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An interview with Bestor Cram: filmmaker discusses ‘Tiananmen Tonight’ and the power of the press
Oct 22, 2025
Filmmaker Bestor Cram
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On Thursday, Oct. 30, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the Norfolk Library will host a free public screening of “Tiananmen Tonight,” a film by Bestor Cram and Michael Streissguth about the 1989 student uprising in China and the daring coverage by Dan Rather and CBS. Director Cram will introduce the film.
A documentary filmmaker whose life was forged in the fire of Vietnam, where he served as a Marine, Cram earned the Navy Commendation Medal. He returned home to become a conscientious objector and leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. After working in the MIT Film Studies Program, he founded Northern Light Productions in Boston, producing media for museums, and has made more than 30 feature documentary films.
His credits include the 1995 Academy Award-winning documentary “Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision,” as well as “After Innocence and Wrestling with Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner.” His film “Unfinished Symphony,” premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.
JA: When did you begin telling stories?
BC: I began my filmmaking adventure as an organizer for Vietnam Veterans Against the War. I arranged for a group of filmmakers to document our march, which followed the ride of Paul Revere in reverse, a warning to folks to become patriots and oppose the war.
JA: How does our current political and moral dilemma, with journalism under fire, inform this film?
BC: The film is about a momentous event that became a defining example of how television journalism lived up to its promise, providing in-depth, ongoing reporting that enabled an audience to understand the evolution of a news story. It provides insight into the decisions journalists face in dealing with management, restrictive budgets, governmental impediments, and the dilemmas that arise when reporters become part of the news.
JA: What drew you to the story of Dan Rather and CBS in China?
BC: Dan Rather and his team were in a ratings fight, but more importantly, they were fighting to reestablish their reputation as the gold standard in TV journalism.
JA: How can we protect our free press?
BC: The bottom line rules capitalism. When corporations become owners of the press, they no longer view news as a public service but as another commodity on the balance sheet. I believe the best way to protect the free press is to limit who owns it.
JA: What is the role of the press, and of film, in truth-telling?
BC: The role of the press is to inform. The role of film is also to inform, but its format is essentially an editorial perspective. Telling the truth is more a process of what is chosen to be presented and its sources.
JA: How do you define bravery?
BC: Bravery is the notion of expressing oneself physically and intellectually based on one’s conscience, kind of a Henry David Thoreau ideal. Following the law is part of citizenship, but ensuring the justness of the law is also part of citizenship.
JA: Do you think China is more or less repressive now than in 1989?
BC: Economically, people are better off. But the price paid for not contesting the Chinese totalitarian regime is one of accepting the repression of free speech and the rewriting of history.
JA: What do you want people to take away from this film?
BC: Appreciation for the quality and courage of the journalists who reported Tiananmen, and a consideration of what is being done in TV journalism today. And a reexamination of the stand the Chinese took then as an inspiration for how movements today can shape change, knowing that there are consequences to be considered when dealing with governments.
JA: What is your current project?
BC: A feature documentary called “Not Your Average Citizen,” the story of Boris Nemtsov, leader of the Russian opposition and critic of Vladimir Putin, who was gunned down outside the Kremlin in February 2015. As Nemtsov often said, “Freedom comes at a high price.”
More at notyouraveragecitizen.com.
Register at norfolklibrary.org
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Artist Vincent Inconiglio’s show “Face Time” opens Oct. 25 at the Hunt Library.
L. Tomaino
Abstract artist Vincent Inconiglio’s love and enthusiasm for color and form are evident all around him at his Falls Village studio, where he has worked for 25 years. He is surrounded by paintings large and small, woodcuts, photographs, collages and arrays of found objects.
The objects Inconiglio has found while out walking — in Falls Village, near his studio on Gansevoort Street in New York City, and in other places throughout the world — hold special importance to him. Appreciation of them, he says, comes from “seeing while exploring. I am always finding things.” His particular delight is finding objects that look like faces, many of which will be featured in the ArtWall show at the Hunt Library.
