[Frameworks] Bruce Baillie

[William Wees, Dr.]

Thank you, Dominic, not only for a lovely vignette from Bruce’s life, but also for a glimpse of what has become a nearly mythical San Francisco.

--Bill Wees

William C. Wees
Emeritus Professor
McGill University

From: Frameworks <frameworks-bounces at film-gallery.org> On Behalf Of Dominic Angerame
Sent: December 28, 2020 3:39 PM
To: Experimental Film Discussion List <frameworks at film-gallery.org>
Subject: [Frameworks] Bruce Baillie

Below is a short piece that I had written for the Canyoncinemazine. It was rejected for the Baillie but thought I would share it with you all.

Bruce Baillie and the Enchanted Kingdom
                                      An excerpt from the unpublished forthcoming book
                                      Tales from the Canyon by Dominic Angerame


There are so many experiences shared with Bruce that it’s difficult to write about only one. Bruce Baillie was in San Francisco where he had two screenings, one at the San Francisco Cinematheque and another at the New Nothing Cinema.  On the very last visit Bruce came only to celebrate his birthday and visit friends.

My friend Dennis Letbetter had a personal gallery called the Bonnafont Gallery on Greenwich Street in North Beach just up the street from Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral.  Upstairs was a small quaint unique old style San Francisco apartment rented by photo gallery owner Philippe Bonnafont who passed away from aids in 1993.  It was a very small two bedroom apartment with a kitchen and small living room. The Bonnafont Gallery used to have a dirt floor with a wine press in the back.

The Gallery was located in the back of an apartment building that contained a small cul de sac. For a while I turned the Gallery into a film venue featuring Surrealist films and Italian Neo Realist films and also my own work.  In the evening we would light up the alley way leading to the apartment with Christmas lights.  It was one of most serene places in North Beach centered in the middle of what used to be an orange grove.  Of course the grove no longer exists and apartment buildings were subsequently constructed.  The Bonnafont Gallery was a place that seemed untouched by the never ending construction in the city.

Dennis had a beautiful garden outside the Gallery where many flowers flourished. When Bruce arrived in the early evening with Lori and Bob we made sure the lights were on.  Bruce got out of the car that Linda Scobie was driving and he was ready to walk up the apartment stairs.  I remember his luggage being heavy since he traveled with cans of food for the journey.  Bruce was redirected to the locked alley gate and I opened it up to this walkway of Christmas lights. The look in his eyes I will never forget.

He thought that he had arrived at an enchanted kingdom and in a way he had.  The stairs to the apartment were steep and a large cactus stood at the front door.  I led Bruce into the apartment and he was astonished.   He immediately fell in love and sat in the rocking chair in disbelief.

Bruce stayed at the apartment for more than a week holding court for many including Linda Scobie and Courtney Fellion.  Bruce told me that these women were his guardian angels and he felt that he was in heaven.  Bruce also held court with one of his first students, Michael Wallin former co-director of Canyon Cinema.  There was also Liz Keim of the San Francisco Exploratorium.  There were others whom I didn’t know or can’t remember.

I think that the experience of living in the apartment was his happiest time in San Francisco.
Other times Bruce and Lori stayed twice in the artist apartment at the San Francisco Art Institute.  I had also arranged a motel for them down by Fisherman’s Wharf.

During the daytime Bruce would go to Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral.  Linda and I met him at mass one Sunday and we all took communion.  After the mass we went over to Washington Square Park where Bruce admired the Asian elders doing Tai Chi.  He would join them for a while and we would quietly sit admiring the scene.  We’d then would walk back to the enchanted kingdom away from the traffic noise and bustle of San Francisco’s streets.

We had a picnic outside in the garden of the Bonnafont with Liz Keim, Jon Shibata and Mona Nagi of the Pacific Film Archives, Linda Scobie, Courtney Fellion, Michael Wallin, Lori Baillie, Bob Baillie and me.  Potluck parties were always a joy for Bruce and he seemed so happy to be in the courtyard with all of us laughing, drinking wine and sharing stories.  He loved his extended family.  After the lunch we retired and went into the Gallery where we projected films onto a roll down screen that Dennis had installed.

Too soon it came time to leave.  Bruce wanted to stay forever.  Sadly we packed him up.  He sat on the porch deep in thought and said that he didn’t want to leave the enchanted castle and land of Oz.  The luggage was lighter since he ate the food and left whatever was not eaten there at the apartment for the next lodger.  Bruce waived goodbye as I stood outside the locked gate that led to the Gallery.

Many times Bruce talked about going back to that place that made him so happy.  I told him it was there whenever he wanted and I would make arrangements with Dennis.  He and his family would always be welcome.



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