
Greater
Southbridge is going to Europe! Click here
for details...
New
-- The Greater Southbridge trailer is online!
Buy
the Greater Southbridge Soundtrack here!
Curt
Holman from Creative Loafing, Atlanta says Greater Southbridge
is a "quirky slice-of-life documentary...takes a loving, warts-and-all
look at the small Massachusetts town of Southbridge, which has more
than its share of coots, kooks and cranks."
Click here for the full text of the interview.
The
documentary Greater Southbridge cuts right to the heart,
soul and funny bone of one small New England town's collection of
colorful and offbeat characters. Watching these marginalized people
go through their daily routines, challenges, and victories, we see
a mirror of our own problems and triumphs.
Despite
the economic and social issues the independent film touches on,
the real story of Greater Southbridge is how its four main
characters become a reflection of the town and subsequently America
itself. Jerry, the stuttering, can collecting, unkempt star of the
film, is the heart and the greatest expression of the town. Despite
his obvious disadvantages, he continues to be a positive force and
inspiration on many levels within the community.
Wayne
has an alleged twelfth degree black belt in karate, a confirmed
head injury, an extreme dislike for a certain segment of the Southbridge
population and a highly suspect direct hotline to the president.
Harry,
the beloved Abe Lincoln look-a-like goes missing during the movie's
production causing town wide concern. His big hearted and easy manner
was a link to what was once a simpler and more welcoming small town
past.
Steve,
who transforms over the span of production from a vibrant drug dealer/user
into a defeated addict, prone to jail time and overdosing, embodies
the disenchanted and bored youth of Southbridge.
Created
by native Southbridgian and first time director Rod Murphy, along
with childhood friend Justin Earls and accomplished television documentary
editor Scott B. Morgan, Greater Southbridge breaks the traditional
documentary golden rule of unbiased, unattached observation, by
becoming wholly involved in their subjects' lives. After 90 hours
of quirky and heartwarming footage, many new friends and six years
of filming/editing, an unanticipated sense of hometown pride arose
within the filmmaker's and the post-production staff, a feeling
not present at the beginning of production.
The
Greater Southbridge Soundtrack includes critically acclaimed
indie rock bands as Spoon, American Analog Set, Drums & Tuba
No +/-, Fivehead, and Sin Pelo and will be released by Tightspot
Records, Spring 2003. |