Milton Moses Ginsberg
Milton Moses Ginsberg | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | May 23, 2021 Manhattan, New York, U.S. | (aged 85)
Education | Columbia University (BA) |
Occupation(s) | Director, Writer, Editor, |
Spouse | Nina Posnansky |
Milton Moses Ginsberg (September 22, 1935 – May 23, 2021) was an American film director and editor. He was noted for writing and directing Coming Apart, a 1969 film starring Rip Torn and Sally Kirkland, and The Werewolf of Washington starring Dean Stockwell.
Early life
Ginsberg was born in The Bronx on September 22, 1935. His father, Elias, was employed as a cutter in the garment district; his mother, Fannie (Weis), was a housewife. He attended the Bronx High School of Science, before studying literature at Columbia University, where he obtained a bachelor's degree.[1]
Career
Coming Apart
Ginsberg directed his first feature film,
Critical reception was mixed. Life reviewer Richard Schickel praised Torn's performance, Ginsberg's inventive use of camera and sound, and the "illuminating" portrayal of a schizophrenic breakdown.[5] Critic Andrew Sarris gave it a less-favorable review, and the film was a commercial failure.[3] The film later attained a cult following among critics and filmmakers.[3]
In a 1999 volume of Film Comment, Ginsberg stated:
... the film was about a psychiatrist encased in his own reflection, using a hidden camera to record his own disintegration. The film was also about the pleasures and price of promiscuity, and about the form and duration of cinema itself - or so I hoped. And to a degree that still embarrasses, it was about me. Appropriate, the title, Coming Apart.[6]: 4
Subsequent work
In 1973, Ginsberg wrote and directed the satirical horror film The Werewolf of Washington starring Dean Stockwell.[7] Eschewing the minimalism of his previous feature, Ginsberg demonstrated a more technically complex film style.[8][9]
After a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 1975, Ginsberg became depressed and withdrew from filmmaking.[1] He returned to directing in 1999 and 2001, with the short films The City Below the Line and The Haloed Bird.[3][6]: 6
After his final feature film, Ginsberg primarily made a living as a film editor,
Personal life
Ginsberg married Nina Posnansky, a painter, in 1983. They remained married until his death.[1]
Ginsberg died on May 23, 2021, at his apartment in Manhattan. He was 85, and suffered from cancer prior to his death.[1]
Filmography
Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
1969 | Coming Apart | Director | [11] |
1973 | The Werewolf of Washington | Writer and director | [11] |
1986 | Down and Out in America | Editor | [1] |
1990 | Listen Up: The Lives Of Quincy Jones | Editor | [11][12] |
1995 | Catwalk | Editor | [11] |
1997 | Pronto | Editor | [11] |
1998 | The Personals: Improvisations on Romance in the Golden Years | Editor | [11] |
2000 | Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light | Editor | [11] |
2002 | Fidel | Editor | [11] |
2005 | A Father... A Son... Once upon a Time in Hollywood | Editor | [11] |
References
- ^ a b c d e f Sandomir, Richard (June 12, 2021). "Milton Moses Ginsberg, Unconventional Filmmaker, Dies at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Howard (March 13, 1969). "Rip Torn, Sally Kirkland, and the Sexual Revolution on Stage and Film". The Village Voice.
- ^ a b c d e Smith, Dinitia (September 10, 1998). "After 'Coming Apart,' a Life Did Just That". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ISBN 90-5356-493-4.
- ^ Schickel, Richard. "Cracking Up On Camera" Life, October 17, 1969
- ^ JSTOR 43454642.
- ^ Malcolm, Derek (October 23, 1976). "Yawning space: Derek Malcolm reviews more new films". The Guardian. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ISBN 1-900486-21-0.
- ISBN 9781476626918.
- ^ Wertheimer, Ron (January 26, 2002). "Television Review – Castro's Road, a Historical Pageant". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Milton Moses Ginsberg". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (October 5, 1990). "Listen Up: The Lives Of Quincy Jones movie review (1990)". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
External links
- Milton Moses Ginsberg at IMDb