KNOW YOUR MUSHROOMS - DVD review

Alien mushrooms save the planet! At least they could, according to mycological guru Gary Lincoff who is on a mission to educate the world about the seemingly infinite uses of the seemingly infinite variety of mushrooms that span the globe in a massive fungal network.

Director Ron Mann, best known for his indispensable "Comic Book Confidential" (1988), brings his camera to the annual telluride Mushroom Festival where fungophiles celebrate the glory of one of the planet's most overlooked natural resources. The festival features lectures, parades, picnics, and certain Rocky Mountain high medicinal celebrations. Mann's intentionally rough handheld camera work is suitably trippy for said medicinal purposes.

For many people, there's something inherently creepy about these dead-alive, not there one day, growing out of control beasties that either grill up real good or kill you on the spot, but Lincoff and his fellow enthusiasts build a good portion of their lives around them. Mushroom hunter Larry Evans (that's him on the DVD cover) follows the rainy season from Alaska down to Mexico and probably points beyond in the quest for rare mushrooms. Like Lincoff, his face lights up every time he talks about his fungal obsession and his summation is succinct: "It's a good life!"

Lincoff, the star lecturer at the festival and on the national (global?) myco-circuit, speaks with a zest that borders on messianic fervor about the extraordinary properties of mushrooms. They can cure disease, clean up oil spills, and connect us to other spiritual worlds though they have yet to offer a realistic plan for success in Afghanistan. But for the sake of morels everywhere, don't buy mushrooms from the supermarket. They're junk and you're just supporting the mushroom industry's conspiracy to suppress the truth about these miracles of nature.

Mann doesn't question Lincoff or any of his other subjects, preferring to give them the stage and let them share their passion. It's infectious even if you are credulous about some of their more grandiose claims. Mann also uses animated inserts to share facts about mushrooms. Did you know that the world's largest living organism is a honey mushroom in the Blue Mountains of Oregon that's at 3.4 square miles and growing? I thought that honor belonged to a coral reef somewhere, but perhaps it's a matter of semantics.

Mann's film invites comparison to Les Blank's brilliant "Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers" (1980) which was partially set at a California garlic festival. Mann doesn't have the same poetic sensibility as Blank (few do) and his film relies more on talking heads than on footage of people actually enjoying mushrooms. The ironic use of black-and-white educational films doesn't distinguish the movie either. I'd love to see this clichéd staple of the last few decades of documentary cinema disappear altogether.

But the film's cast of ecstatic characters is enough to win the day. Mann avoids mocking his occasionally overwrought subjects by focusing on their sincerity. It's fun to be completely absorbed in a subculture like this, and Lincoff, Evans and co. make no apologies for relishing every minute of it. Ultimately the film is more like "Trekkies" (1997) than "Garlic" and with the aid of their mushroom friends, this fungophiles intend to live long and prosper.

VIDEO

The 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer is better than average from Docurama. The sunbathed nature scenes look very warm and the image quality is relatively sharp even though the transfer is interlaced.

AUDIO

The DVD is presented in both 2.0 Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1. The sound mix is pretty straightforward so it doesn't matter much which option you choose. All dialogue is clearly audible. No subtitles are offered.

EXTRAS

"Welcome to the Fungal Jungle" (1993) is a 14-minute informational video identifying different types of mushrooms. Narrated by Larry Evans. Directed by Michael S. Mease.

The disc also includes a Gary Lincoff lecture (10 min.) in which he shares a story about mushroom poisoning and a filmed radio interview with Ron Mann (17 min.)

There are also Three Deleted Scenes (6 min. total), a Teaser, a listing of numerous mushroom clubs in America, and a selection of "Fun with Fungi" trivia facts.

FILM VALUE

You won't necessarily get to "Know Your Mushrooms" all that well, but you will get to know a handful of passionate and likable characters from a subculture you probably didn't even know existed. It's short, breezy and enjoyable. Feed your head.