in this edition : By Camera and by Gun: THE Joris Ivens and the Radicalization of Latin American Filmmakers Susan Martin-Márquez Odyssey to The 17th Parallel Alex Vernon MAGAZINE Unique photos found, Nr 18 | Dec 2013 European Foundation Joris Ivens made by Young Ivens Interviews with: 26 José Venturelli and 3 Paolo Taviani Joris Ivens 38 Leonard Retel Helmrich 24 Ivens and 30 Thomas Waugh contemporary art 42 Jan de Vaal and 40 Joris Ivens in Museums the Netherlands Filmmuseum 48 A secret mecenas of Ivens December 2013 | 18 1 Talking about Ivens with a very vivid Paolo Taviani in his house in Rome, still energetic and filming at the age of 82, is MAGAZINE like talking with an Italian Titan about a Dutch Titan. Last year he and his brother Table of contents Vittorio received the Golden Bear at the 3 ‘Under the Sign of Scorpio’ Berlinale for their latest film Cesare deve Interview with Paolo Taviani morire (Ceasar Must Die, 2012), after a Alessandro Cecchi, long and successful film career. Their Maurizio Corbella collaboration with Ivens began in 1959 6 The Foundation update when they were still at the start of it. 9 Ivens in Museums (1) Ivens made only one film in Italy: L’Italia 10 By Camera and by Gun: non è un paese povero (Italy is Not a Poor Joris Ivens and the Radicalization of Country), but with the best of collabora- Latin American Filmmakers tors and an influence until today. Susan Martin-Márquez COLOPHON Staff European Foundation Joris Ivens André Stufkens, director 23 ‘A Shared Purpose…’, Europese Stichting Joris Ivens Anne Jaspers Interview with Juana Sapire Fondation Européenne Joris Ivens Harko Wubs, coordinator Europäische Stiftung Joris Ivens Britt van Bebber 24 Ivens and contemporary art: Wilma Roland Interview with Paolo Taviani Mary Jansen-Buurman Letter to Joris Ivens Office Alice Hautvast Visiting adress: Eva Olthof in Valparaiso Arsenaalpoort 12, 6511 PN Nijmegen Design 26 ‘Patria negra y roja’ José Venturelli Mail: Pb 606 Walter van Rooij, BuroBrandstof grafisch ont- NL – 6500 AP Nijmegen werper BNO and Joris Ivens: orientations of a Telephone: +31 (0)24 38 88 77 4 Fax: +31 (0)24 38 88 77 6 nomad friendship. Cover photo E-mail : [email protected] Cristóbal Barria Under the Cover photo: Yoris Ivans, 22 November 1988. Alessandro Homepage: www.ivens.nl © Abe Frajndlich, New York. With courtesy of 30 Joris Ivens: Essays on the Career of a Cecchi and Consultation archives: the photographer. Regionaal Archief Nijmegen (RAN) / Maurizio Corbella1 Photo Paolo Taviani in Rome, 19 September 2013 Radical Documentarist Regional Archives Nijmegen © Lorenzo Pisanello Mariënburg 27 Nijmegen, by appointment Interview with Thomas Waugh Photo Leonard Retel Helmrich. © André Stufkens Sign of SCORPIO Poster p.2: Alfredo Rostgaard, ICAIC Decimo 32 ´Did we get the shot?´ Odyssey to How did you meet Joris Ivens? Could you describe your munist Party to find out something about this company Comité d’Honneur Aniversario, 1969 silk screen, Coll. IISH. professional experience with him? Eni and this person Mattei and to figure out whether it was Theo Angelopoulos / Tinto Brass / Jérôme Clé- Photo p.2: Joris Ivens during the filming of Le The 17th Parallel We met him because Enrico Mattei said to our producer: worthwhile making the film. He went and they said to him: ment / Constantin Costa Gavras / Régis Debray ciel, la terre, 1967. Coll. Joris Ivens Archives (JIA)/ ‘I want to make a big documentary for Eni2 and I want the Jack Lang / Claude Lanzman / Edgar Morin / ESJI Alex Vernon ‘Absolutely, because Mattei is an interesting character for world’s greatest documentary filmmaker’. Mattei measured Vincenzo Franco Porcelli / Ignacio Ramonet / 38 Feel with your eyes, look with your us too’. So, very happy with this, he began the making and Edgar Reitz / Paolo Taviani / Frederick Wiseman it all against himself: he was one of the greatest industrial- preparation of this film. hands ists, so he wanted the greatest director. At that point, the producer came to us and asked: ‘What should I tell him?’ The EFJI is an associate of FIAF (Féderation Internationale des Archives du Film) I remember he asked to be isolated, not exactly in the centre Having a strong knowledge of film history, we replied: ‘Fla- The EFJI is subsidized by the Province of Gelderland Interview Leonard Retel Helmrich herty died twenty days ago; there’s Joris Ivens, but he’s a of Rome, but in a hotel near Frascati, so he could work better. ISSN 2211 – 4351 André Stufkens We would go there to meet him. I remember Vittorio and I © European Foundation Joris Ivens. All rights reserved by the authors and the publisher. No part of communist, you’ve got to tell Mattei’. Bear in mind that in had written something, with Valentino Orsini, who was also this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any 40 A new music experiment those days you could never mention the word communist! photo top: means without prior permission in writing from the publisher. That was the climate of the time. So Mattei said ‘OK, so he’s very much involved in this production, and we brought him Paolo Taviani in Rome, © The EFJI has made every effort to contact all copyright holders. If proper acknowledgements have accompanying Rain a communist, but is he good?’ ‘Yes’. ‘Then it doesn’t matter: lots of projects right away. Ivens – who knows if his notes 19 September 2013 not not been made, we ask copyright holders to contact EFJI. Alexander Grebtschenko let him come!’ are still around – would take our subjects, our ideas, saying © Lorenzo Pisanello ‘Yes, indeed, interesting! But now let’s go and make site vis- 41 Unique photos found, made by So Joris Ivens came and had a meeting with us. We really its.’ And off we went. We travelled around the North, went A laughing crew of l’Italia Young Ivens loved his films. We had often organised the screening of his to Central Italy, and to Sicily, but especially to Grottole (in non è un paese povero, films in Pisa, so we expected someone like him have some- Basilicata). And so began the script for this documentary autumn 1959. With Joris Ivens 42 Jan de Vaal and the Netherlands thing of an air of self-importance – we were very young at film that he wrote with great passion. Ivens would say: ‘This in the middle, Paolo Taviani Filmmuseum 1947-1987 the time. Instead we met a man of great warmth and sim- solitude helps me a lot, but I get bored a lot too! Why have (R), Tinto Brass, Mario Volpi plicity – and I’m not saying this with rhetoric for the person you left me here? What am I doing up here? It’s useful be- (behind camera), Vittorio Taviani and Valentino Orsini. Interview with Mirjam van Kempen who died, but because that’s what he was like! He was curi- cause it allows me to work, but please come more often! © Joris Ivens Archives / EFJI. 44 Publications ous about us, our lives, the bond between Vittorio and me, They consider me a legend here, but it’s as though I’ve been and we hit it off right away. Among other things, he asked, “crystallised” in this place’. So we wrote this script together, Alessandro Cecchi and 47 Ivens and Museums (2) as a communist (in those days being a communist wasn’t or rather: he wrote it, but only after several meetings and Maurizio Corbella at the 48 Short Cuts like it is today: we didn’t know much about Stalin, for in- discussions with all of us, where he proved to be very open. Ivens Archives, June 2012. Fédération stance), to go and speak with the leaders of the Italian Com- Internationale des Archives du Film 2 December 2013 | 18 3 So as well as a professional relationship, you were also told me…’ – and it was Eisenstein! – or ‘When Vsevolod told Now, Ivens said so, but also in his cinematic ‘truth’, it was all in various circles, not only at the Cinémathèque Française, Joris Ivens, Film still from friends. me… ‘ – Pudovkin! – or: ‘Hemingway didn’t agree, but Orson true and all false – true and false, but in the right way! And but everywhere. This is the aim of the Ivens Foundation. It l’Italia non è un paese Yes, of course. I remember my wife had given me a present Welles on the other hand…’ But he spoke of them like regu- maybe this is what we have taken from him when he filmed would be nice to go back to China, where Ivens was; it would povero, 1960. Coll. JIA/ESJI/ of a cologne a few years before, because I was newly mar- lar collaborators, not like the legends they were for us and the poverty of the Italian South – where there are also true be interesting to see the relationship between his China PROA. ried – I think it was called Manchester – and then I couldn’t still are to this day. Despite this, Ivens was very conscious of documents of the rooms where people live, of the pictures and the China of today. Or to South Vietnam – not North, buy it anymore, because we had no money. I remember himself, of his value, and he really believed in this film. But on the walls, the flies, etc. – he did the same thing. You’ll because that would be complicated. It would help under- Paolo Taviani, in Quando once when I was walking with Ivens along Via Veneto, I saw at the same time, he had great respect for those who col- have heard the story of the olive tree that fed the two fami- stand.