Tonight is
the national premier of WNED-TV's latest national production, "Elbert
Hubbard : An American Original" on PBS and WNED-TV at 10 PM. Hubbard's turn of the 20th century
Roycroft artisan community in East Aurora was at the forefront of a movement
that rejected mechanized industrialism and emphasized hand-crafting simple
designs for everyday objects.
A colorful
and often controversial figure, Hubbard was an influential author, publisher,
lecturer and entrepreneur, who attracted master craftspeople as well as
numerous dignitaries to the Roycroft campus, 20 minutes from Buffalo.
The one-hour
documentary presents the fascinating life story of Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915),
the flamboyant founder of the Roycroft. In the production, Hubbard is narrated by actor Liev Schreiber, the voice of Hubbard is
provided by Adam Arkin and the musical score was written by Michael Bacon. The film was produced, directed and
written by WNED Senior Producer Paul Lamont, who also produced WNED's "Frank Lloyd Wright's Buffalo"
for PBS. "[Hubbard's] is a story of love,
art, passion and controversy set against the backdrop of the Arts and Crafts
Movement," according to Lamont.
"You may not
approve of everything Hubbard did," said Lamont, "but I think people will be
able to relate to the contradictions that were part of his personality as well
as his personal and professional struggles during a very turbulent and
transitional time in America. I
tried to create an artistic film that mirrored the artistic qualities of Arts
and Crafts and tell the best possible story. By virtue of that, I think people will want to experience
Roycroft for themselves."
The nonprofit
Roycroft Campus Corporation (RCC) is now restoring the original multi-building
complex ― a National Historic Landmark and the nation's only authentic Arts and
Crafts community that still draws people from far and wide.
WNED's adds
the Hubbard piece to its catalog of recent national productions or
co-productions including Frank Lloyd Wright's Buffalo (2006),
Niagara Falls (2006), The Adirondacks (2008), Fort Niagara:
The Struggle for a Continent (2004), Window to the Sea (2005)and The
Marines (2007). Projects on the Chautauqua Institution and The War of 1812
are currently in development.
I dont remember seing that beautiful stone entranceway...does that still exist...is it part of the Roycroft Campus?