Jenny in Pennsylvania asks: Why didn't we see the home funeral for the seven year old girl whose mother talked about her death? I would have liked to experience the emotional impact of that on film. I believe that viewing home funerals for adults and elderly parents would not have the same emotional impact on your audience since typically we expect adults to die before children. Viewing a child's home funeral would have added another dimension to the film and might have made a different impact on the audience.
Elizabeth Westrate: Beth Knox lost her daughter Allison several years before "A Family Undertaking" went into production, and was already working with other families though her home funeral organization, Crossings, when I met her. Since Beth did not have any home movies or photos of Allison's funeral to share with us, the editor Melissa Neidich and I chose to use images from Allison's life to help us tell the story. I hoped that this would give some sense of the loss and healing that the Knox family experienced at that time, even though we were not present to film it. Of course, the biggest challenge in making this film was gaining access to these very intimate experiences as they were unfolding, and I discuss elsewhere on this site how we went about finding all of the families that appear in the film. I remain extremely grateful to everyone who participated in this project.
Judith in Alaska asks: Alaska Native and American Indian people have wonderful burial rituals that would make a fantastic documentary. Do you have any plans to make further films? I'm an Episcopal Priest serving 3 rural Indian churches and I would love to network with this organization.
Elizabeth: Are you aware of P.O.V.'s Community Engagement events? P.O.V. has developed some excellent materials for "A Family Undertaking," which include tips about holding a local screening, and resources to help guide the discussion afterward. Perhaps you would be interested in holding a screening of "A Family Undertaking" in one of the churches that you mentioned? If so, please take a look at the Get Involved section of this website.
I am currently working on a new film about the humanitarian organization, Heifer International, which provides food and income-producing animals and training to millions of resource-poor families around the world. Since May, we have filmed in Romania, Cambodia, Tanzania, Ecuador and at the Navajo Nations here in the US, which has been an incredibly interesting (and exhausting!) experience. We plan to edit through the fall, and the film should be completed by the end of the year. If you would like to learn more about this project (which I am making with Co-director Emma Wilson) please visit my website at fivespotfilms.com/heifer.htm.
Mandeanne asks: A beautiful music piece was played at the end of the film. Where I can get a copy, or what is the name of the piece? The violin touches my heart more than any other instrument.
Elizabeth: This music was written by the Estonian composer, Arvo Pärt, and the title of the composition is Spiegel im Spiegel, which I believe means "Mirror in the Mirror.
I fell in love with this piece of music many years ago, and knew I wanted to use it somewhere in the film. As we reached the end of the project, I learned that I could not afford to license the rights to the recording that I had. I had my heart set on using Spiegel im Spiegel with the footage of Bernard Carr branding his casket, though, and couldn't imagine replacing it with something else. In the end, we negotiated to pay for the publishing rights only (which is less expensive) and then hired musicians here in New York to re-record the piece specifically for use in the film.
A wonderful recording of three variations on Spiegel im Spiegel can be found on the album Alina which is available at amazon.com.
I highly recommend listening to Pärt's other work as well, especially Tabula Rasa, which is quite different, but also extremely beautiful. Arvo Pärt is a very interesting and spiritual person — you can read more about him at Classical.net.
Megan in Wisconsin asks: What is the name of the poem the Carr family read at the funeral? It was beautiful, and I would like to read it in its entirety.
Elizabeth: The poem that was read at Bernard Carr's funeral was "A Cowboy's Prayer" by Badger Clark, the first Poet Laureate of South Dakota:
Oh, Lord, I've never lived where churches grow.
I love creation better as it stood
That day you finished it so long ago.
And looked upon your work and called it good.
I know that others might find You in the light
That's sifted down through tinted window panes,
And yet I seem to feel You near tonight...
Read the full poem at the website of the Badger Clark Memorial Society.
John in Minnesota asks: I just finished watching your film on Twin Cities public television and thought it was great. I am the son of a funeral director and currently writing my Ph.D. dissertation on the relationships between the human corpse and technology. Can you please tell me where you found the archival film footage of the 1950's funeral home? I have been looking for film footage like that for quite some time and have never been able to find it.
Elizabeth: I worked with several archival footage houses to find the various material for the film. This particular piece came from an old promotional film for a funeral home in New England, and was found through a company called Imagebank Film (formerly known as Archive Films). If you are interested in buying a screening tape of the entire piece for your research, you can reach Imagebank at (800) IMAGERY or 646-613-4600 and refer to reference # PA-1307.
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