Emile de Antonio
Emile de Antonio | |
---|---|
Born | Emile Francisco de Antonio May 14, 1919 Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Died | December 15, 1989 New York City, New York, U.S. | (aged 70)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Harvard University |
Occupation(s) | Director, producer |
Spouse | Nancy de Antonio |
Emile Francisco de Antonio (May 14, 1919
Early life
De Antonio was born in 1919 in the
Career
After serving in the
In 1959, de Antonio created G-String Productions in order to distribute the
De Antonio chronicled this art scene in his documentary Painters Painting (1972). He did not actually begin creating films until the age of 43, after making significant contributions to the modern art world through his uncensored promotion of the work of his contemporaries.[3] In 1969, the Metropolitan Museum of Art held a water-stone exhibition titled New York Painting and Sculpture: 1940–1970, that included 408 works by 43 artists. Curator Henry Geldzahler granted de Antonio the unique opportunity of exclusive access to the works included in the show, and exclusive rights to filming it.[3] Until this point, de Antonio noted, "I disliked films on painting that I knew. They were either arty, narrated in a gush of reverence, as if painting were among angelic orders, or filmed with violent, brainless zooms on Apollo's navel, a celebration of the camera over the god. They revealed nothing at all about how or why a painting was made."[1]: 50
The intimate opportunity of access to the show, and the similarly close relationships with many of the artists, led de Antonio to select thirteen painters to profile in his film, in addition to critics, curators, dealers, collectors, and other influential figures in the contemporary art world. Combining interviews with live footage of the artists at work in their studio, de Antonio and cinematographer Ed Emshwiller created a groundbreaking work that captured abstract expressionism and other major contemporary art movements in a way no film maker had ever before.[3]
In an interview regarding his filmography, de Antonio spoke about his relationship with the painters and his role in the creation of the film: "I was probably the only filmmaker in the world who could [have made Painters Painting] because I knew all those people, from the time that they were poor, and unsuccessful and had no money. I knew Warhol and Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns and Stella before they ever sold a painting, and so it was interesting to [do the film about them]."[6]
Controversy
De Antonio was the creator/producer of many politically-motivated films (including the 1969 Oscar-nominated
Death
On December 15, 1989, de Antonio died of a heart attack in front of his Lower East Side home.[10]
In popular culture
A still photograph used in the film that displayed Marine Corporal Michael Wynn later was incorporated into the album cover for The Smiths' second album Meat Is Murder (1985). The insignia on Wynn's helmet was changed to "meat is murder".[11][12]
Filmography
- Point of Order (1964)
- McCarthy: Death of a Witch Hunter (1964)
- Rush to Judgment (1967)
- In the Year of the Pig (1968)
- Charge and Countercharge (1969)
- 1968: America Is Hard to See (1970)
- Millhouse: A White Comedy (1971)
- Painters Painting (1972)
- Underground (1976)
- In the King of Prussia (1982)
- Mr. Hoover and I (1989)
Discography
- Underground (1976) with Mary Lampson, and Haskell Wexler with the Weather Underground on Folkways Records
- Millhouse (Original Soundtrack of Film on Richard Nixon) (1979) on Folkways Records
References
- ^ ISBN 0-8166-3364-9.
- ^ Documenting Revolution: Emile de Antonio — The Brooklyn Rail
- ^ a b c d Harvard Film Archive, “Emile de Antonio's America, Archived 2011-10-11 at the Wayback Machine" Harvard Archive (accessed September 4, 2011).
- ^ The University of Wisconsin Press, “Emile de Antonio: Radical Filmmaker in Cold War America” Archived 2011-09-19 at the Wayback Machine, review of Emile de Antonio: Radical Filmmaker in Cold War America, by Randolph Lewis, University of Wisconsin Press
- ^ "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" January 30, 1968 New York Post
- ^ Bruce Jackson, "Conversations with Emile de Antonio," Bruce Jackson 31 (2004) (accessed October 20, 2010).
- ^ 1970|Oscars.org
- ^ Fred Astaire Cuts Loose: 1970 Oscars
- ^ "Emile de Antonio's America - Harvard Film Archive". hcl.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
- ^ Fraser, C. Gerald (1989-12-20). "Emile de Antonio Is Dead at 70; Maker of Political Documentaries". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ^ Supreme's next pop-culture inspiration: The Smiths - Esquire Middle East
- ^ The Smiths – The Stories Behind All 27 of Their Provocative Album And Single Sleeves - NME
Further reading
- Lewis, Randolph. Emile de Antonio: Radical Filmmaker in Cold War America (Madison, WI and London: University of Wisconsin Press, 2000).