European Foundation Joris Ivens

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FONDATION EUROPÉENNE

EUROPESE STICHTING

european foundation joris ivens

newsmagazine - issue 9 - november 2003

Two new films of Ivens found in US Ephraim Smith Paul Strand and Joris Ivens: images with a shared mission Catherine Duncan, Marion Michelle, André Stufkens and Virgilio Tosi The genesis of Loin de Vietnam Ian Mundell Joris Ivens and the Indonesian revolution Gerda Jansen Hendriks 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 2

Colophon Publications on Joris Ivens

European Foundation Joris Ivens Une Histoire de Vent (A Tale of the Wind) Sylvain De Bleeckere, 1997, KFL/KFA, Kok-Kampen. Europese Stichting Joris Ivens Paperback, 56 p., Dutch, 4,00 euro. Fondation Européenne Joris Ivens Europäische Stiftung Joris Ivens

Office Inventory of the Joris Ivens Archives Kees Bakker, 1999, European Foundation Joris Ivens. Visiting adress Paperback, 106 p., English / Dutch Thorbeckestraat 75, Nijmegen (Inventaris van het Joris Ivens Archief), 12,00 euro.

Mail adress P.O. Box 606 NL - 6500 AP Nijmegen, The Netherlands Kaze - The Wind, a Joris Ivens retrospective Kees Bakker (editor), 1999, Yamagata International Documentary Telephone: + 31 (0)24 388 87 74 Film Festival / European Foundation Joris Ivens. Fax: + 31 (0)24 388 87 76 Paperback, 80 p., English & Japanese, 12,00 euro. E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.ivens.nl

Archives Passages, Joris Ivens en de kunst van deze eeuw (Joris Ivens and the arts of this century) Het Archief, Centrum voor Stads- en Streekhistorie, Nijmegen André Stufkens (editor), 1999, Museum Het Valkhof / Municipal Archives Nijmegen European Foundation Joris Ivens. Mariënburg 27 (by appointment, Huub Jansen, coordinator Hard cover, 272 p., Dutch, 19,00 euro. archives, +31 (0)24 329 23 00)

Board Joris Ivens and the Documentary Context Marceline Loridan-Ivens, president Kees Bakker (editor), 1999, Amsterdam University Press / Claude Brunel, vice-president European Foundation Joris Ivens. Dan van Golberdinge, treasurer Paperback and hardback, 320 p., English, 18,00 euro Members: (paperback), 32,00 euro (hard cover). Guusje ter Horst, burgomaster of Nijmegen José Manuel Costa Tineke de Vaal Marc Vernet Living Dangerously, a biography of Joris Ivens Hans Schoots, 2000, Amsterdam University Press. Comité d’Honneur Paperback and hardcover, 444 p., English / Dutch (‘Gevaarlijk leven’, 1995), 27,00 euro (paper back), 56,72 euro (hard back). Theo Angelopoulos / Tinto Brass / Jérôme Clément / Constantin Costa Gavras / Régis Debray / Jack Lang / Claude Lanzman Edgar Morin / Vincenzo Franco Porcelli / Ignacio Ramonet Edgar Reitz / Jean Rouch / Paolo Taviani / Frederick Wiseman Inventaris van de Hans Wegner Collectie Huub Jansen (editor), 2001, European Foundation Joris Ivens. Staff Paperback, 64 p., Dutch (English version coming soon), 12,00 euro.

André Stufkens, director Huub Jansen, coordinator archives Bram Relouw, coordinator education and projects Poesie und Politik, Der Dokumentarfilmer Joris Ivens George Manders, co-worker photo archives (1898-1989) Jan-Pieter Barbian (editor), 2002, Wissenschaftverlag Collaborators with this issue Universität Trier, Cinémathèque Municipale de Luxembourg. Paperback, 123 p., German, 18,00 euro. Catherine Duncan, Gerda Jansen Hendriks, Marion Michelle Ian Mundell, Charles Musser, Leonie Redler, Ephraim Smith Virgillio Tosi Language editor: Andrew Sloan Cinema without Borders-the films of Joris Ivens André Stufkens (editor), 2002, European Foundation Joris Ivens. Design: Marleen de Betué, grafisch ontwerper BNO Paperback, 96 p., English, 15,00 euro. Print: Drukwerk Unlimited

Cover photo Joris Ivens filming Hazel Parkinson during the shooting of POWER Joris Ivens, Cinema e Utopia AND THE LAND © Joris Ivens Archive / European Foundation Joris Virgilio Tosi, 2002, Bulzoni Editore, Ivens, Nijmegen Paperback, 244 p., Italian, 19,00 euro.

Photo Dan van Golberdinge © Marion Michelle Photo Claude Brunel © Jean-Paul Dupuis Photo José Manuel Costa © André Stufkens Joris Ivens, Una storia di vento / a wind’s tale Photo Tineke de Vaal © Chiara Dalmaviva Marina Ganzerli (editor), 2002, Associazione Culturale Cinemambiente. The European foundation Joris Ivens is subsidised by the Paperback, 186 p., English & Italian, 25,00 euro. Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, The Hague. 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 3

Two films of Ivens found

In 1938, Pare Lorentz, the successful director of THE PLOW THAT BROKE THE PLAINS (1935) and THE RIVER (1936), was appointed head of the United States Film Service. A year later he asked Ivens to collaborate on a film about the rural electrification projects, commissioned by the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the beginning they used the working title LAND AND POWER, referring to Buñuels LAND WITHOUT BREAD and to the double meaning of the word ‘power’. Firstly, power for electricity and, secondly, the power of farmers united in co- operatives to bring the all important electricity lines to their farms against the wishes of the pri- Frontispiece POWER AND THE LAND (1940) © REA vate electricity companies who tried to prevent co-operatives forming.

