If
Warren Miller were still alive, he probably would have blown off the debut of
the documentary chronicling his life and career to hit the Park City slopes
instead. When it came to the sport of skiing, he was the preeminent filmmaker,
but he was also a four-walling pioneer. He built his annual ski movie road show
into a tradition for hundreds of thousands of fans and served as an outreach
evangelist for the sport in its early years. Patrick Creadon surveys his peaks
and valleys in Ski Bum: The Warren Miller
Story, which won the Best of Breakouts Audience Award at the 2019 Slamdance Film Festival.
After
an unhappy childhood and a brief stint in the Navy, Miller was ready for a life
of adventure sans responsibility. He found it as a veritable ski bum. Although
he was a complete beginner, his enthusiasm quickly propelled him into ski
instructor positions. He started recording feats on the slope as an amateur
videographer, quickly deciding to turn pro. Thus, was born Warren Miller
Entertainment, which released its first film in 1949.
With
one disastrous exception, Miller followed an event-driven four-walling model.
Although he filmed professionals, has laidback narration made him the star of his
films for scores of fans. Warren Miller films were an influence on Bruce Brown’s
classic surfing doc, The Endless Summer and
arguably supplied the foundation for the rise of extreme sports, but it was not
always a bed of roses for Miller. In fact, his personal life was often a source
of bitter disappointment.
It
is about time Miller got his due. Fortunately, Creadon (probably best known for
I.O.U.S.A., which incidentally makes
us wonder what his thoughts might be regarding the explosion of our national
debt over the past ten years) managed to record an extensive series of sit-downs
with Miller prior to his death last year. He is a constant presence in the
documentary, offering commentary on every development in his life-story. His
candor is also quite notable—Miller never ducks anything, no matter how painful—and
there are incidents that must still smart, such as the revelation his mother
and sister were embezzling from him.
Frankly,
Miller emerges as a highly sympathetic figure precisely because he owns up to the
mistakes he made. Creadon also incorporates plenty of clips of the spectacular
skiing that was a hallmark of Miller’s films (including some never seen before),
but his real concern is Miller’s cultural influence. This is not a clips
package. If you want to watch someone face-plowing down an exotic mountain, go see
a Warren Miller film.
Miller’s
work still holds up, but his life is probably even more compelling. Creadon’s
profile should foster a solid appreciation of both among viewers, even those who
have little or no experience with winter sports. Recommended for fans and
anyone interested in early independent filmmaking, Ski Bum: The Warren Miller should have a long festival life,
especially in mountainous states, following its award-winning premiere at this
year’s Slamdance Film Festival.
