Jeff Campbell, left, and Jim Freiling with a functional model of the Mingo Junction documentary mural – Janice Kiaski
MINGO JUNCTION – Mingo Junction – no stranger to movies used by the city and its inhabitants for filming – has a third movie mural in its future.
This time it is in honor of the recently released documentary Michael Cimino: A Mirage of America » that the French director Jean-Baptiste “JB” Thoret gave a special Saturday performance to an enthusiastic audience at the Mingo Knights of Columbus Hall.
The surprise announcement included the presentation of a working mural model that will be coming soon “The Deer Hunter” The mural unveiled at 454 Commercial Ave. in August 2018. The other movie mural in Mingo is “Risk taker,” the 1984 film starring Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah and had a scene from a steel city.
The announcement of the mural was made by Jeff Campbell, owner of Campbell Signs in Calcutta, on behalf of the Mingo Business Association with which he has collaborated on many projects, including the design of the film murals. Sponsorships make it possible.
This came after another gift with Mayor Ed Fithen presenting, on behalf of the administration and the citizens, a key to the city in Thoret, who came to Mingo Junction in February 2020 to film and interview people who had in relation to “The Deer Hunter” more than 40 years ago.
It was all part of Thoret’s work on the documentary about Cimino (pronounced chu-mean-o), who won accolades for co-writing, directing and producing “The Deer Hunter”. He won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director for Cimino, who died in 2016 at the age of 77.
“The Deer Hunter” It was shot in 1977 and had a limited release in December 1978 to be screened for the 1979 Academy Awards. The film premiered locally on March 15, 1979, at what was then known as Cinema III at the Fort Steuben Mall.
Thoret visited Mingo Junction and other communities two years ago as part of his project work and hosted a demonstration “The Deer Hunter” at the Parkview Inn in Mingo as a way to talk to locals involved.
Jim and Kathy Freiling of the Mingo Business Association were asked to return when finished, and they did, accompanied by sound engineer Julian Brossier.
Their three-day visit to the area last week was busy, including stops at the Historic Fort Steuben Visitor Center, Sycamore Youth Center, murals, Leonardo’s Coffee House and Indian Creek High School, where they toured and met an exchange student. there from France. Thoret lives in Paris.
A private dinner on Saturday at the Mingo Senior Center preceded the free and open-air screening of Thoret’s documentary, which lasts two hours and 10 minutes.
Mingo’s role in this is 45 minutes or more and shows scenes of the city of the past and present. The locals in it include the Freilings. John “Boom boom” Buchmelter, who played a guest bar and was at the wedding scene; Orin Diomedi, then owner of Orin’s Auto who repaired the cars used in the film and helped recruit additives. Noonie Chappano; Tommy Fitzgerald; Bobby Pizzoferrato; Clint Kovach; Jay Giacobbi; and the late Gary McLeish, who sang “I can not take my eyes off you” the hit Frankie Valli and The 4 Seasons sung by fans “The Deer Hunter” bar scene.
Filmmakers Quentin Tarantino, Oliver Stone and John Savage, played by Steven “The Deer Hunter”, is part of it as well.
Why did Mingo end up in such a big part of the movie? Here is how Thoret answered me.
“In the beginning the idea was to make a documentary about Michael Cimino, but more specifically I wanted to make a film about America that Michael Cimino made in the 70’s and 80’s, and his masterpiece was” The Hunter of Deer “and I knew it. guy. I spent some time with him. We took a trip with him. He talked to me a lot about Americans, the sense of community and so on, and because he found out that somewhere in Mingo Junction when he was looking for “The Deer Hunter,” I wanted to go to Mingo Junction to find out. kind of community feeling. Without it for me, there was no movie.
“I did not want to make a classic documentary where the guy was born and made some movies and finally died in 2016. I wanted to go to the tracks of Michael Cimino, to the track of his own spirit you know. “For him it was this kind of American and so I wanted to have the same experience and Mingo Junction became the heart of the film – very, very, very simple.”
When Thoret later spoke to the audience, he expressed his gratitude for the hospitality and said that when he first visited he had not realized that he would meet “So many great people.”
He explained that 10 years ago, he had traveled from Los Angeles to Colorado with Cimino.
“The first thing he told me was that he was very moved not by the scenery but by the sense of community of the people of Mingo Junction.” he said, noting “It was crucial for me to verify it.”
“Without your help, without your friendship, without your time, I could not have made this film. Absolutely impossible. “Without Mingo Junction there is no movie for me, in fact.” Thoret added that Cimino “I was dreaming of a kind of America that I finally found here in Ohio.”
Other films that were part of the documentary included a drop of $ 36 million “Gate of Paradise,” Thunderbolt and Lightfoot and “The year of the Dragon”.
John Balzano served as master of ceremonies, and Baci Carpico, a trustee of the Knights of Columbus, prayed and led the Oath of Allegiance. Bobby Pizzoferrato sang “God bless America” and later joined Thoret playing the guitar on the Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Bad Moon Rising.”
Balzano thanked the many sponsors and the committee that made the night a reality.
Talking to some people who were in the documentary and were looking forward to seeing it, I spoke with Tommy Fitzgerald, asking what he expected.
“Well, we hope everyone has a great time back in this community and enjoys a blast from the past because we have a screen that shows up now showing photos from the past and then we’ll go ahead and combine it with where the past is. he left us today “ Fitzgerald noted.
Jim Friling commented on this “The Deer Hunter” was of Cimino “His most important achievement. His main film was this film. When he toured, the Mingo people really welcomed him and took him to many locations.”
“I think it’s good for the area” Noonie Chappano said about the movie. “I’m a little excited to see it” he said. “I think it’s good for Mingo, not that it will make us grow up again.” he added, agreeing that a film made in Mingo is not made every day.
Orin Diomedi, 87, sat at a table with family and friends, waiting for the documentary to begin. He had gone to Mingo nursing home earlier in the day for dinner, he said “Very nice and very good food.”
“I never dreamed that all this would return as it is” he said. “I still can not understand or understand it. You know what? They are the locals who help the locals, and we have been active in the business of the city all our lives and this is needed. And you know what, that’s missing today. “ commented.
He was excited to see the film. “It’s a story. We are a history from the past, the way we went together, even the way the country was. We lived it. We can enjoy it as it is “.
Diomedes not only repaired cars used in the film, but became friends with the casting director “The Deer Hunter”, who asked for his help in recruiting 12 men.
Diomedes took the casting director to a Columbus Knights picnic attended by hundreds to find who he needed.
Another memory for him was when his dirty ball was worn in the movie by Robert DeNiro. A member of the film crew spotted Diomedi wearing it at Paddy’s Diner and said he would love to have it for the movie.
“I gave them the hat but I could not take it back. I tried. We did all their service. It was like people were helping people. That was the name of the game then, no matter who you were. “ said Diomedes.
Thoret and his sound engineer left the area on Sunday, their next destination in Las Vegas where they were to begin work on a documentary about the homeless living in the underground tunnels there.
