The Spirit of America

This marvelous little film made up of clips from over 100 iconic films is a delight to watch, Mr. Workman having set it to Aaron Copleand's "Fanfare for the Common Man." The name Michael Ray Rhodes also should appear in the IMDB credits, because he is the film director who conceived the idea after the Twin Tower disaster chilled the spirit of Americans in 2001, and he felt such a short film shown in theaters across the land right before the feature film could lift spirits. Mike raised the money, contacted Chuck to direct (which meant selecting and editing the clips), and arranged with all the Hollywood groups necessary to clear the rights. I remember this vividly because as a friend he asked me for film suggestions, and to contact others for ideas. From the hundreds that we sent in, Chuck Workman made the final choice, from ours and from his own vast experience of creating the film montages shown at a host of Oscar Award broadcasts..