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

Tue Aug 2 18:52:41 UTC 2016

FYI: GRAND CENTRAL MARKET is on YouTube @ 720p, uploaded by the National
Archives.

Searching for "U.S. Information Agency" on YouTube draws over 1700 results
(though those would need to be checked to see which are actually USIA
films).

Patrick Friel

On 8/2/16 12:23 PM, "Adam Hyman" <adam at lafilmforum.org> wrote:

> Directed by William Hale - sorry forgot his name.

On 8/2/16 10:11 AM, "Adam
> Hyman" <adam at lafilmforum.org> wrote:

>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%20Cen
> tral
>%
>20Market%22%2C%22rows%22%3A%2220%22%2C%22tabType%22%3A%22all%22%2C%22
> facet
>%
>22%3A%22true%22%2C%22facet.fields%22%3A%22oldScope%2Clevel%2Cmateria
> lsType
>%
>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%20Cen
> tral
>%
>20Market%22%2C%22rows%22%3A%2220%22%2C%22tabType%22%3A%22all%22%2C%22
> facet
>%
>22%3A%22true%22%2C%22facet.fields%22%3A%22oldScope%2Clevel%2Cmateria
> lsType
>%
>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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>
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