August 16, 2007
Since January, filmmaker Michael Schroeder has traveled the globe attending film festivals from Berlin to Seoul and trekking the United States gathering awards for his latest film, Man in the Chair. Quite a feat for a director who has not been behind the camera since 1996.
Previously pigeonholed as a genre director of thrillers and action films, Schroeder decided he was not comfortable with that label. "I woke up one morning and had a Jerry Maguire epiphany," Schroeder recalls. "I sold my house and cars, moved into an apartment and started to write. I wrote Man in the Chair but couldn't get it funded. Now those people are vying to distribute it."
The story was inspired by the Motion Picture Home, a retirement home for aged actors. After hearing Jonathan Winters joke that someone could crew a movie from the talent there, an idea was born that percolated for 15 years.
The film focuses on Flash Madden, a former gaffer from the Golden Age of Hollywood. He had once been an electrician on Citizen Kane, working side by side and age by age with Orson Welles, though decidedly not as successful. Schroeder wanted to focus on the blue collar crew rather than "above the line" actors and directors. When a teenager uses the home for a student film project, he reignites a lost passion in Madden and his fellow residents.
Madden is portrayed by Christopher Plummer, whom Schroeder describes as being a force on the set. "The bar was set really high, and everybody was better because (of Plummer's presence)," Schroeder asserts. Up and coming teen Michael Angarano apparently held his own against the legend, and Schroeder claims that he knew within five minutes that he was right for the part.
Schroeder infuses the film with strong themes concerning the treatment of the elderly in a throw-away society, and their discarded presence in poorly maintained nursing homes. He hopes that a discussion of ageism and dignity will inspire viewers to reconnect with their own elderly family members and to learn their stories.
In order to get this film on its feet, Schroeder signed the Americans Back to Work Act and received a tax break for his production. He raised funds the old fashioned way through friends, family and connections, avoiding the hassle of convincing major studios of his film's worth.
The struggle paid off. The film has garnered many awards along the festival circuit, including outstanding directorial achievement and best ensemble awards at the Method Fest, favorite audience award at the Stony Brook Film Festival and best American film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.