From: pamela jean smith (email suppressed)
Date: Wed Jan 30 2008 - 15:06:37 PST
Hello Frameworkers,
I'm looking into the existence of prints or pre-print elements for
several films made by Newsreel, a group of independent filmmaking and
distribution organizations who were based around the country (1967 to
the present, in the case of New York/Third World Newsreel and
California Newsreel). At one point there were groups in Los Angeles,
Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, and Ann Arbor, and distributors in
Europe, so there could be film materials all over the place.
We're specifically looking for the best extant prints for THE ARMY
FILM (1969) by New York Newsreel (Eric Breitbart) and TEACH OUR
CHILDREN (1973) by New York Newsreel (Christine Choy and Susan
Robeson). As far as we know, the original printing elements are lost.
Pacific Film Archive holds used 16mm prints but we're looking for
better source material to preserve these works.
*All descriptions from Newsreel catalogs
THE ARMY FILM (also known as ARMY) (1969) 16mm; opt. sd., b&w; 25
min. - U.S. imperialism needs massive military power capable of
maintaining its markets overseas and quelling rebellions at home.
This film records the training and indoctrination given to G.I.s to
produce this force.
TEACH OUR CHILDREN (1973) 16mm; opt. sd., b&w; 35 min. - Explores the
conditions that create uprisings in this nation's prisons, conditions
that begin in our third-world and poor white communities.... During
the Attica Rebellion, one of the Attica inmates put it this way: "We
are men. We are not beasts and we do not intend to be treated as such
any longer."
Also, PFA is researching whether there are any surviving originals,
negatives or prints available for the following locally-produced
works:
MAYDAY (1969) 16mm; opt. sd., b&w; 15 min.- On May 1, 1969, the Black
Panther Party held a massive rally of the Black Panther Party in San
Francisco. Speakers Kathleen Cleaver, Bobby Seale and Attorney
Charles Garry present the rally's demands for the release of Huey
Newton and all political prisoners. The film includes footage of the
police raid on Panther headquarters in San Francisco.
SAN FRANCISCO ON STRIKE (also known as ON STRIKE) (1969) 16mm; opt.
sd., b&w; 25 min. - The strike at San Francisco State College was the
country's longest university strike.
LOS SIETE DE LA RAZA (1969) 16mm; opt. sd., b&w; 30 min. - This film
is about the oppression of the Third World community in the Mission
district of San Francisco. It deals specifically with seven Latino
youths who were recruiting street kids into a college La Raza Studies
Program. They were accused of killing a plainclothesman. While they
became victims of a press and police campaign to "clean-up" the
Mission, their defense became the foundation of a revolutionary
community organization called Los Siete.
HIGH SCHOOL RISING (1969) 16mm; opt. sd., b&w; 15 min, - Filmed at
Mission High School in San Francisco, this film uses stills, live
footage, and rock music. It exposes the tracking system as well as
other problems occurring in most urban high schools today.
I've contacted a few of you individually, but if anyone else has any
idea where Newsreel elements or prints could be, it would be greatly
appreciated. Feel free to contact me directly, off-list
(email suppressed). Thanks for your time.
best regards,
Pamela
-- Pamela Jean Smith Film and Video Collection Assistant University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive 2625 Durant Avenue Berkeley CA 94720-2250 phone: 510.643.5166 fax: 510.642.4889 bampfa.berkeley.edu __________________________________________________________________ For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.