[Frameworks] leads for research on USIA and avant-garde film?

Tue Aug 2 17:11:25 UTC 2016

For another angle, one film to look at is "Grand Central Market" (1963)
who also directed a film on the Watts Towers, filmed by Haskell Wexler,
edited by Mel Sloan and visible as a shopper at the eponymous market in
downtown LA is Lelia Goldoni, star of Cassevetes's SHADOWS, who was
friends with Wexler I believe.  Distributed by USIA, not available to be
seen in the US for 25 years, and now available at the National Archives
(and I have a file).  It isn't on-the-nose propaganda, but uses the tools
of verité documentary to show the market, with the subtext of how people
of multiple backgrounds and ethnicities are able to come together
peacefully in the grand American world of commerce.

The best resource to see the films is the National Archives of the United
States, the College Park branch, where copies of most or all of the USIA
films went to be archived.
https://www.archives.gov/research/catalog/

For example, if you type in Grand Central Market, they have two listings.
I happen to know from ordering it that one of those copies doesn't exist
anymore, but they have one.  Those identfiers are the info you need.  They
are not available online, unless someone has posted it on YouTube.  They
are all public domain.  Ignore the year of creation (which relates to when
it was deposited at the NA), but you can see
Creator: U.S. Information Agency. 1982-10/1/1999

Here are these two listings:

GRAND CENTRAL MARKET
<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/50048?&sp=%7B%22q%22%3A%22Grand%20Central%
20Market%22%2C%22rows%22%3A%2220%22%2C%22tabType%22%3A%22all%22%2C%22facet%
22%3A%22true%22%2C%22facet.fields%22%3A%22oldScope%2Clevel%2CmaterialsType%
2CfileFormat%2ClocationIds%2CdateRangeFacet%22%2C%22highlight%22%3A%22true%
22%7D&sr=0>
>From RG: 306
Moving Images Relating to U.S. Domestic and International Activities
PORTRAYS ACTIVITY IN A LOS ANGELES, CA. FOOD STORE - GRAND CENTRAL MARKET.
SHOWS VENDORS, REPRESENTING THE MELTING POT THAT IS AMERICA, SELLING THEIR
WARES TO PEOPLE
National Archives Identifier: 50048  Local Identifier: 306.3714 Creator:
U.S. Information Agency. 1982-10/1/1999

 <https://catalog.archives.gov/>
GRAND CENTRAL MARKET
<https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47130?&sp=%7B%22q%22%3A%22Grand%20Central%
20Market%22%2C%22rows%22%3A%2220%22%2C%22tabType%22%3A%22all%22%2C%22facet%
22%3A%22true%22%2C%22facet.fields%22%3A%22oldScope%2Clevel%2CmaterialsType%
2CfileFormat%2ClocationIds%2CdateRangeFacet%22%2C%22highlight%22%3A%22true%
22%7D&sr=1>
>From RG: 306
Moving Images Relating to U.S. Domestic and International Activities
PORTRAYS ACTIVITY IN A LOS ANGELES, CA. FOOD STORE - GRAND CENTRAL MARKET.
SHOWS VENDORS, REPRESENTING THE MELTING POT THAT IS AMERICA, SELLING THEIR
WARES TO PEOPLE
National Archives Identifier: 47130  Local Identifier: 306.346 Creator:
U.S. Information Agency. 1982-10/1/1999

You can also search on
U.S. Information Agency. 8/1/1953-3/27/1978
This gives you thousands of listings.  Limit it to motion pictures, etc.

Best regards,

Adam Hyman
Los Angeles Filmforum

On 7/31/16 5:17 AM, "Mark Webber" <mark at markwebber.org.uk> wrote:

>Dear Ben
>
>You might want to speak to Malcolm Le Grice - he worked with the USIA and
>American Embassy to organise several screenings in London in the early
>1970s, until they reached a point where he felt that he could no longer
>collaborate with them. These events included the Whitneys, Oskar
>Fischinger, Stan Vanderkbeek and Lillian Schwartz.
>
>Email me off list if you¹d like Malcolm¹s contact details.
>
>Mark
>
>> Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2016 13:13:03 -0400
>> From: Ben Ogrodnik <ben.ogrodnik at gmail.com>
>> Subject: [Frameworks] leads for research on USIA and avant-garde film?
>> 
>> Hi all,
>> I'm interested in conducting a bit of research on the film-related
>> activities of the United States Information Agency (USIA) during the
>>1960s
>> and 1970s.
>> 
>> I am curious about the range of film projects and filmmakers promoted by
>> USIA (for example, the 1959 *Glimpses of the USA* project by Charles and
>> Ray Eames), as well as the regions of the world where such films were
>> toured during USIA's existence.  Anyone know of an archive or resource
>>that
>> might direct me toward this information ?
>> 
>> Alternatively, if anyone can point me to scholarly articles on USIA and
>>its
>> forays into independent filmmaking and exhibitions, I'd be most
>> appreciative.
>> 
>> Thanks in advance!
>> 
>> Sincerely,
>> Ben
>> 
>> -- 
>> Ben Ogrodnik
>> PhD student
>> K. Leroy Irvis Fellow
>> Department of Film Studies // History of Art and Architecture
>> University of Pittsburgh
>> BWO6 at pitt.edu
>
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