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"I made this film to resolve long-standing emotional issues I have with my late
father," explains Canemaker. "I wanted to find answers to our difficult relationship, to
understand the reasons he was always a feared figure in my childhood, why he was
always angry and defensive, verbally and physically abusive, and often in trouble with the
law."
Featuring the voices of Eli Wallach and John Turturro in the roles of father and
son, this moving short breaks new ground professionally and personally for Canemaker,
who has won acclaim for his sensitive portrayal of difficult themes through animation.
The half-hour film is his longest personal work, and employs a variety of animation
techniques, literally drawing understanding from its dark subject matter.
Canemaker discovers in his father a man of many contradictions: American-born,
but raised in poverty in Calabria, Italy; a pious Catholic with long ties to organized crime;
a twice-decorated World War II hero subsequently convicted of arson; an eager,
aggressive go-getter unable to achieve his dreams; and a devoted husband and father
whose rage and self-inflicted misfortune devastated his family.
THE MOON AND THE SON affirms Canemaker's belief in the potential of
animation to tell a complex and deeply personal story in a way that is different from live-
action narratives or documentaries. His hand-drawn animation, an often neglected art in
today's high-tech society, beautifully conveys the intimacy of the subject matter.
"Animation is rarely used - and, in my opinion, often ill-used - as a means to
express powerful feelings," he notes. "In THE MOON AND THE SON, I have an
imaginary conversation with my deceased father. I draw upon memory, fact, conjecture,
trial transcripts, audio recordings, home movies, photos, snapshots, and original
animation to pull together his story and my story."
Eli Wallach's films include "Baby Doll," "The Misfits," "The Good, the Bad and the
Ugly" and "The Godfather Part III"; among John Turturro's films are "Barton Fink," "Jungle
Fever," "Quiz Show" and "Do the Right Thing."
In addition to being a noted independent filmmaker, author and animation
historian, John Canemaker was a major creative contributor to a number of commercial
projects, including the 1988 Academy Award®-winning HBO documentary (short subject) "You Don't Have to
Die"; the Peabody Award-winning TV special "Break the Silence: Kids Against Child
Abuse"; the feature film "The World According to Garp"; and "What Do Children Think of
When They Think of the Bomb?" He has also written nine books on the art and history of
animation, and is a full professor and the director of the animation program at New York
University's Tisch School of the Arts.
THE MOON AND THE SON: AN IMAGINED CONVERSATION was animated,
designed and directed by John Canemaker; producers, Peggy Stern and John
Canemaker; voices, Eli Wallach (father) and John Turturro (son); written by John
Canemaker, Joseph Kennedy and Peggy Stern; editor and sound design, David
Mehlman; music composer, Ronald Sadoff; additional voices, Mary Bringle (mom), Peter
Schlosser (lawyer), Larry White (judge and D.A.). For HBO Documentary Films:
supervising producer, Jackie Glover; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.
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