Dear Rick,

Let me first thank you for the excellent and kind presentation you gave at the College. I thought people responded very well to you and the films you screened. Here are some of the comments people wrote in their journals. They are not extensive (assignment was to write a page per movie, and to write about yours was not required at all), and they are a bit naive, yet, in a way, maybe they do represent comments by a generally non-cinema-oriented audience of varying ranges.

I shall write more about my own feelings later. Generally I thought the film exceptionally well-cut and highly moving. It brought out a direct response in me that few films do, because it is real, because it touches on one of the most basic myths of our society. It is also very concise. You have worked hard to achieve those moments at which insight can happen, and it does. You should be pleased with this work - forget the comments of the politicos, etc., they have little to do with depth and feeling, and in the end, little to do with art or truth, for their basis for all actions is economic, and that certainly is not what art-and the work you do-is about

Here are some journal entries:

What a pleasant experience watching these films by Rick Hancox. I remembered his film House Movie from last summer as one of the warmest, most personal films we viewed and so was anxious to see these new films. I won't attempt to analyze the film style of this creative young man but merely relate the impressions the films had on me.

Home for Christmas is also a very personal film. Hancox reveals so much of himself in his films that you feel compelled to respond in return. I felt very involved with his characters and could identify with his family. Most of us have felt the comradery of a group while travelling home for Christmas and the depressed, letdown feeling of leaving home when the holiday is over.

Tall Dark Stranger was a delightful film which left me with the feeling that the generation gap isn't so wide after all.

Rose was a confusion of images to me and I couldn't relate to it.

His use of strong visuals and his original down home country music strike an emotional response in me that other experimental filmmakers have not yet aroused. I hope he doesn't become frustrated by the system but will continue to produce films of the caliber of these. (Lynne Evoy)

Last night we were treated by Rick Hancox to the viewing of three of his films. The longest Home for Christmas (50 minutes) and possibly the best film he has made to date was shown.

This film was about Rick's personal experiences as he travelled from Toronto to Prince Edward Island for a Christmas holiday. The film also showed a typical Christmas at the Hancox home when all are home for the festivities. I found the film to be a very personal and intimate one which left you with the feeling of almost actually spending the holiday with Rick and his family. My wife attended this show with me and was extremely impressed with this film which almost moved her to the point of tears. After the films, Rick talked about some problems he encountered when making the film which was very interesting indeed. (Robert Vaughan)

I enjoyed this film very much. As I have often travelled home by train at Christmas, it was like a personal experience. I found myself substituting my experiences during the film and at the same time enjoying theirs. I thought the personal appearance of the director made the film more real. The scene of the child not accepting Santa emphasized the realness as well. (Donna Farrell)

I enjoyed this film very much. The two aspects of the trip from Toronto to the Maritimes and going home for Christmas, are both personal to me. The images of the countryside, the train stations, people on the trains, etc. brought back many memories. I was left with a feeling of longing to take the trip again. During the film I found that I wanted it to end with the shots of the outdoors after Christmas Day. But later I realized that the anticlimactic trip home was part of the reality of the whole experience and was glad that it had been left there. One scene that left me with a somewhat uncomfortable feeling was the tape of the conversation of Rick and his mother when he was leaving. I felt that this was too personal a scene for me, as a member of the film audience to be viewing. (Brenda Patriquin)

I particularly like the exterior shots in contrast to interior, both on the train and the home of his parents in P.E.I. I found the cold of the snow and the warmth generated by the people. very moving. In particular the scenes of the exterior of the house and grounds as we heard Rick and his mother saying goodbye, I found touching. I felt his mother was very withdrawn in other shots, but here she showed her love and caring for her son; although we did not actually see a visual image, I found this even more striking. The scenes with the rest of the family I found easy to relate to and ending by feeling very personally involved with his family.

The pieces of black leader between certain shots I found very interesting and easy to accept following the first time it was used.

The whole trip was so realistic and enjoyable to watch that I came

away from the film feeling I would like to take a similar trip in the near future just to have that experience-knowing it would not be the same as what we viewed tonight, but nevertheless a learning experience.

The sound which accompanied the film I found very relaxing. The music and lyrics were easy to listen to and the conversations. were quiet and informal and yet added a lot to the visual images. I thoroughly enjoyed all three of his films and would like to extend my thanks to him for a touch of the Christmas feeling in August! (Shirley LaDouceur)

This film is so very different from experimental and documentary and yet elements of these types of films are in Hancox's film. The visuals are very vivid and strong. The sound track is almost secondary; it supported the visuals beautifully. Where the big difference lies between his films and the other types is in the amount of feeling generated in the viewer. The film show in a hot room in the middle of summer may have lessened the feeling, but it was still positive. One viewer suggested she felt as if she were intruding. Because the camera captured such natural shots and did not appear contrived or intrusive, I felt more included. The film was made for viewers, of which I am one, and I was glad to be included.

The scenery shots felt like they were necessary. Beautiful snow scenes are as much a part of Christmas as the presents and the homecoming.

Everyone feels that he is an individual. Hancox did not try to view stereotypes of people. This does not violate our individuality and adds to the attraction of the film. Christmas is a time when most families try to be close, and he showed individualism of families, e.g. the way his family opened presents. (Bonnie Gay Williams)

A very real experience-it was Rick's trip home-but it became my trip. The scenes outside train really good-it was such a family feeling-the pictures from the house-decorating the tree-singsong around the piano-the ice scenes from the ferry-the whole film was a very moving experience-Rick accomplished the "Home for Christmas" feeling-the camera was part of the family-the change of pace excellent. (E. R. Wells)

We all had a beautiful time during your trip here. Give my regards also to the rest of the good people in Toronto. Tell Holly and Janis that their films were also very well received up -here.

Keep in touch,