The found objects inspire him, are his “friends,” and serve as muses for his work. He has had some in his collection for more than 50 years. “I’ve always thought of them as parts of me.”
As he shows these objects and tells how he found them, his enthusiasm is contagious. It suggests a new way of looking at the world, even at the most mundane bits of debris.
The sheer volume of paintings and collages displayed in his Falls Village studio attests to his interest in form, color, and composition.
Inconiglio will bring his sense of play and love of discovery to his show, “Face Time,” opening at the Hunt Library in Falls Village on Oct. 25, with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. It features faces in collages, photos, and found objects. The works will be on display until Nov. 21.
Inconiglio explained a little about his process. “If I am stuck,” he said, “I’ll cut something and put it down. One thing leads to another and forces me to focus.” Next month, in a workshop with children, he will share techniques like this that have guided him in his work.
The children, students at Lee H. Kellogg School in Falls Village, will create their own face collages. Inconiglio enjoys the spontaneity children bring to their creations and is eager to work with them.
On Nov. 13, Inconiglio will give an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m. at Hunt Library.
He looks forward to feedback about “Face Time,” commenting, “I’d rather get bad feedback than no feedback.”
For more information, visit: huntlibrary.org/art-wall/.
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The central communal space, featuring an A for Ara audio system, gong and Tibetan bowls, hosts up to 80 guests for sound meditations and healing music experiences.
Provided
The Thyme, on Route 41 in Sheffield, is a retreat center offering a variety of residential and non-residential programs and services to the local community and Berkshire‑area visitors. A new incarnation of what for many years was the Option Institute, The Thyme is the dream project of James Davies and Andrew Murray, business partners who left the pressures of international banking and moved with their families to this Berkshires campus in September 2024. They bought the 85‑acre property from Barry and Susan Kaufman for $5.35 million and, together with five other business partners, have been renovating the property’s many buildings ever since.
The center opened in January of this year and is a work in progress as the team continues to refine its offerings. Since opening, the venue has hosted events across 22 weekends, with most bookings for residential retreats with some spiritual element. Upcoming events include a women’s retreat (The Wild Rest), a family Halloween event called Curiouser, and a Thanksgiving weekend for those who have already visited the property. The year will culminate with a weekend retreat around the winter solstice facilitated by renowned astrologer Rebecca Gordon.
The center is also available to rent for local businesses and has hosted several dinners organized by the local community. The Thyme is open year-round, welcoming visitors for all four seasons of Berkshire beauty. Programming at The Thyme is very much centered on allowing visitors to enjoy the majestic nature, including the famous Sage’s Ravine. With a 2,000‑square‑foot dining hall, it can accommodate up to 110 people for meals in a variety of configurations.
James Davies in front of the Manor House.Provided
There are 11 other buildings on the property. Two are the homes of Davies, Murray and their families. The central communal space (separate from the dining room) has been equipped with a cutting‑edge audio system designed by local business A for Ara. Together with one of the largest gongs in the Northeast and Tibetan singing bowls, this space can host groups up to 80 for sound meditations and other curated musical experiences that facilitate healing, relaxation and personal growth.
There are accommodations for 60 people in four buildings, with plans to add more. The beautifully renovated guest rooms are decorated in earth tones in a peaceful, minimalist style, with large windows that showcase the spectacular natural surroundings.
Visitors to The Thyme — whether for day trips or longer stays — will have spectacular views of mountains, rolling hills, a pond, streams and a beautiful walking trail. The Appalachian Trail awaits just down the road from the campus for more serious hikers.
To prepare the property and buildings, the team at The Thyme has hired a number of local workers — landscapers, carpenters, designers. As The Thyme sets up its programs, it’s also hiring specialists such as masseuses. In addition, the center has welcomed core staff members as full‑time residents to head up kitchen operations, music programs and other guest offerings.
Davies and Murray have already been welcoming a mix of generations to The Thyme and have put multigenerational programming at the heart of their offerings, focusing on research showing that strong community connection boosts well‑being. A recent family weekend was attended by guests ranging from newborns to people in their eighth decade.
