Spike Jonze + the Rosenbach heart Maurice Sendak

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Spike Jonze + the Rosenbach heart Maurice Sendak

POSTED: Wednesday, September 9, 2009, 6:58 PM

Filed Under: Movies | Museum trailer!

Movies-meet-music blog The Playlist has been keeping us updated on the trials and tribulations of Spike Jonze's Where The Wild Things Are, which opens nationwide October 16. In addition to the adaptation, Jonze also made a doc about Wild Things author/illustrator Maurice Sendak, who loves our fair city so much, he donated many of his archives to the Rosenbach (keep reading for more on that), as any good Philadelphian should know and have seen.

The documentary, called Tell me Anything You Want, premieres on HBO two days before the movie on Wednesday, October 14. To go along with their massive (and illuminating) profile of Jonze (read it if you have a couple hours to kill), the New York Times has a short clip from the film, which I can't embed, so bounce on over there and give the Grey Lady some page views.

Seizing on the zeitgeist of Jonze's upcoming film, the Rosenbach is pumping up their Sendak pimpage with talks, tours and galleries that explore all things Sendak. Check out their schedule after the jump, but before that, take a gander at the trailer one more time:

' Wild Things Days
September ' October, 2009
The Rosenbach celebrates Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are and the release of the film adaptation with talks, tours and activities for audiences of all ages.

' Exhibition: Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew
September 16, 2009 ' January 17, 2010
Dig into an exhibition about food, eating, and being eaten in the illustrations of Maurice Sendak. Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew presents 40 original Sendak illustrations that show how food brings families together, helps children forge new friendships, and nourishes us emotionally and intellectually. The exhibition is appropriate for families and kids of all ages.

' Exhibition: And it's still hot: Where the Wild Things Are
September 30 ' October 25, 2009
This fall, as Hollywood transforms a children's classic into a live action film, celebrate Maurice Sendak's Caldecott-winning picture book, Where the Wild Things Are, with the exhibition And it's still hot: Where the Wild Things Are. Find out how Sendak created Max, the Wild Things, and their exotic land while viewing the original watercolors, sketches, and manuscripts for the book. Visitors can also see posters, drawings, and advertisements that reveal the life of the Wild Things outside the book, and discover why this story is still hot after almost fifty years in print.

' Hands-On Tour: 'Flaming maniacs:' Sendak and His Literary Inspirations
Wednesday, September 9 at 3:00pm
Maurice Sendak chose the Rosenbach as the home for his artwork in part because it was also the home of 'people I love, artists I love.' Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, William Blake, and Herman Melville are just a few of those artists and writers that visitors will see up close in this Hands-On Tour about the literature that Sendak loves. Visitors can safely handle pieces from the Rosenbach's Sendak collection alongside his favorite literature and discuss a variety of diverting questions: what do Sendak and his heroes have in common? Why does Sendak call Blake a 'flaming maniac?' And just what is a Steam Man of the Prairies? Discover what Sendak is like as a collector, as a reader, and as an artist. This tour is led by Patrick Rodgers, Traveling Exhibitions Coordinator, and consulting curator of There's a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak.

' Hands-On Tour: Wild Things
Wednesday, September 23; Wednesday, October 14; Sunday, October 18; Friday, October 23
All tours will be held at 3:00pm
Get a new perspective on an old favorite with this rumpus through Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. On this tour, audiences will re-discover Sendak's world-famous creations, the Wild Things, and his mischievous hero, Max, by safely handling original artifacts from the Sendak collection. Examine manuscripts of the story from Sendak's old notebooks, pass around original drawings of the beastly Wild Things, listen to the Wild Things sing in an opera from 1979, and follow the life of the Wild Things outside of the book. The tour will also feature an exclusive look at photos of Sendak's family ' those aunts and uncles who inspired the Wild Things ' and a hand-written draft of Where the Wild Horses Are, Sendak's earliest version of the story. This tour is led by Patrick Rodgers and appropriate for ages 8 and up.

' Gallery Talk: Maurice, Max and the Wild Things
Thursday, October 8 at 6pm
Join Patrick Rodgers, curator of the A Sendak Stew exhibition, and follow in the huge footsteps of Maurice Sendak's Wild Things during this gallery talk about their origins, their impact, and their ravenous appetite! Explore original artwork and manuscripts from Where the Wild Things Are and listen to interviews with Sendak describing his relationship to these famous beasts.

' Wild Things Family Day
Saturday, October 17 between 12 ' 4pm
Spend an afternoon with the family taking part in a variety of 'Wild' activities geared towards kids of all ages. Create Wild Things-inspired crafts, take a spin through the Rosenbach's Sendak galleries with a family gallery guide or just settle down with a snack and a copy of your favorite Sendak book!

Jay Bloom

Posted 2009-10-08 16:56:32

My family and i are so excited to see the film when it is released later this month.  I am 38 yrs old and grew up reading signed 1st edition copies of Where the Wild Things Are, Kennys Window and In the Night Kitchen my father got for us.  My dad, Stan Bloom is a cousin of Muarice Sendak's although unfortunately i dont know the entire family tree from which this relation extends.  I hear there were poor relations with Muarice and his immediate family as a result of his life choices which led to some of his exile from his family.  Muarice, if you read this you should know that you have touched your family in a very special way through your talents and brought us together with bedtime stories passed down from generation to generation.  There is no doubt that our children will continue this as they grow up and start families as your works have been so inspirational that my daughter Kailey rarely goes an hour without drawing.  We hold your works close to our hearts as although we have never had the privilage to know you personally we feel you are member of our family each time we peel the pages of one of your books and grow a forest in our rooms to sail across and day and night and night and day.  Our lives would not have been the same without the contributions you made to them.  Thanks!

Jay Mitchell Bloom and Family 

Jupiter Florida

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 6:58 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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