Ben's Mill

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Ben's Mill
Directed by Michel Chalufour
John Karol
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersMichael Ambrosino
Michel Chalufour
John Karol
Running time59 minutes
Production companyPublic Broadcasting Associates
Original release
Release1982 (1982)

Ben's Mill is a 1982 American documentary film directed by Michel Chalufour and John Karol.

Contents

Summary

The film, set in Barnet, Vermont, details the workings of the Thresher Mill on the Stevens River, including how energy from the river is used to drive a multitude of leather belts and various machines. The film focuses on the steps one man, Ben, uses to make one of his white pine watering tanks, and then a horse-drawn sled for different members of the Barnet community. The film was produced as an episode of the PBS series Odyssey.

Reception

Writing in American Anthropologist , George L. Hicks stated that "Ben's Mill exercises tight control on its nostalgia, while using specific detail to demonstrate its point." [1]

Accolades

It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. [2] [3]

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References

  1. Hicks, George L. (1983). "Ben's Mill. 1981. A film by Michel Chalufour and John Karol. Color, 59 minutes. Root Hog or Die. 1978. A film by Rawn Fulton and Newbold Noyes. B/w, 59 minutes. Morris Family Old Time Music Festival. 1980. A film by Robert Gates. B/w, 30 minutes". American Anthropologist. 85 (2): 492–494. doi: 10.1525/aa.1983.85.2.02a00810 . ISSN   1548-1433 . Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  2. "The 55th Academy Awards (1983) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  3. "NY Times: Ben's Mill". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2008.