"To Boldly Grow: Some Celluloid Bonsai (Part IV)"
The Year 2000 and Beyond...
 

Enterprise bonsai:
24th Century trees.
"Warp one?" "Make it so."

--- Hud Nordin


      Magical miniature landscapes continue occasionally to grace our large and small screens.  One might almost be inclined to think that some of the very brief portrayals were being planted like Easter eggs.  Or is it that the art is finally achieving a certain level of widespread acceptance?  Now, if we can only get most of these plants out of doors and out of harm's way... 
2000
TV - FOX
"X-Files" episode
"Orison"
     In the Jan. 9 airing, Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) had a bonsai in her apartment, possibly a juniper, but not in a well-lit location.  It is not known if it survived the pitched battle that occurred <like readers of these Boldly Grows didn't see that one coming...> but it probably wasn't long for this world anyway.  (Contributed by Marc Zimmerman in posting to rec.arts.bonsai, January 10, 2000)
TV - FOX
"X-Files" episode
"The Amazing Maleeni"
     And airing one week later, comes this glimpse of a small, very shaggy juniper with a thick, perhaps braided trunk.  It is seen briefly next to the computer of Mr. Pinchbeck (Ricky Jay) at the Cradock Marine Bank about 40 minutes into the episode.  In the 2 or 3 shots, not the entire tree is seen at once and what is visible is slightly out of focus.  (This tree goes unnoticed by the forces of chaos.)   New 07/01/01
TV - PBS
"The Victory Garden"
     The 25th anniversary retrospective show on April 8 included an encore visit to the Osaka Expo (original airdate June 30, 1990) with a brief glimpse of the Imperial Household Chamaecyparis obtusa bonsai.
TV - Snickers candy bar
commercial
     In an ad seen in early June, a man is talking to a picture of a panda bear which he is holding out to his left.  Asking what the bear wants for lunch, the man responds to himself in a falsetto voice.  A very brief shot from behind reveals a thin-trunked bonsai on a book case/office divider just to the left of center.  The bonsai has several distinct horizontal thin-foliaged branches.  The man's co-workers are then shown viewing him from outside the frosted window of his office door which he is facing.
TV - WB
"Batman Beyond" cartoon episode "Curse of the Kobra" (Part I)
     In a brief scene indoors at a martial arts dojo, a medium-sized curving trunk pine (?) is seen in one corner.  At the opposite end of this particular non-sparring room is a dry sand garden, the equivalent of perhaps 6' long x 3' deep.  In the center of the room is a koi pond/wading pool arrangement.   We return to the room later in the episode.
TV - Zyrtec®
commercial
      In an ad seen once in early September, perhaps four adults are shown individually admitting to allergies.   After use of this Pfizer U.S. brand of antihistamine, each is seen doing some out-of-doors activity which, presumably, had formerly been difficult to complete.  One woman is seen clipping the underside of the foliage layer of a small/medium "mallsai" style juniper.
TV - Lancia Lybra 
commercial
     "Harrison Ford, according to Italian press reports, recently earned $2.3 million for endorsing Lancia Lybra cars.  The content of the ad is just about enough to cause most Indiana Jones fans in the United States to hang up their bullwhips -- it featured Ford reviving a withered Bonsai tree by taking it for a ride."  ("Roman Holiday" by Andrew Morse, abcNEWS.com, RJB hardcopy printed 03/23/01, http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/italy000420_ads.html) New 07/01/01
Beacon Communications movie
The Family Man
      Past the halfway point in the film, Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) is showing Kate (Téa Leoni) the luxury apartment that is a perk for being in the new company.  He opens a door to the left side of the room and through the doorway we see a bonsai against the cream-colored horizontal-pleated drapes.  It appears to be a two-foot tall pine in a deep round dark bowl.  There are no distinct foliage pads or deadwood splashes of jin or shari here: the numerous thin curving branches are reminiscent of a style from earlier days.  The tree is visible over the actress's shoulder in perhaps six shots during the scene.  Premiered in USA December 12.
Sony Pictures Classics/Columbia Tri-Star movie
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
(Wo hu zang long)
