Movie will be shown
at Guthries Independent
Theater on Thursday

LEWISTON —  Maine Micro Cinema presents “The Maine Frontier: A Live Concert Documentary” by Sumner McKane, at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 26, at Guthries Independent Theater, 22 Park St.

This new-media event combines the never-before-seen photography of Isaac Simpson with archived and current film, archived oral histories and a compelling musical score. The Maine Frontier is an illustration of family, work, community and culture in Penobscot, Aroostook, Piscataquis, and Washington counties at the turn-of-the-century. It investigates the geographical circumstances of a region virtually disconnected from the rest of the state and country. Life in this isolated region often led to struggle and tragedy, and demanded persistent hard work — evident on the faces and in the environment of Simpson’s subjects.

The film is centered around a collection of over 1,500 photos taken just after the turn-of-the-century by Isaac Simpson: photographer, blacksmith, barber, musician, woodsman, mechanic, and father of 13. Isaac Simpson, his wife Effie, and their friends and family, exemplify the character, necessities, and unique condition of the turn-of-the-century northern Mainer.

Simpson’s occupational skills brought him to logging camps deep in the woods, and to farms in the far reaches of the Maine frontier. Wherever he traveled he carried his box camera and glass plate negatives, and captured photos of everyone and everything along his way. His established relationships with his subjects, and  is “he’s one of us” understanding made his images genuinely representational of the region’s foundational culture. He used his camera without social, political or gender bias, which resulted in his collection of images becoming a quintessential photographic social history of northern Maine.

Simpson’s subjects included scarcely-documented families living in the woods whose sole purpose was to hew railroad ties for the new lines of the Bangor & Aroostook RR. He photographed woods camps that were established only to cut shoe-blocks which are wooden foot forms that were used to fit shoes. He photographed the crews constructing and excavating — by hand —  the railroad, and the mill in Millinocket, tar-paper shacks, shanties, homes of the well-to-do, women in logging camps and on farms. 

Simpson’s wife, Effie, is another hero of the “Maine Frontier.” Effie Simpson exemplifies a woman’s life at the time. As Simpson was often working away from home, hiw wife was responsible for everything an early-20th century home in the country required — and it was also filled with 13 children: cooking, knitting, baking, planting, dressing. She would cook, clean, can vegetables, and plant during the day. At night in the winter she would knit woolen goods for Simpson to bring into the woods camps to sell to the crews.

By unearthing archived film, photography and oral histories, and combining them with a contemporary and original musical score, “The Maine Frontier” sheds new light on this isolated culture and region at a pivotal time in northern Maine’s history.

Maine Micro Cinema is curated by local cineasts Colin Kelley and Craig Saddlemire, who host regular screenings of work by Maine video artists as well as work featuring Maine stories and issues. The goal of each event is create an encouraging and intimate environment for artist and audience alike, where honest and open discussion about independent cinema can thrive. All MMC screenings take place at Guthries Independent Theater. Tickets for this event are $10 at the door.

Watch the The Maine Frontier trailer at http://sumnermckane.com/index.php?/news/maine-frontier/