Post by Sugarknickers on Feb 4, 2005 15:31:13 GMT -5
A feature film starring Willem Dafoe and Italian actress Giada Colagrande has been shooting in Ulster County this week, one of several productions in the Mid-Hudson Valley of late.
The cast and crew of "Before It Had a Name," written by Dafoe and Colagrande, were in the village of New Paltz Wednesday and in Krumville, a hamlet on the border of Olive and Marbletown, on Tuesday.
North Front Street in New Paltz was shut down Wednesday morning and early afternoon to make way for the production. Scenes were shot in front of Handmade & More and The Bakery, which also served as a staging and makeup area for the shoot, as well as on the street.
Dafoe, who has a home in Ulster County, was spotted strolling down North Front Street during a break in shooting Wednesday as small groups of onlookers gathered around the shoot.
Dafoe has starred in such films as "The Last Temptation of Christ," "Mississippi Burning" and "Body of Evidence."
According to the online Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), "Before It Had a Name" is a romantic drama in which a young widow travels to her deceased husband's second home to settle his affairs. An unexpected connection to the home's caretaker, however, has tragic results.
The production company for the film, Before Productions Inc., could not be reached for information on the film's projected release date.
Laurent Rejto of the Woodstock Film Commission said he's seen a "huge upturn" in the number of productions taking place in the area. "Five years ago, there was practically no film production whatsoever in the Hudson Valley," he said.
The Woodstock Film Commission assisted the production in finding some body doubles and dealing with some equipment problems the crew had on Wednesday.
Recent films shot in the area include "Rock the Paint" and Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds."
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Rape charges chill all who know coach
By Jeremiah Horrigan
Times Herald-Record
jhorrigan@th-record.com
New Paltz – He was an enthusiastic and encouraging figure to hundreds of young people – a high school track and Nordic ski coach who some considered an athletic guru.
He was eccentric, some said, outspoken but easy to like – a perfect combination in this most eccentric and outspoken community.
"He was one of those crazy, obsessive coaches who really pushed kids to be good," recalled Rich O'Corozine, a sports writer for the New Paltz Times.
And now Steve Axelson, a local businessman and, for 15 years, a highly regarded high school coach, stands accused of raping a member of his Nordic ski team who was under the age of 17. She graduated in 2004 and attends an out-of-state college.
Axelson, 55, was charged Tuesday with third-degree rape, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.
"That's why these acts are criminal," Ulster County District Attorney Don Williams said yesterday. "It involves a person in authority, a person of influence in the victim's life."
The use of that influence is an issue haunting everyone who knows Axelson. His sway over hundreds of young people was undeniable. But until Tuesday, that influence was presumed to be overwhelmingly positive. Now, people ask, had it extended into darker realms, as charged? Or had a good man's long-standing reputation been shattered beyond rescue?
"I was just sick when I heard about it," O'Corozine said. "He's a really nice guy and a terrific coach."
Axelson's willingness to work with young people who weren't star athletes was one of the impressive things Barbara Carroll remembers about that influence.
Carroll is a former school board president and mother of two girls. "He used to buy odd lots of expensive track shoes and sell them really cheaply to kids who couldn't afford the $90 Nikes," she said.
Axelson was in his Main Street shop, Peak Performance Sports yesterday, but declined to be interviewed.
For some, there was an unwelcome sense of deja vu about the arrest. At least two decades ago, a New Paltz high school teacher-coach faced similar charges that never culminated in an arrest but did result in his removal as a teacher.
In that case, a young woman undergoing psychotherapy gave her therapist allegedly criminal information that, by law, was reported to authorities.
This was not the case with Axelson, according to Williams. The time gap in reporting the alleged crimes is typical in such cases, he said.
The chilling questions provoked by Axelson's arrest will endure until the legal process plays out. Axelson is scheduled to appear in Town Court on March 2.
Carroll spoke for other stunned residents when she said, "I only hope it's a horrible mistake."
