Altina (DVD REVIEW)
Altina
DVD Review by Kam Williams
Biopic about Free-Spirited Renaissance Woman Released on DVD
Altina Schinasi (1907-1999) was
lucky enough to be born with the proverbial silver spoon in her mouth. The
youngest of three girls, her parents were Sephardic Jews of humble origin who
immigrated to the U.S. from Turkey
in the late 19th Century.
Thanks to the tobacco fortune soon
amassed by their industrious father, the sisters were raised in the lap of
luxury on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Although headstrong Altina wanted for nothing, she proved to be something of a
rebel, opting to study art in Paris
after graduating from a prestigious prep school, rather than follow the
conventional path of a pampered debutante.
That was just the first of many unorthodox
choices on the part of the free-spirited trendsetter en route to making her
mark on the world not only as an artist and inventor, but as a feminist and
civil rights advocate who would march with Dr. Martin Luther King. She was also
a bit of a Bohemian in terms of her private affairs, being admittedly driven by
insatiable urges stronger than the societal taboo against adultery.
Tawdry scandals aside, Altina accepted
four proposals of marriage over the course of her life, the last from the Cuban
artist Tino Miranda, a handsome hunk less than half her age. Though then well
into her golden years, she had her Latin lover marveling at her “stamina of a
25 year-old.”
Besides a healthy libido, Altina was
perhaps best known for designing the harlequin eyeglass frame, a cultural
contribution for which she won the 1939 American Design Award. Still, the
talented Renaissance woman‘s accolades for her innovations and sculptures
brought her less satisfaction than doting on her two sons, Dennis and Terry.
All of the above is recounted in
entertaining fashion in Altina, a reverential biopic directed by Peter Sanders
(The Disappeared). The fascinating documentary’s only flaw is that it leaves
you wanting to learn more about its intriguing subject.
A frustrating tease of a tribute that
seems to merely scratch the surface of an overprotected child of
privilege-turned-irrepressible bon vivant.
Very Good (3 stars)
Unrated
In
English and Spanish with subtitles
Running
time: 80 minutes
Distributor:
First Run Features
DVD
Extras: Reflections on Altina; and a photo and art gallery.
To
see a trailer for Altina, visit:
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