Morrison, Jane Collection

SummaryThe collection consists of amateur films by Jane Morrison. These include the documentaries. "Master Smart Woman" (1985), which concerns Maine author Sarah Orne Jewett, "Children of the Northlights" (1976), about children's book creators Ingri and Edgar d'Aulaire, and "Rocks Nudes and Flowers" (1975) about Maine-based painter Henry Strater. "In the Spirit of Haystack" (1979) describes Haystack School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine. The collection also contains educational, cultural and fiction works, including "Lipstick" (1974), "The White Heron" (1978) a short dramatic film shot in Maine and based on the same-titled Jewett story, and "The Two Worlds of Angelita, Los Dos Mundos de Angelita" (1982), a Spanish language drama about a young girl from rural Puerto Rico who moves to New York City. Also included are various experimental films, test footage, and film elements from the creation of the other projects. The collection also includes production notes, including cue sheets for 'The Two Worlds of Angelita' and 'Master Smart Woman', and a sketchbook with notes about 'In the Spirit of Haystack' and 'Muscongus Pond: A Potter's Place'.

Biographical/Historical NotesJane Morrison (1947-1987) was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and grew up in Gardiner, Maine. She graduated from Boston College in 1969 and received a master’s degree in media studies from Antioch College in 1975. From 1969 to 1974 she taught English and filmmaking at Cony High School in Augusta. In 1974 she moved to New York City to work as an independent filmmaker and teach at the Columbia University School of Film.  Jane made some experimental super 8 films in the early 1970’s followed by a series of documentaries. In 1983 she made her first feature-length film, 'The Two Worlds of Angelita', about the cultural dislocation of a family moving to New York from Puerto Rico. The film was partly inspired by the book 'Angelita' by Wendy Kesselman. Morrison began to receive national and international recognition for her work and in 1986 she became a participant in the USIS cultural exchange program, giving lectures and running workshops for film professionals and university groups in Africa.  In 1987, at the age of 39, she died of malaria while working in Kenya.

RepositoryNortheast Historic Film

AvailabilityAccess is restricted; consult repository for detail.

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