Renaissance Man is the labor of love (documentary film) that Kevin Leeser engaged in making over 5 years and across some six different states. It is the story of the Hanlon-Lees Action Theater(H-LAT), a troupe of acrobatic actors who tend to do shows for Renaissance Faires and Wild West extravaganzas. Their routines involve realistic jousts, bloody war and, in the western events, professional target shooting.
This documentary covers their nearly three-decade long story, showing how they were founded, how many of the original founders were still involved, and what happened to people along the way.
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I really appreciate Mr. Leeser’s choice to explore an action theater troupe like the Hanlon-Lees. I come from a theatrical background and have numerous friends who are traveling actors. My wife used to be in an action theatrical presentation of “The Legend of Daniel Boone”, which featured lots of real gunfire, scalping, thrown torches, and, to keep their pyrotechnician on his feet, a full body burn! As such, I have a lot of empathy for the work of stage actors in general, but even moreso for people who are putting their health on the line for live-action stuntwork in the midst of their acts.
I felt that he told this tale in a very interesting way and it was well-crafted, starting with the inspiration of the Hanlon-Lees. When the Hanlon-Lees troupe initially wanted to name themselves, their inspiration came from a group of pre-vaudevillian acrobat/actors from the turn of the 20th century, called the Hanlon Brothers, whose manager was an established acrobat with whom they became partners, Professor John Lees. The newly forming troupe felt it made sense to combine the two names, and with the blessing of an ancestor, they did so, as well as adding “Action Theater” on the end, to show that their theatrics were of a more physical kind. They began working small venues and then moved up to Renaissance Faires when they started becoming popular in the late 1970’s. (The company was formed in 1979/80 by partners Kent Shelton, Robin Wood, Richard "Dikki" Ellis, R. Vincent Park, Taso Stavrakis, and Stephen "Omms" Ommerle). As the popularity of Renaissance Faires increased, so too did the popularity of the Hanlon-Lees Action Theater, whose extremely aggressive shows, skillful combat, and bawdy humor appealed to a large number of patrons.
The people they introduce us to, from the Tom Selleck-like co-founder and heart of the show, Kent Shelton, to newer recruits like the Fabio-esque Chris Mitri, are each compelling and intriguing in their own ways. As the cast overcomes daunting odds and harsh tragedies, you see how they grow. Through the course of it, some people are driven further into the show, while others find that they must move along to something different. Through it all, Leeser’s camera and narrative give us an honest portrayal of a group of impassioned people who pursue their dreams as a large, gypsy-like family.
As time passes throughout this documentary, the filmmaker often fills in necessary plot gaps between areas with the use of commentary, which is very helpful in keeping you interested and invested.
Now, with that said, because most of the external narration comes from the director himself, he becomes a character in the film. While most documentarians want to be separate from their film, self-narration does not permit that. As such, it would be really nice to add some narration to explain how he became interested in the Hanlon-Lees and found himself driven to make this long documentary about them.
