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Arts & Entertainment

'The Love We Make' a Hit in Huntington

Rare showing draws sold-out crowd to Cinema Arts Centre.

Following the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles is traveling with his film, “The Love We Make,” about the making of “The Concert for New York City,” in October of 2001. 

After premiering the film in Toronto, and showing it in Manhattan and on “Showtime,” he took it to Long Island Tuesday night with a screening at the in Huntington to a sold-out crowd. 

At a reception afterward in the Cinema Arts Centre café, local residents praised Maysles and shared their thoughts on his film.

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“I thought this film was amazing, and I’m so glad it came to the Cinema Arts Centre,” said Mary Schuyler of Huntington. “As a Beatles fan, I’ve never seen any of them so candid and up close before.”

Robert DiGiacomo, chairman of film and video at Five Towns College in Dix Hills, said, “I came because I knew Albert for many years, as a brilliant documentarian, and I’m a Beatles fan. I never met a more compassionate, humanitarian, giving person in the film world. If the Cinema Arts Centre can bring films like this to Huntington, they have my full support.”

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Maysles, who celebrated his 85th birthday in November, with a bash near his Harlem headquarters, shared his thoughts with the audience, along with Bradley Kaplan, president of Maysles Films.

“I first met Paul McCartney in 1964, when I filmed the Beatles landing at Kennedy Airport, and made my first movie about them,” he said. “And after 9/11, Paul McCartney called me up and asked if I would make another black and white film, behind the scenes at the all-star benefit concert he was doing with Harvey Weinstein.”

In the 94-minute film, Maysles’ camera follows McCartney in taxis through the streets of New York City as he organizes the benefit concert in the aftermath of the attacks.

McCartney explains that he was sitting on the tarmac about to fly to England for his “kid’s birthday party” on 9/11, when the World Trade Center was attacked.

“I knew I wanted to do something, since to us (The Beatles), coming to America was a dream—not just to be on the Ed Sullivan Show, but to be in the place Elvis was born,” McCartney said in the film. “When someone asked me how I healed the pain of losing my mother at 14, and losing my wife Linda and John Lennon, I said it was through my music and humor, which is what I wanted to give back to NYC.”

Since McCartney was grounded from flying on 9/11, he returned to the city to witness the terrible devastation and decided he would do what he could to help in his own way, by gathering all his friends—the great musicians of the 1960’s and 70’s.   

In the movie, which features music acts by The Rolling Stones, The Who, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Billy Joel, David Bowie, James Taylor, Cheryl Crow, McCartney himself, and others, there are many humorous scenes, as when President Bill Clinton comes into the dressing room to congratulate McCartney, who was talking with James Taylor.

“All the best musicians of the last 40 years are here tonight, and they’re all about my age,” Clinton smiled. “You can say what you want about the 60s, but we did a good job of hanging around.” The film also features celebs as Jim Carey, Harrison Ford, Howard Stern, Barbara Walters and Dan Rather.

Maysles said “The Love We Make” will be out on DVD in the near future.

The Cinema Arts Centre will be having a Tribute to Gary Cooper on Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. with a guest appearance by his daughter, Maria Cooper Janis, of Long Island, who will sign her new book, “Gary Cooper: Enduring Style.”

Call 631-423-7611 for information.

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