The 29th Lone Pine Film Festival

We enjoyed another wonderful year at the 29th Lone Pine Film Festival!

We were in Lone Pine a little longer this year, from the 4th through the 8th, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We only went on one locations tour this year, but that added to the extra time in town meant I was able to see a whopping dozen films! For the first time we were also able to take part in some of the Sunday events, such as Cowboy Church and the Main Street Parade.

I was also able to have numerous books signed, and catching up with Beth Ann Gallagher and her husband over dinner has become a treasured festival tradition.

Our first stop in Lone Pine is almost always the Alabama Hills Cafe on Post Street, which serves an incredible French Dip sandwich:

Thursday afternoon we also picked up our tickets, purchased souvenirs at the Museum of Western Film History, and checked in at the Dow Villa Motel. It wasn't long before 4:30 arrived and we found ourselves in the long opening night chow line at the museum:

The dinner is always a fun time which includes live country music, mingling with the festival's special guests...

...and horses!

Festival guests included Wyatt McCrea, the grandson of Joel McCrea and Frances Dee, and his wife Lisa:

Alabama Hills tour guide extraordinaire Don Kelsen, who is also a former L.A. Times photographer:

Film historians Dick Bann and Ed Hulse:

Festival projectionist Woody Wise:

Biographer Scott Eyman with Robert Wagner:

Seen below (left to right) are screenwriter Jana F. Brown, actor-director Perry King, festival volunteer Woody Wise, actor Robert Wagner, Museum of Western Film History co-founder Chris Langley, former museum director Bob Sigman, Jay Dee Witney (son of the late director William Witney) and his wife Kay, and William Fox biographer Vanda Krefft:

When leaving the museum we walked past the nearby McDonald's, where this unusual sight at the drive-thru cracked me up:

Funny thing, the next day we saw different horses in the same drive-thru line!

This year the opening night entertainment was a new indie film, THE DIVIDE (2018). THE DIVIDE was written by Jana F. Brown and directed by star Perry King. The film costars Bryan Kaplan, Sara Arrington, and Arrington's husband Brendan Wayne, who happens to be the son of John Wayne's daughter Toni.

The film is set on a Northern California farm in the late '70s and chronicles the gradual decline of farmer Sam Kincaid (King, seen below), who is losing his memory, and his reconciliation with his taciturn daughter Sarah (Arrington). Kaplan plays a ranch hand caught up in the family drama.

While I liked individual moments, especially the uplifting ending, I can't say I was very taken with the film. The rather stylized acting was very flat and somber throughout -- and at times frankly not so good -- and combined with the downer storyline I simply didn't find it that enjoyable.

That said, I'm glad that King, who was ubiquitous on TV when I was younger, is having the chance to stretch his acting and directing muscles. I especially liked his choice to shoot the movie in black and white, which is certainly unique these days, and I hope that I'll like his next project more. It was fun seeing him in person at the opening night gala!

We have made our hotel reservations for next year's festival! I hope some of my readers will consider making the trek to Lone Pine for the festival's 30th anniversary.

I'll have more Lone Pine Film Festival coverage here over the coming days!

Previously: Coming October 4th-8th: The 29th Lone Pine Film Festival; Off to Lone Pine!; Back From Lone Pine!

Additional 2018 Festival posts: Tonight's Movies: Strange Gamble (1948), Under Western Stars (1938), Just Tony (1922), and Trailing Trouble (1930) at the Lone Pine Film Festival; Tonight's Movie: The Big Trail (1930) at the Lone Pine Film Festival; Tonight's Movies: Frontier Days (1934), The Wild Horse Stampede (1926), Will James' Smoky (1933), and Broken Lance (1954) at the Lone Pine Film Festival; The Lone Pine Film Festival: Sunday and Oh, Susanna! (1936); Tonight's Movie: The Arizona Ranger (1948) at the Lone Pine Film Festival.

To learn about past Lone Pine Film Festivals, please visit the links for the years 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Each of these annual overview posts contains links to several additional posts covering that year's festival.