the puppeteer retires, does the puppet go with him?

"Being Elmo" sets out to shed some light on the voice and hands behind arguably the most well-known character on Sesame Street. Hard-hitting documentary, this is not, but it does a fine job illustrating the gift and purity of soul that Kevin Clash possesses in his characterization of the sweet red monster. The film traces Clash's puppeteer beginnings as a kid growing up in Baltimore. Clash saw a worthwhile pursuit in puppeteering when "Sesame Street" premiered in 1969, and a chance encounter landed him a gig on local television. From there, he pursued his dream, finding guidance under the man that designed and built Jim Henson's Muppets, which eventually led to employment with Henson, himself. He found his home on "Sesame Street", breathing new life into one of the most endearing characters ever created by a human being. What's amazing about Clash's story is that he started out a fan of Jim Henson and the Muppets, went for it, and now he's passing down the inspiration and the tutelage to younger hopefuls. And everything that makes Elmo such a likable Muppet (and so magnetic with children) comes directly from Clash. Elmo is pure love; pure innocence. And watching Elmo on screen is like peering into the soul of this man. There's a scene with Clash training the crew of the French version of "Sesame Street". In trying to nail down a dance number, Clash simply holds up his hand (puppetless), and with seemingly breathless ease, mimes a perfectly fluid movement. That someone is able to breathe such life and personality into a mere hand gesture just goes to show the level of craft and talent that Clash and the other puppeteers have. And he makes it look so easy. "Being Elmo" is full of awe-inspiring moments, as well as heartbreaking ones. But it's also one of the most heartwarming films I have ever seen. I dare say, it is humanly impossible to watch this film and not choke up at least once. 8/10

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011) **** (out of 4) Terrific documentary about Kevin Clash, a poor kid growing up in Baltimore who fell in love with Sesame Street at a young age and soon began making his own puppets. Overtime he started to really get into his own style and then he got the break of a lifetime on a trip to New York when he met Jim Henson. After getting his break and a few failures, Clash hit it big when he created Elmo. BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER'S JOURNEY is one of the best documentaries in recent times and it's for everyone even if they can't stand the character Elmo. I'll admit that I'm not the biggest fan of Elmo but after watching this film I think I'll reconsider my stance. I was really impressed with the way this documentary talked about the life of Clash and the incredible story of how he got to where he is now. I've read reviews that stated this documentary is for anyone who believes in dreams and I'd have to agree with that. It's rather amazing to hear this guy's story and seeing the way that he went from a nobody to slowly building up his craft and then getting this incredible chance, which he did wonders with. We get to see his original audition tapes, the early work he did and of course the creation of Elmo who originally wasn't a hit on the show until Clash did his magic voice. At just 76-minutes there's certainly nothing boring here as we get interviews with Clash, his family, friends and co-workers. Anyone interested in puppets should certainly check this out but even those non-fans will still be charmed by this film.

My wife dragged me there...a biopic about a puppeteer? It was an occasion, Clash (coming home to Baltimore), the producer and director were there, as was Elmo, who did a Q&A with the audience. This is a very likable, humorous and enjoyable movie about a guy who seems to have been sure at a very early age that he really wanted to be a puppeteer. If you do have that desire, it must be the holy grail to end up in the Henson organization. At any rate, Clash is a likable, engaging guy with a good story about having come up from modest beginnings to the pinnacle of his profession all without seeming to have lost his soul along the way. See it and enjoy.

(*Important note*) - This "Being Elmo" bio-documentary was first made available for viewing the year before Kevin Clash came out of the closet after several allegations of sexual misconduct with under-age males was brought to the public's attention. (This exposure, of course, changed the path of Clash's career quite significantly) Anyway - This seventy-six-minute presentation covers the early life and promising career of notable puppeteer, Kevin Clash who had learned to project his inner-child through the beloved Sesame Street character known, far and wide, as "Elmo". This presentation has both its fair share of good moments, as well as its not-so-good moments, too.

It is sad that of the 15 documentaries currently nominated for the 2012 Oscars this wasn't one of them - it clearly deserves to be - it may not be about great injustices or uncovering the new, but it does something that the very best documentaries can do - it makes the world a a better place and the viewer a better person for watching it. This is simply one my favorite films of the year. Kevin Clash is the man behind Elmo, but he is also a man who never ever wanted to do anything from his earliest memories than to make puppets and be a puppeteer. We live in an age where, thank goodness, video records childhood and meetings and TV archives have the records - so we get not only the interviews but also some wonderful footage - and the full story of how Kevin went from making puppets in his bedroom to being a world-class puppeteer. I do like documentaries - and the best transcend their category and simply take you on the journey - that journey that the greatest drama and comedies can - where you can't wait to see the next frame - where as the story unfolds so does the magic. Being Elmo does have movie magic. What lifts this is the joy it brings and shares, not just the Muppets and Jim Henson, but just the wonderful spirit that doing what you really love can bring. It may not be a pure documentary in the truest sense of the word, but is immensely charming and it leaves you laughing, crying, and wishing everyone got to do what they hoped to do as a child.