Metal Man is a fascinating 37-minute documentary about a gifted metal artist and jeweler named Victor Ries. Born in Germany in 1907, Victor lived and worked until 2013, when he was 106 years old. After his apprenticeship as a silversmith, Victor fled the Nazis and went to Palestine, ultimately landing in Northern California just as the post-war crafts revival was beginning. In the late 1970s, Alan Revere met Victor when they both taught at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. Alan wound up studying with Victor in his private studio and eventually played a role in this biographical movie.
Metal Man was produced, directed and narrated by Bill Chayes. It premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival in October 2014. This enchanting, short, independent movie flows colorfully, sprinkled with words, metal work and drawings by Ries, as well as conversations with Alan Revere. This is an inspiring story of a man who spent 85 years as a working artist, his times and the evolution of crafts in America.