Password

The Self-Described Narrative of the Marvelous Travels and Campaigns of Great, Great, Great Uncle Lt. Col. Barry V. Manchester

A 165-year-old man tells the story of his incredible life to his college-age Great, Great, Great niece, and teaches the young woman that it's not how long you live, but how you live.

  • Glenn Allen
    Director
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0020552/
  • Richard Kaufman
    Writer
    Bringing Down Dejonga, Carny
  • Glenn Allen
    Writer
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0020552/
  • Richard Kaufman
    Producer
    Bringing Down Dejonga
  • Glenn Allen
    Producer
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0020552/
  • David Sella
    Producer
  • Richard Kaufman
    Key Cast
    "Barry V. Manchester"
  • Kate Brady
    Key Cast
    "Kate Manchester"
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9365719/
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    25 minutes 44 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 11, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    1,750 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Sony Digital Cameras
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Glenn Allen

Since 1991, Glenn has worked on some of the most successful movie and television projects in entertainment history. Glenn is credited as Producer, Director, Editor, or Visual Effects Producer on over 100 feature films and television shows spanning 30 years, earning two Emmy Awards as VFX Producer on Boardwalk Empire. He is the co-owner of the New York-based, award-winning visual effects studio, Brainstorm Digital.

After graduating Emerson College in 1991, Glenn Allen quickly established himself as a filmmaker with intense passion for his craft. While working on feature films in various departments, including camera, sound, and props, Glenn was drawn to film editing to hone his storytelling skills.

In 1994, Glenn was hired by Ron Howard as an assistant editor on The Paper. This 25-year collaboration on Ron Howard's team saw Glenn's skills mature alongside some of the greatest talent in Hollywood. During his tenure with Howard, Glenn worked on the Academy Award-winning feature, Apollo 13 and Ransom. Aside from Howard's films, Glenn's talents were utilized on notable movies such as Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow and Martin Scorsese’s Casino. Developing a more hands-on approach in the cutting room, Glenn provided Ron Howard with conceptual ideas for visual effects on A Beautiful Mind (Academy Award - Best Picture) and The Missing. Concurrently, other accomplished directors such as Brian DePalma, Jonathan Demme, Tim Burton, Jim Jarmusch, Terence Winter, Joe Wright, and Frank Oz also recognized Glenn's talent and quickly enlisted his services on their films.

Most recently, Glenn has served as Visual Effects Producer for Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Safdie Bros Uncut Gems, and VFX Supervisor on History Channel’s Sons of Liberty. Glenn also produced the acclaimed History Channel series, The Men Who Built America and served as its VFX Supervisor.

Glenn was the Producer and Editor of Neil Young’s last two concert films, both directed by Jonathan Demme. He was the Executive Producer on the award-winning short film My Cross To Bear, and has written and directed his own award-winning independent feature, Bringing Down DeJonga.

Please visit Glenn’s imdb page and website:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0020552/

www.brainstorm-digital.com

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Glenn Allen, Director

We decided early on to shoot this without a full script. Instead, we had a basic “story arc”, which is a little risky, but also very exciting. Luckily, our two main actors, Richard Kaufman and Kate Brady, really dove into their characters and provided everything we needed to piece together a coherent story, and at the same time, deliver improvisational moments that couldn’t possibly have been written. These are the gems that make this movie so unique, and our actors must be commended for delivering the goods – not an easy task for a one-day shoot.

We only had one camera operator (our Director of Photography, Marcelo Ramos), so we built our visual style around those limitations. We set up two cameras to serve as Kate’s “interview cameras” (for her student film project), and our third camera was a “roving omniscient” presence that could capture the two characters on the screen at the same time. We also used this to reveal the staging of the interview “set”.

Taking advantage of the location’s exterior, we break away from the two-camera interview to give the viewer a fresh look. It also serves as a lead-in to the final act of our story. All challenges aside, I’m so proud of the finished film. It’s a testament to what can be achieved with a talented cast and crew when everyone is “steering the ship” in the same direction.

Richard Kaufman, Producer, Writer, Actor

The story of The Self-Described Narrative of the Marvelous Travels and Campaigns of Great, Great, Great Uncle Lt. Col. Barry V. Manchester is inspired by the fabulous tales of Lt. Col Baron von Munchausen by Rudolf Erich Raspe. As a half German kid and avid history buff growing up, these hysterical and barely believable stories that took Munchausen from a soldier in the Russo-Turkish Wars to travelling to the moon, thoroughly entertained and fascinated me.

As a young man the film adaptation by Terry Gilliam was a visual feast and I became even more fascinated with the thought of a character who could tell, almost believably, the tallest of tales and have the audience riveted. During Covid we got our chance to make our own version. I had been playing the character at parties for a few years with big laughs and was able to persuade Glenn Allen to help produce and to Direct. We had the same vision for it, a funny and sweet short that would use sound effects, visual effects, and animation to help portray the Marvelous Travels and Campaigns. We also knew we had only one day to successfully transform a 50-year-old man to a 165-year-old and put it on film.

I am so proud of the results, and so proud of our crew that worked tirelessly and overcame one of history’s toughest moments to make our film. I believe it is a truly unique piece we created, and I hope to share it with as many people as possible.