For more on its programs or to inquire about using the space, visit thethyme.co or email hello@thethyme.co
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Stupid people in the jungle, Jess Franco-style. This group is dumber than average.
Provided
Owing to a bum hip my recent vacation week in the Catskills was light on fishing and heavy on cruddy films. I was joined in this endeavor by my nomadic attorney Thos. and Steve D., with whom I have been cracking juvenile jokes since the sixth grade.
We got through quite a stack of DVDs and even rejected a couple as being too awful, even for us.
Which brings us to one of the rules of schlock: It can be appalling but it can’t be boring.
Nightmare Beach (1989): The immortal John Saxon stars in the flick that answers the question “What Do You Miss the Least About the 1980s?” Feathered hair, high-waisted jeans and wet t-shirt contests are all good answers and feature heavily in this movie. But the real star is the soundtrack, particularly a ditty called “Mean ‘n’ Nasty.” The story: Biker gang raises hell in Florida beach town during spring break, and a masked biker is electrocuting people. Our hero is a college quarterback who lost the Orange Bowl and makes up for it by saving the plucky bartender girl. Meanwhile a lot of young women in various stages of undress cavort on the beach. Crispy critters. Gratuitous nekkidity. Unconvincing bikers. John Saxon looking like he’s about to fire his agent. And relentless, horrible, generic 80s rock throughout.
Stupid people in the jungle, Jess Franco-style. This group is dumber than average.Provided
Diamonds of Kilimindjaro (1983): From the prolific and immensely untalented Jess Franco comes this tale of Stupid People in the Jungle. See, a plane crashes in Africa and the only survivors are a Scottish guy and his granddaughter. He retreats to a hut and plays the bagpipes for 20 years while she grows up to be the local goddess. And this completely satisfactory state of affairs is rudely interrupted by a team of adventurers, some of whom want to find the girl, some want to find her and leave her so they can collect the inheritance, and some of them are there because Franco realized he was about 30 minutes short on the running time. We’ve got fun with machetes. Gratuitous snakes. Gratuitous spears. Gratuitous stock footage crocodile vs. nekkid lady in lake (shown twice, once with dubbed sound and once in pure silence). Gratuitous bagpipe music, actual bagpipes not shown. Starring the immortal Katja Bienert, wearing nothing but a loincloth and a pleasant expression. Plus “Kilimindjaro” spelled with a “d.” Outstanding.
Alien Outlaw (1986): Hicktastic zombie flick featuring an elderly Lash Larue sounding like he gargles with Thunderbird to start the day and the lissome Kari Anderson as a modern-day Annie Oakley. The story: Alien spaceship comes to the sticks, aliens hide in medium-sized creek where they attack one idiot successfully but miss the other idiot. Meanwhile gun gal Jessi Jamison is trying to get her career back on track. The aliens learn fast because they can twirl their six-shooters. Lots of gratuitous nekkidity, not all of it welcome. (Unfortunately we’re looking at you, Lash Larue.) Bad fishing. Good shooting. Horses. Mumbling. Jessi’s legs. Extended meditation on the ins and outs of the motel business. Highlight: A bargain-basement Walter Cronkite in a canoe tells a cop to “suck worms.”
The aliens learn to use Earth-based weaponry, with fair-to-middling results.Provided
Zoltan: Hound of Dracula (1977): This flick was the outstanding find of this fall’s schlockfest.
Soviet soldiers accidentally open up a tomb belonging to a cadet branch of the Dracula family, and in the confusion the Dracula servant (played by Reggie Nalder, who was the assassin in the 1956 version of “The Man Who Knew Too Much”) and a vampire dog named Zoltan are revived and set off to find the last Dracula, who’s named Michael and lives in Los Angeles. Vampire dogs. Vampire puppy. Gratuitous RV parking. Gratuitous driving of rental cars. The highlight is when Zoltan gets Mike Dracula and the Romanian cop (played by Jose Ferrer) holed up in a cabin and eats through the roof, only to be foiled by the rising sun.
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