Four Seasons Lodge - See This Movie!

I went to the opening night last evening of a new documentary, Four Seasons Lodge at IFC in Manhattan. It's a remarkably touching documentary by Andrew Jacobs about a summer bungalow colony near Ellenville that has been the Catskill retreat for close knit group of Holocaust survivors, most now in their 80's. Unlike most Holocaust films, it doesn't focus on horror testimonials, but rather on the bonds that these survivors formed with each other through their 26 summers together, and the joy and zest for life they share. Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter) did the cinematography.

For me, as a Sullivan County resident who often views bungalow colonies disparagingly, there is a second layer to the film. It made me think of them in a new light; that for decades, they were the hearts of communities that came together to share and enjoy summer. These families spent 26 summers together. My generation can barely get it together to plan a short vacation with a few friends two or three months out.

The film also left me wondering if my generation has lost the enjoyment of being with others and a feeling of belonging. My parents' generation revelled in being with others (granted, in their stoic 1950's way). They didn't seek privacy and seclusion, a retreat from others where they controlled access and interaction. With most of the clients I work with (my generation and the generation behind), privacy and seclusion are key factors most are striving for in a second home getaway.

Ironically, a cherished concept for housing among "organistas" (organic, environmental, socially conscious) is "co-housing". In co-housing. individual families have smaller homes clustered around shared outdoor space that fosters interaction, and there is usually a common house with gathering space. maybe studio or workshop space, a children's playroom and a few guest suites — so everyone doesn't need to build extra bedrooms for the once a year visit by Aunt Millie.

If you look at bungalow colonies through the lens of co-housing, that, in fact, is exactly what they were — in a summer version.

Four Seasons Lodge is playing at the IFC Center through Tuesday, Nov. 17th.

Comments

[keith]

I have a half dozen books about the Catskills, mainly on the resort industry during the middle third of the 20th century. Driving through Liberty and Monticello, it's hard to picture what once was. Someone from my high school class who also left the area had a succinct description on a recent drive down Broadway in Monticello: "it's like a bomb went off." And driving up Grossinger's Hill, hard to picture Debbie Reynolds got married there.

I also enjoy reading people's memories of their childhood summers in the bungalow colonies, the excitement during the last week of school down in "the city" and the depression of packing at the end of the summer for the return trip to NYC, the main reason for enduring the next 10 months was to arrive at another summer in the Catskills. One thing that stuck in my mind was someone remembering that every year, the night he returned to NYC at the end of the summer, and turned on the TV, there'd be Jerry Lewis having his telethon at The Browns hotel. I wonder whatever happened to billboard sign on Rt. 17 with the giant caricature of Jerry's head?

A couple web sites

http://catskills.brown.edu/

http://ineedattention.com/pines/?page=about.txt

[keith]

I didn't work at a hotel as a summer job as a kid back in the late 70's and early 80's, but many of my classmates did, mainly in the dining rooms. Reading this account I'm glad I didn't, even though a waiter could make a lot of money if they worked at one of the ritzy hotels. I worked as a Ma Bell long distance operator in Monticello so handled the guests long distance calls back to NYC. A very low tech operation using "Lily Tomlin" cord type switch boards, we recorded and timed the calls manually, then teletyped the charges back to the hotel front desk.
http://catskills.brown.edu/memoirs/trachten.html

[rt]

"The film also left me wondering if my generation has lost the enjoyment of being with others and a feeling of belonging."

In a word: Yes.

[michael]

I helped a friend of mine with a film about luxton lake near narrowsburg. it's called "Lucky Lake"
here's an article about it http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091006/NEWS/910060319
and a youtube link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNlAKl_ZLk8

[Bix]

Just saw that movie--it's last day at IFC. Depressing! But it brought back memories of going to the Catskills when I was a kid.

Any idea where it is located precisely, or if it ever closed? I saw something on the web that suggested it might be near Monticello, not Ellenville.

[Arthur]

I went to Schrieberville Bungalow Colony, on Mt. Hope Road in Swan Lake, starting the year I was born, 1953, and continuing until it closed in the early 70s. My parents started going there after the war, in 1947. To this day, my closest friends are my Schrieberville friends. My aunts and uncles, and cousins, all went to Schrieberville together, and, many of their closest friends are also their Schrieberville friends. As your posting mentions, we had a strong sense of community. The same families returned, year-after-year, and enjoyed the simple pleasures of being in the "country", as we called it. As you point out, it was, in many ways, the highlight of the year, our two months in the country.

I grew up in the ILGWU houses in Chelsea, and, I still remember packing the car the day of the big move up. The other kids in the building thought I was affluent, because they would spend the entire summer playing in the streets of the hot city. The day we packed the car and moved up was full of excitement: hijacking the elevator to fill it up with our cartons; the anticipation of getting up there and seeing everyone; the months leading up to it, talking to friends on the phone about who's coming back and who isn't. In the early years, before we had a car, my parents and aunts and uncles, would chip in and rent a hack with trailer, and, we would all go up together.

I always dreamed of returning to the mountains, and, we used to visit the hotels every year, even in their final, declining years. Finally, a few years back, we built in Chapin. I know you're all thinking, it's a far cry from a bungalow colony to Chapin. And, in many ways, it is. But, Chapin has some important common traits with our bungalow colony, that we truly appreciate: we're back in the beautiful Catskills; and, most importantly, it's a very friendly community, where people really enjoy each other's company, and, appreciate being in the country. Instead of Saturday nights in the "Casino", as my parents used to do, we head over to Bethel Woods.

I saw the Four Seasons Lodge, and, highly recommend it. It truly shows how people who have endured the unendurable, appreciate the simple pleasures and joy, of being together in the Catskills.

[Jamesbonds1234]

Four Seasons Lodge follows a community of Holocaust survivors who come together each summer to dance, cook, fight and flirt-and celebrate their survival. Watch and download Four Seasons Lodge online from here.