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POSTED: Monday, Apr. 06, 2009

Local collectors shine through in new film

One guy has made a name for himself collecting Duran Duran posters.

A Seattle woman owns a world-class collection of antique beaded purses.

Fred Polinder III of Lynden has, oh, about 100 tractors, and jokes that he suffers from "more-itis."

"I used to deer hunt, now I John Deere hunt," he says in the new film "American Collectors."

Polinder is one of several familiar local faces in the hour-long film that Whatcom County moviemakers Bob Ridgley and Terri Krantz will premier April 19.

Americans love to collect things, something that quickly became apparent when Ridgley and Krantz began tracking down subjects. They interviewed about 50 people, with 16 appearing in the final cut. Of those, most are from Whatcom County, or close by.

"It was really amazing," Krantz said. "We thought we would have to go outside the area."

Krantz directed the film and was the liaison to the world of collectors. Ridgley, who owns Binary Recording Studio outside of Bellingham, produced the film and was the cinematographer.

They've known each other for about 25 years, and collecting is near to both of their hearts, along with making films.

Krantz has been an antiques dealer for more than 20 years, and has a jewelry booth at Aladdin's Antiques in Old Town. She has collected various items through the years, but never with the single-mindedness shown by the people in the film.

Not so with Ridgley. Besides shooting the film, he's in it, discussing his extensive collection of plaster nodder and bobbing-head figures from the 1940s, '50s and '60s.

There are plenty of interesting collections featured in the film, from gum machine jewelry to KISS rock band memorabilia, from prison paraphernalia to cowboy guitars with pictures on them.

What's most interesting, though, is the people who collect the stuff. The film is shot in cinéma vérité style, meaning the collectors speak for themselves, without voice-over narration.

"You hear about their story," Ridgley said. "You hear about their passion."

One main question runs through the film: Why would someone surrender their house and garage to hundreds or thousands of ... things.

For some, the motivation seems to be reliving fond childhood memories of collecting and playing with dolls or other objects. For others, it's the excitement of the hunt, of finding that long-sought item at a good price.

Maybe it's a manifestation of Homo sapiens' deep DNA as hunters and gatherers. Maybe collecting releases a feel-good chemical in the brain. Maybe it's more-itis.

Even the collectors in the film don't agree on why they are hooked. That's part of what makes the film so fun to watch, and so human.

"People really opened their homes and a little part of their lives up to us," Krantz said. "It was really quite an honor to have people do that."