Okay, I strangely have a little time to finally write this out. Along with completely changing my life due to my first experience at Roger Ebert's Overlooked Films Festival, I also formed a new connection with my father. One of Ebert's film choices was the movie A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries. This movie was based on the author James Jones. How did this bring me closer to my father, you ask? Well. . . no he's not James Jones, but he did write a lot about him. My father, James Giles, edited a book called The James Jones Reader, with J. Michael Lennon, that consists of "Outstanding selections from his war writings including From Here To Eternity, The Thin Red Line, and Whistle." He also wrote a book that was a critical study of James Jones simply entitled James Jones. In part of his research on Jones, my father spent time with Gloria Jones (James Jones' wife). This time was shown--minus my father--in the movie A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries. One of the special guests Ebert had at the festival for the film was Kaylie Jones, the daughter of James Jones. While my father was spending time with Gloria, Kaylie, and Jamie, it was a 16 year-old Kaylie who drove my father to James' grave site. My father wrote a short story of his experience at the James household called "3 Days In Byzantium." It was published in a magazined called Confrontation. I met Kaylie's brother Jamie when I was in the booming metropolis of Robinson, Illinois with my father as he did his research on James. I remember, at the ripe old age of 13, thinking Jamie was just gorgeous. I also remember Jamie thinking that my theory on a town not actually being a town unless it has a McDonald's and a public swimming pool made perfect sense. Needless to say, Robinson IL had neither. Kaylie, however, wasn't present in Robinson so I didn't meet her for the first time until Ebert's festival. Anyway, watching that movie was a great experience for everyone at the festival, but it was even more special for me because as I watched it I knew precisely when to mentally insert my father into the movie. I also knew one of the children in the movie and had heard much about the other one. This gave me a new understanding of my dad's time with Gloria, Kaylie, and Jamie and it gave me a new understanding of them as well. Now, in a different way Ebert will be giving me yet another connection to my father at this year's film festival. One of Roger's selections is My Dog Skip. My Dog Skip is based on a book by Willie Morris. Willie Morris was at the James household while my father was there. I'm starting to think Ebert has some sort of psychic connection to myself so that he knows to show films related to my father at each festival of his I attend. I'm telling you, it's just plain weird. Cool, but very weird. So again, thanks Roger Ebert! Also here are a few more links to some of the people above. . .
Kaylie Jones' IMDB.COM listing
Willie Morris' IMDB.COM listing
The book link for A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries
Posted by Vampira at March 21, 2004 10:51 PM