Interview – WAMG Talks to FINDING VIVIAN MAIER Directors Charlie Siskel and John Maloof

Film makers Charlie Siskel (left) and John Maloof (right)

2014 turned out to be an exceptional year for feature-length documentaries about artists. A film from 2013, TIM’S VERMEER, opened wide that January and was soon followed by JODOROWSKY’S DUNE, FOR NO GOOD REASON, LIFE, ITSELF, and GLEN CAMPBELL: I’LL BE ME. However, the only art doc to be included in the five nominees for BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM at the 87th Academy Awards is the acclaimed FINDING VIVIAN MAIER. You can read my review here. Recently WAMG was able to speak to the two men behind the film, producer/writer/directors John Maloof (who also narrates the film) and Charlie Siskel.

WAMG: I suppose we should start with you John, since this journey began back in 2007 with your purchase of a box of Maier’s negatives at an auction. You mention in the film that you’d hoped to find some research materials for a historical project. Had you done historical projects for film or multimedia (DVD) before?

John Maloof: Not for video type projects. I had recently purchased a 100 year-old house in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago and was collecting materials for a history book about the area surrounding the property.

WAMG: You said in the film that you were familiar with going to auctions and estate sales and such in your youth. Did your family introduce you to that?

JM: Well, I did partner with my family in attending such sales when I was growing, even hitting a occassional flea market a few years ago and setting up a table.

WAMG: So, the building you bought, is that on the North side, the West side (of Chicago)?

JM: Portage Park is a neighborhood on the Northwest side.

WAMG: Oh yes, I’ve got some friends that attend that theatre quite a bit. I had confused it with Rogers Park which factors late in the film. When you started accumulating the work of Vivian Maier you mentioned about submitting or trying to get some museums or cultural facilities interested, including MOMA (the Museum of Modern Art). I’m wondering, with the release of the documentary, if they have been in contact with you after several of the special gallery set-ups and such?

JM: Well, the main reason I contacted them originally was just to get some help in organizing and cataloging the amount of materials. The hundreds of negatives became too time consuming to scan on my own. Mainly I needed help in the scanning process.

Charlie Siskel: I should mention that we did having a screening of the film at MOMA and they helped in digitizing and listening to the Maier audio recordings and their cataloging.

WAMG: Well, It’s certainly a compliment to them that they realized the worth of this artist. I was wondering, John, about how you went about accumulating these pieces that had already been sold off to other parties. Must’ve been like having Christmas several times a year, discovering these new treasures, and even expanding the feature with audio cassettes and film footage. Must have been a startling discovery.

JM: Happily, I was able to acquire the other Maier artifacts without much difficulty at reasonable expensive which helped me in putting some of the pieces on display via the internet and working toward the goal of a public display.

WAMG: I guess then we can jump ahead to the big show at the Cultural Center, It sounded like you had an incredible turn-out for that, I think that this is where you, Charlie, became aware of the work and got involved, is that true?

CS: I had seen the story about these incredible photos in a story I caught one day watching PBS. Of course, I spent a good part of my youth in Chicago. Since much of my family was still there, this report sparked an ongoing interest I’ve had  about people with double lives, specifically as it applies to undiscovered artists. It seemed that John’s story could be the basis for a documentary that explored these themes.

WAMG: Yes, It’s a pretty incredible seven-year journey, although I guess it could be eight years now, wouldn’t it John? You said in the documentary you found the first photos in 2007, so it’s quite a trip from there to the red carpet.

JM: We were filming this right through 2009.

WAMG: That would be right after Vivian’s passing, I believe. I had seen (actor/comedian) Jeff Garlin’s name in the credits (as executive producer). Charlie, was he instrumental in inspiring you with the documentary process? Did he help open some doors for you?

CS: Yes, he too was fascinated by her photos. We were stunned by the wonderful images that appeared in our email inboxes, which soon became hundreds of photos. Once we became aware of all the material, the receipts, notes, audio cassettes, and especially the 16mm and 8mm footage we realized that these incredible images told a very compelling story of this woman.

WAMG: I had dabbled in 8mm films in high school and was impressed with the color quality you were able to get, there wasn’t a noticeable amount of damage, I guess they were stored at the correct temperature? Was there any footage that didn’t make the transition, there was nothing that become too brittle to use?

