Gustav Stickley: American Craftsman

By following his progress in newspapers, catalogs, and his own publication The Craftsman, and speaking to authorities on Stickley including a few living family members, this straightforward film serves as a useful primer.

So dull and unimaginative in its presentation - talking heads, an overused score that might as well have been downloaded from a free database - that it makes for an unfortunate match of subject matter and form.

It is rather dry, and I wish they had talked to people who weren't either related to him or weren't serious collectors of his work.

Directed by Herb Stratford, and written by him and David Cathers, the movie delivers a richly detailed look at Stickley and his vision.

The film works as a primer for those who have ever wandered through an antique store or leafed through an auction catalog and wondered why some furniture ends up on a trash heap and other furniture ends up in a museum.

This is a pleasant film and weighing in at just over an hour, you won't regret the time spent watching it.

I guarantee you'll learn something new about a time in American history that most people know very little, and that makes watching this documentary worth it.