O'Corozine marveled at how a man's life's work can "turn on a dime."
Williams said a police investigation is continuing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ life in a small town
The cast and crew of "Before It Had a Name," written by Dafoe and Colagrande, were in the village of New Paltz Wednesday and in Krumville, a hamlet on the border of Olive and Marbletown, on Tuesday.
North Front Street in New Paltz was shut down Wednesday morning and early afternoon to make way for the production. Scenes were shot in front of Handmade & More and The Bakery, which also served as a staging and makeup area for the shoot, as well as on the street.
Dafoe, who has a home in Ulster County, was spotted strolling down North Front Street during a break in shooting Wednesday as small groups of onlookers gathered around the shoot.
Dafoe has starred in such films as "The Last Temptation of Christ," "Mississippi Burning" and "Body of Evidence."
According to the online Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), "Before It Had a Name" is a romantic drama in which a young widow travels to her deceased husband's second home to settle his affairs. An unexpected connection to the home's caretaker, however, has tragic results.
The production company for the film, Before Productions Inc., could not be reached for information on the film's projected release date.
Laurent Rejto of the Woodstock Film Commission said he's seen a "huge upturn" in the number of productions taking place in the area. "Five years ago, there was practically no film production whatsoever in the Hudson Valley," he said.
The Woodstock Film Commission assisted the production in finding some body doubles and dealing with some equipment problems the crew had on Wednesday.
Recent films shot in the area include "Rock the Paint" and Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rape charges chill all who know coach
By Jeremiah Horrigan
Times Herald-Record
jhorrigan@th-record.com
New Paltz – He was an enthusiastic and encouraging figure to hundreds of young people – a high school track and Nordic ski coach who some considered an athletic guru.
He was eccentric, some said, outspoken but easy to like – a perfect combination in this most eccentric and outspoken community.
"He was one of those crazy, obsessive coaches who really pushed kids to be good," recalled Rich O'Corozine, a sports writer for the New Paltz Times.
And now Steve Axelson, a local businessman and, for 15 years, a highly regarded high school coach, stands accused of raping a member of his Nordic ski team who was under the age of 17. She graduated in 2004 and attends an out-of-state college.
Axelson, 55, was charged Tuesday with third-degree rape, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.
"That's why these acts are criminal," Ulster County District Attorney Don Williams said yesterday. "It involves a person in authority, a person of influence in the victim's life."
The use of that influence is an issue haunting everyone who knows Axelson. His sway over hundreds of young people was undeniable. But until Tuesday, that influence was presumed to be overwhelmingly positive. Now, people ask, had it extended into darker realms, as charged? Or had a good man's long-standing reputation been shattered beyond rescue?
"I was just sick when I heard about it," O'Corozine said. "He's a really nice guy and a terrific coach."
Axelson's willingness to work with young people who weren't star athletes was one of the impressive things Barbara Carroll remembers about that influence.
Carroll is a former school board president and mother of two girls. "He used to buy odd lots of expensive track shoes and sell them really cheaply to kids who couldn't afford the $90 Nikes," she said.
Axelson was in his Main Street shop, Peak Performance Sports yesterday, but declined to be interviewed.
For some, there was an unwelcome sense of deja vu about the arrest. At least two decades ago, a New Paltz high school teacher-coach faced similar charges that never culminated in an arrest but did result in his removal as a teacher.
In that case, a young woman undergoing psychotherapy gave her therapist allegedly criminal information that, by law, was reported to authorities.
This was not the case with Axelson, according to Williams. The time gap in reporting the alleged crimes is typical in such cases, he said.
The chilling questions provoked by Axelson's arrest will endure until the legal process plays out. Axelson is scheduled to appear in Town Court on March 2.
Carroll spoke for other stunned residents when she said, "I only hope it's a horrible mistake."
O'Corozine marveled at how a man's life's work can "turn on a dime."
Williams said a police investigation is continuing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ life in a small town