JM: It was all Kodachrome film, so the color saturation was very bright and vivid.

WAMG: I’m assuming the 16mm was black and white?

JM: What we used in the feature was primarily the 8mm then Super 8mm home movie footage of the families.

WAMG: Speaking of the families, it was quite an unexpected treat to see one of the icons of daytime TV involved in this. I guess that cues into tracking down the families. Would you say that about 80 or 90% of the folks you contacted at least agreed to talk to you or be in the film?

CS: Pretty much all the families came on board. Several of the children that were cared for by Vivian are in their 50’s now, but still had strong recollections of their time with her and shared their memories. A couple of her charges paid her expenses for the last years of her life. They didn’t wish to be interviewed or identified, so we respected their wishes. They all recall that camera hanging from her neck.

WAMG: One of the things I came away with from the film was it was startling to them that a person that was sort of in the service industry would have such a rich, creative spirit, and that’s one of the great joys of the film is to see this work and realize this person was able to get out and do this and share with us specifically a Chicago that doesn’t exist anymore. It’s agreat exploration of that and a mystery film, so it works on that level also.

CS: We really wanted to show that artists can come from every walk of life. That everyone could have a secret passion. Vivian, as you said, was in the service industry. Kafka was an accountant. I mean, where are the artists in society? Is it only those in the upper classes, who can attend colleges and training centers? Maybe that person sitting next to you on the bus or train has that artistic spirit.

JM: Vivian didn’t want to be cooped up in an office or a factory. She decided to make her living as a nanny or caregiver in order to be out and about in the world. She enjoyed the freedom of it. Her passion wasn’t limited by her humble beginnings, Vivian was really a romantic.

WAMG: One of the more amusing segments, I enjoyed the two linguistics experts who believed that she was doing a fake French accent, I wondered if they were surprised by the film to learn of her family’s roots in France?

JM: Vivian was born in New York City, though. On her first visit to France in the 1930’s, she didn’t speak the language at all. But when she returned in the 1940’s, she spoke French fluently.

WAMG: I’d imagine she heard a lot of French growing up, in the household?

CS: It’s interesting that we did have a screening at the Portage theatre for many of those people featured. When I went out to the lobby after the film’s ending I spotted those two experts still arguing about Vivian’s accent.

WAMG: I was looking over your resume, Charlie, I saw that you were mostly on the production side of TV and films, has this film inspired you to direct more feature film projects?

CS: Directing on this project blurred the line between the writing and producing work I’ve done on different projects. I had the luxury of learning from the guerrilla style film making working with Michael Moore. The storytelling really came together by having someone to bounce ideas off of. The interviews might alter the story of Vivian, so luckily I had John, the detective of the story, making sure that we were on the right track.

JM: We were able to sift through the different stories and test each other a bit.

WAMG: It occurred to me that some documentaries become the basis for dramatic films like GREY GARDENS, have there been any inquiries or have you explored the idea of turning this into a stage play or a dramatic feature film?

CS: There’s been some talk with Killer Films, but nothing’s has been set.

WAMG: I’ll wrap things up by asking about your Oscar nomination morning story. Were you waiting up to hear the news live? Were you awakened by a phone call?

JM: Charlie called me! (laughs)

CS: (laughs) Yeah, I had the liveblast set, but I woke up beforehand. I threw on my bathrobe, grabbed a cup, and logged in to the live streaming broadcast just in time to hear the announcement.

WAMG: What a great way to start the day! Will you be showing the film out there?  I know there’s a documentary day at the Oscars.

CS: It’s going to be a whirlwind couple of days out there. We will be showing the film on “Doc Day”.

JM: The nomination and ceremony is wonderful, but the best thing to come out of this is the attention focused open Vivian Maier’s remarkable work. So many people will be aware of her because of the Oscars.

WAMG: It’s a terrific film. As the young folks say, “It’s got all the feels.”, it’s funny at times, it’s tragic. it’s involving, as I said, a great detective story, and I’d don’t know what the proper things is to say. With the theatre you’re supposed to say, “Break a leg”, I don’t know if I should wish you good luck, but I hope all goes well at the big show.

CS & JM: Thank you

WAMG: And thanks you for a great film. It’s always wonderful to tell folks about a film that’s well worth their time.

FINDING VIVIAN MAIER is available on home video, streaming services, and via premium cable TV channels