


Copyright 1995 ABC-CLIO. This review was taken from the ABC-CLIO Video Rating Guide for Libraries on CD-ROM, a 5-year compilation of over 8900 video titles and reviews, 1990-1994. For information regarding order VRGL CD-ROM, contact: ABC-CLIO, P.O. Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911; 805-968-1911
This following text has been included in the UCB Media Resources Center Web site with the kind permission of the publishers.

Maxine Hong Kingston: Talking Story gives viewers the opportunity
to hear this storyteller speak from her heart about what
motivates her to create: a turbulent haunting of ancestors, her
cultural heritage, sexual and racial oppression, and her search
for self. These elements combine, welling up inside of her, and
escape beyond the taboo of silence to release emotional accounts
of her people and their past. In a gentle voice she talks to the
viewer about her family, her life, and her art as if we are
physically present. This ability to connect is what makes her
such a powerful storyteller. This video is an effective conduit
for her message, masterfully blending words and pictures.
Each aspect of production is sensitive to the subject,
allowing Kingston to lead us along a fascinating path of
discovery. There is a natural flow of stories about her life and
growth, as a writer and a person, that is always woven into her
past. We feel how inextricably bonded she is to her ancestors,
because it is through her that they speak to us. It is also
through them that she is able to understand herself. By touching
the past, she can come into her own, always journeying, restless
to bring her next story to life.
The technical aspects of the program flow harmoniously, never
distracting, always enhancing Kingston's focus. Music and editing
support the continuity of the well-written script. Skillful
editing yields no distractions so that the viewer is able to let
Kingston's words captivate the imagination.
Many of the tales that Kingston relates emanate from her
ancestors and the suffering they endured. She believes that by
remembering the pain and by telling their stories, they can have
immortality. The living, in turn, can understand themselves by
exploring the past. This program is a gentle yet profound
presentation that not only provides insight and interpretation
for readers of Kingston's works, but challenges as well to
explore ourselves.
Maxine Hong Kingston: Talking Story

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