WILDWOOD — It will be a combination of Hollywood red carpet meeting the City of Wildwood’s great wooden way when “Boardwalk II: Back to Wildwood” has its premier screening as the coveted closing feature film of the Cape May New Jersey State Film Festival. The premier is being held in Cape May’s Chalfonte Hotel, Oct. 27 at 1 p.m.
The one hour film documents a love story between the city’s world-famous Boardwalk and the millions of visitors who come to walk the boards and be dazzled by what Wildwood has to offer.
According to the film’s 75-year-old host and narrator, Bob Ingram, his love of boardwalks began when he was a child and spent summers at his grandparents’ home in Seaside Heights. Moving to Cape May County over a decade ago, Ingram made his way to Wildwood’s two-mile boardwalk every day for a walk and was taken by it. “This place reminded me so much of Seaside, I wanted to capture the same feeling here,” he said.
“Boardwalk II: Back to Wildwood” was filmed over the course of the summer of 2012, Wildwood’s centennial year. Produced by Boca Cape Films, the documentary was the brainchild of filmmakers Bob Ingram, Tony Deutsch, Anthony Deutsch and Raymond Becker. Filming was completed prior to Superstorm Sandy.
Ingram, a self-proclaimed “boardwalk rat,” serves as both host and narrator while taking the viewer on a personal tour of the two mile stretch he calls “two miles of magic.” Movie-goers are given a glimpse of such memorable institutions as the city’s famous tram car and Splash Zone, and are treated to interviews with visitors, business owners, friends and Boardwalk icons such as the Geator with the Heater, DJ Jerry Blavat, and Mayor Ernie Troiano, a lifelong resident of the city.
“Bob and his team have the uncanny ability to take what is in our mind and our perceptions about something that is so passionate to people – the Wildwood Boardwalk – and make it real,” said Troiano, after viewing the film. The mayor added “Long before Disney World, we were treated to a magical place called the Wildwood Boardwalk.”
“Completing the documentary was fun,” Ingram said. “We shot it almost at our leisure,” noting filming took place almost entirely during the summer. Filming was completed in early November and editing took three months.
This newest documentary was produced in follow up to the 2004 Boca Cape Films’ “Boardwalk: Welcome to Wildwood-by-the-Sea.” That documentary was seen by millions when it was shown on PBS. The positive reception of the first film was the impetus for this follow-up film.
According to Ingram, the first installment of the boardwalk series was filmed in 1999, but took five years to release. “A lot has changed on the boardwalk since ’99. Why not have a bash at it?” said Ingram. An alumnus of Rutgers University, he noted the school’s motto as one reason he wanted to revisit the boardwalk. “Ever changing and yet eternally the same,” he said. “That pretty much typifies the Boardwalk. From the boardwalk we can still catch a glimpse of the American dream.”
Armed with a camera and several thousand dollars, the filmmaker and his team took their bash at bringing the changes on boardwalk to life. Now, the fruits of their labor can be seen as well as heard.
In addition to its film festival premier, copies of “Boardwalk II: Back to Wildwood” are available at several locations throughout Wildwood, including the Wildwood Historical Museum, Hereford Lighthouse, Tom Cat Diner or watchthetramcarplease.com
“It’s authentic,” said Ingram of the new movie. “It’s the Boardwalk. You’ll get a kick out of it.”
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