Reviews and Articles

The New Jersey Star Ledger, July 2nd, 2003
Rebirth of a home, by Matt Seitz

"In the greater scheme of things, the story of Tick Hall is a small one, but it resonates beyond its tiny Long Island setting. It is retold in the documentary "From the Ashes: The Life and Times of Tick Hall" (10 tonight and 7 p.m. Saturday on Channel 13). This hour-long nonfiction piece by filmmaker Scott Morris, is told simply and cleanly, in an assured, Old School style that never announces its own excellence. Like the historic house it chronicles, it seems to have been built with love, beam by beam, from the ground up... "

To read the entire review, click here.

Newsday (Long Island), July 2nd, 2003
From Ashes to Reborn Beauty, by Peter Goodman

"The two-story, 'shingle-style' house existed only in forlorn memory, charred fragments, and a century of photographs, film clips and crude drawings. Yet now - as can be seen at 10 tonight on WNET/13 in a documentary titled "From the Ashes: The Life and Times of Tick Hall" - it stands again, as close to the original as Cavett and Nye and their restoration team could make it..."

To read entire article, click here.

The New York Times, October 18, 2001
From Design Notebook, by John Leland

"The Montauk house, subject of a documentary film called From The Ashes: The Life and Times of Tick Hall, is an 1883 shingle-style cottage designed by the firm of McKim Mead & White, and for the last 36 years owned by Dick Cavett and his wife, the actress Carrie Nye. When the house was destroyed by fire in 1997, they vowed to rebuild it exactly as it was, in all its graces and even all its small faults. The documentary, which will have its premiere at the Hamptons Film Festival today, follows that painstaking reconstruction..."

Copyright © 2001 by The New York Times Co. Reprinted by permission. For a link to the entire article, click here. (If you are not a registered New York Times member, the Times charges a $2.95 fee to access the article in their archives.)

The East Hampton Star, October 18, 2001
Tick Hall: A Resurrection Documented, by Russell Drumm

"Near the start of the documentary, From The Ashes: The Life and Times of Tick Hall, Carrie Nye, the actor who with her husband, Dick Cavett, has owned Tick Hall, a legendary house on the bluffs of Montauk since 1966, reads a thank-you note from Tennessee Williams, as only Ms. Nye, with her languorous Mississippi drawl, could..."

To read the entire review, click here.

Letter from ABC News Senior Producer, Richard Gerdau
To the Director, Scott Morris

"What a pleasure it was to screen From The Ashes: The Life and Times of Tick Hall. It is truly one of the best documentaries I have seen in recent years... lots of interesting subtext and a very savvy and sparkling surface."

One of the real triumphs of the film is the way you made the Cavetts seem mere caretakers of a priceless piece of history. The house itself becomes the major character, and what a great one it is! It would have been an easy trap to make the story of the Cavetts' personal plight the centerpiece. They are, after all, two New York social circuit celebrities. But, clearly, 'From The Ashes' has larger themes on its mind: loss, restoration, history, craftsmanship, and expectation.

Enjoyable and hyper-interesting from first frame to last, I particularly love the images of snow as seen from the porch and the woodworker's voice-over falling around the sunrise and sunset... and the boat anchor returning home to its original position. I could go on and on. And what a delight to know the modern age still has room for a 'stair-builder.' Who knew? Michael Bacon's music is absolutely perfect, as is the narration, which was both economical and poetic without straining. All the interviews were very nicely shot with great depth of field. Lovely.

Many thanks for letting me see From The Ashes.

Cordially,

Richard Gerdau
Senior Producer
ABC News