Home Furnishings and Contemporary Art Touch The Heart FRANK PROVENZANO SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS T Artist Larry Coffin Lacquered Aluminum Chair Sugar Tree Square 6239 Orchard Lake Road • West Bloomfield (810) 932-2299 wenty years after the fall of Saigon and Americans are still struggling for perspec- tive on the war in southeast Asia. For some, it's a question of na- tional identity and lost innocence. For others, the Vietnam War is the symbol of why the federal gov- ernment should be mistrusted. The tragedy of Vietnam lies in the sheer numbers of lives lost for a cause that remains ambiguous at best. Those who lost sons, daughters brothers, sisters and fathers may have reached some closure about the fate of their loved ones. But for those 2,206 American families who still do not know what hap- pened to their loved ones, there has been no consolation for those soldiers tagged "missing in action." Local filmmaker Philip Han- dleman's documentary "Our Miss- ing In Action," to air on WTVS/Channel 62 Sunday, May 28, focuses on the stories of five MIA families. What becomes painfully obvious is that the wounds of war are as deep and unhealed as they were when these families first heard the news. Time does not heal all wounds; it only teaches how to live with the pain. "Our Missing In Action" is a montage of interviews. The sons, brothers, fathers and mothers of • I 1119ELESS ANTIQUES Chippendale Queen Anne George II Louis XV Empire Sheraton SPECIALIZING IN MAHOGANY & WALNUT 15531 W. 12 Mile • Just West of Greenfield Southfield, 04 810-569-8008 Hours: 10AM-6PM • Closed Tues. & Sunday MIAs speak about the prewar days in a nostalgic spirit that nev- er grows sappy or melodramatic. And it becomes apparent that hope, for many of these families, has no boundaries, while for oth- ers 21/2 decades of hoping has left them begging for some type of clo- sure. Mr. Handleman lets the MIA families tell their own stories. Walking in the cold steps of un- certainty could give many film- makers a platform to moralize. But Mr. Handleman prefers to let credits includes Remembering the the camera roll. Holocaust, interviews with sur- He captures a sister of an MIA vivors in metro Detroit, and Medal whose tears fill her eyes and roll of HonorRag, a docudrama about down her checks with the relief the life of a Vietnam vet, which of a deep sigh, and an elderly aired on PBS's American Play- man who struggles to remain house and Bravo in 1982. calm as he recalls when his son, "The common theme in my a high-school quarterback, car- work is that the films are consid- ried him off the football field af- ered intellectually stimulating and evoke an emotion," Mr. Handle- ter a victory. "Our Missing In Action" first man said. "I like to think that my aired in 1987 and was distributed programming is a viable alterna- nationally by PBS. It took 10 tive to what's on television." He has also produced docu- months and a shoe-string budget to make. Looking back, Mr. Han- mentaries on the Detroit Public dleman sees the time line slight- Library, the Detroit Concert Band, and several aviation specials. ly different. Indeed, aviation provides a con- "When you engage yourself in this type of endeavor, you're stant source of inspiration for Mr. putting all the experience of your Handleman. He is author of eight life in the effort," he said. "So, I books on subjects including gen- say, 'It took me 44 years to make eral aircraft history, combat and the program.' " (Of course, Mr. air shows. His mother's stories of the fa- Randleman is 44 years old.) The last five minutes of the doc- mous pilots who flew at nearby umentary have been reshot to re- Hopkins Airport in her hometown flect a national focus, said Mr. Cleveland, and the American Handleman, a Birmingham res- space program, instilled a love of ident. The new ending combines flight. And, flight, philosophy and images of the Vietnam Veteran's filmmaking seem to have coa- Memorial in Washington D.C. lesced naturally. Today, Mr. Handleman, who with the strained chorus of "My Country tis of Thee." It is a sub- has had his pilot's license for 24 years, is a recognized avi- tle, yet effective way to pay homage to the dead Filmmake r Philip ation expert. He owns two Handle man while asking: "Why?" antique class planes, f or new which he flies on average For Mr. Handleman, strives heig hts. twice a week. Fly- ing above mundane earthly boundaries, he admits, has brought a perspec- tive to his writing and filmmaking. "As a flyer, the single most impor- tant element is hon- esty," he said. "There's no bluffing in the sky. And that perspective in the pursuit of filmmak- ing and writing gives me an advan- tage." These days, Mr. Handleman is as comfortable talking about pilot legends Roscoe Turner or Jimmy Doolittle as the MIAs serve as a symbol of the he is discussing Spinoza or constant need to raise moral ques- Sartre. He does a lot of his re- tions about issues and policies of search in his Birmingham home library, where he has collected national purpose. "These were young and very the books handed down by his brave Americans whose where- grandparents and parents, who abouts are still a mystery," he said. founded, then built, the Handle- "It's one of the most poignant is- man Company into the largest entertainment-software distrib- sues." In choosing a subject for a doc- utor in the world. "I know that I've been given an umentary, Mr. Handleman holds up a simple criteria. "It must touch opportunity because of my fami- the heart," he said. ly's business success," Mr. Han- His 15-year list of documentary dleman said. "I hope that I L.