     This mostly positively reviewed and English subtitled film, with lush cinematography and score, takes place in and around Beijing in the early 1800s.  There are over a half dozen scenes with pensai and penjing as set decorations.  These range from closeups of a person talking (indoors) while there is a tree just over her shoulder -- the pot and trunk tantalizingly just out of focus, large and near upper right screen edge -- to long shots of a venerable six foot plus tall slanting style specimen with shari in a large rectangular basin (outdoors) in a modest-sized courtyard throughout a fight scene.  At least one other scene has a quick view of a small but respectable collection of medium-sized compositions lined up on a bench/shelf outside someone's residence.  Medium-sized, deep bowled untrained trees, flowers and other plants grace several indoor sets.  [The martial arts with and without weapons are astounding and, yes, even a bit magical in this which is said to be the middle of three eventual films.  RJB does admit feeling that in one fight scene the Boldly Grow "curse" would show up but, xie xie, it did not.  :)  ] 
     Some of the trees were also seen in the various clips used for the many award shows in which this film was a nominee.  Shown at New York Film Festival October 9; general USA release December 8.
2001
TV - IBM e-business
commercial
     There is a respectable looking bonsai behind one of the characters being convinced this is the way to go; I couldn't tell what species it is, but it's actually proportionate and is in a low-profile pot.  Maybe they're looking after all.....
     But you notice it's in the dark instead of in front of the window.  (Contributed by Merida Weinstein in posting to rec.arts.bonsai, January 13, 2001, with note by Greg Nicholas on January 15.)
TV - CBS News
"Sunday Morning"
     During an interview with Billie Jean King for a segment on "Women in Sports" which began perhaps fifteen minutes into this Jan. 28 show, there are five shots of a bonsai over the tennis great's left shoulder.  In an indoors living room-type setting, a somewhat thin-trunked small juniper with triangular foliage is seen in what is probably a dark round pot with flaring lip.  The container rests on a low stand on a piece of furniture against the wall a few feet behind King.  The tree's trunk curves slightly to the right at its base and then rises more or less straight upwards.
TV - PBS
"Wall$treet Week with Louis Rukeyser"
     In the first half of this February 16 half-hour episode, John Kim is one of the guests.  Out of focus several feet behind him and off his left shoulder is a small bonsai.  The brown trunk, diagonally to the right with green foliage on left top and right bottom, rises from an elliptical tray which rests on a dark brown (cherry?) table.  The table appears to be against the wall with its front and back semi-circular wings folded down, only the front one being visible.  The table and tray are also seen in a few wide shots of the three panelists with Rukeyser.  New 05/11/01
TV - UPN
"Star Trek Voyager" episode
"Workforce, Part II"
     Originally airing on Feb. 28, this one has what looks to be a large juniper, in a rectangular blue glazed pot, on the window to Capt. Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew)'s right during the final parting scene.  (Contributed by Mike McCallion in personal e-mail to RJB on October 24, 2001.  Mike says he's seen trees in her quarters on previous episodes.  Anyone have details?)  New 10/29/01
TV - Ford Explorer commerical      In a spot seen on Nov. 2, the Ackerman family is presented as 3rd generation Ford owners.  At one point, the father is said to be "working in the garden" -- as he is shown by a workbench with at least one bonsai.  The tree has a wide "Y" trunk and is in a rectangular pot.  The 2002 model year vehicle is in front.  The tree is seen very briefly in close up.  Another tree is shown being put into the trunk/hatchback.   (With assistance by Parris Janusek in personal e-mail to RJB on November 26, 2001) 
Touchstone Pictures movie
The Royal Tenenbaums
     Two rather excellent bonsai, momiji and shimpaku are seen in the courtyard garden of the Japanese Consulate.  One of the human characters is thrown over the wall but fortunately does not land on these.  The trees are well seen, although briefly.  World premiere at New York Film Festival October 5; general release in USA December 14.  (Contributed by Jeff Aldridge, Minnesota, in personal e-mail to RJB on December 31, 2001)  New 01/06/02
     Anyone who knows of additional TV, film, or theatrical uses of bonsai -- or corrections to any portrayal in these four parts -- is asked to please contact rjb@phoenixbonsai.com .  Contributor acknowledgment will be posted.  Please include as many details as possible.  We will be confirming and filling in some blanks by way of the various film and TV sites on the web (first choice being the The Internet Movie Database).  Thank you!

Celluloid Bonsai I
Celluloid Bonsai II
Celluloid Bonsai III

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