The making of what eventually became POWER AND THE LAND wasn’t without problems. The first scripts written by Charles Walker were rejected. Pare Lorentz and Ed Locke wrote a much better outline, based on the ‘dawn to dusk’ concept, but forbid Ivens to present the most dramatic aspect of the film - the fight between the co-operatives and the private elec- Pare Lorentz, 1939 tricity companies. Ivens went to novelist John Steinbeck, who had just published THE GRAPES OF WRATH, to review the material and ended up Film historian Robert Sklar stated in proposing that he do the dialogues. Steinbeck ‘Film, an international history of the medium’, agreed to come on board, but Lorentz told Ivens Frontispiece BIP GOES TO TOWN (1940) © REA that POWER AND THE LAND was ‘perhaps the most that he hadn’t enough money to pay for this. effective film made to promote President Further problems arose after several weeks of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal policies’. As shooting in August and September 1939, when well as POWER AND THE LAND, which was seen by Ivens realised that the cameraman was not at least six million farmers, WORST OF FARM capable of capturing what he wanted. To solve DISASTERS and BIP GOES TO TOWN were used by this problem he asked well-known director of the REA to promote farmers’ co-operatives. photography Floyd Crosby (who had worked on TABU in 1931 and THE RIVER in 1937) to join the Dr. Ephraim K. Smith, Professor of crew. History at California State University, Fresno and an independent film producer1 is working on Originally Lorentz had only asked the a documentary on the Rural Electrification Dutchman to do the outside filming, but Ivens’ Administration. He found copies of WORST OF ambitions were much higher, especially as FARM DISASTERS and BIP GOES TO TOWN owned CCE by the grandchildren of Bip Parkinson. The Lorentz was fully occupied with developing E Frontispiece WORST OF FARM DISASTERS (1940) © REA HOMO! , so it was no surprise that Ivens became National Archives also keeps a silent copy of the overall director. He had wanted to produce a Helen van Dongen edited POWER AND WORST OF FARM DISASTERS. In the following arti- five reel documentary and shot enough footage THE LAND into a short documentary of 33 minu- cle Ephraim K. Smith explains about this disco- to realize this. However Lorentz, a producer who tes. But some of the sequences left over were very and the importance of this film and family. wanted ‘to have as little to do with the direction also used and edited into two spin-offs by Lora In association with the California State of the work of people of well-established reputa- Hays, the editor and assistant to Van Dongen at University, Fresno Foundation, Ephraim K. tion as humanly possible’ made Ivens limit the the Motion Picture Department of the Smith is looking for underwriters (and a possible length of the documentary to the agreed three Department of Agriculture. The scene of a fire in PBS or independent producer) to provide assi- reels, due to the limited budget. In a letter dated a neighbours barn was edited into a 6 minutes stance in expanding this ‘pilot’ documentary to November 20th 1939 (after filming was finished) documentary WORST OF FARM DISASTERS, to fifty-six minutes and to undertake the develop- Lorentz wrote to Ivens: ‘Mr. Flaherty who is doing show the dangers of old fashioned lighting by ment of a second documentary on private and a vast panoramic picture [THE LAND], has enough kerosine lamps in barns. This film also includes public rural electrification in the United States. material for twenty reels, but we are aiming there images of the famous bucket line, which Ivens for four or five reels, and hope to come down to used many times in his films to emphasize com- André Stufkens three, After all, if we did the history of the munity building and solidarity between workers. Mississippi Valley [THE RIVER] for over a century Another sequence, were young Bip Parkinson John Steinbeck, 1939 in three reels, I think we can do almost any visited a model milking house with electric government subject in like space or under’. equipment, was turned into a 10 minutes docu- Lorentz also expected venues to reject scree- mentary called BIP GOES TO TOWN. Ivens used ning a five reel documentary, requiring a limited this theme repeatedly, showing the generations length for their programme schedules. of the future discovering apparent technology of the future.

The bucket brigade of farmers, set photo WORST OF ‘Bip’ Parkinson entering the modern milk factory, set FARM DISASTERS. Photo: Peter Sekaer, 1939 photo BIP GOES TO TOWN © REA

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The Film and the Family that Helped Electrify the American Farm

by Ephraim K. Smith

The first screening of POWER AND THE LAND at the Old Trail theatre in St. Clairsville, Ohio, August 31 1940. With Joris Ivens and the Parkinson Family.

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When viewing Joris Ivens’ POWER AND ling through the Mid-West looking for a suitable their daily tasks without the benefits of electrici- THE LAND (1940), we identify with the young farm location and family, Ivens selected the Bill and ty.The light of the day was the kerosene lamp. It boy, Frank ‘Bip’ Parkinson, roaming with a sunf- Hazel Parkinson farm near Warnock, Ohio. Bill was difficult to read by the flickering light of a lower over his shoulder. What happened to this & Hazel had five children: Dan, Tom, Jake, Ruth, kerosene lamp. And then there was wash day happy-go-lucky guy? What impact did this film and Frank (‘Bip’). In the late summer and early when water had to be pumped by hand, carried have on rural electrification in the United fall of 1939, Ivens and his crew shot on location into the house, heated over a fire, ladled into States? What happened to members of the on the Parkinson farm. The following year, pails, carried out to the back porch, and poured Parkinson family after the completion of the film POWER AND THE LAND premiered in St. Clairsville, into a wash tub. Hazel then has to scrub the in 1940? In 1939, Ivens had selected the Bill with Ivens and the Parkinsons in attendance.6 clothes by hand on a washboard. Hazel is next and Hazel Parkinson family of Warnock, Ohio shown ironing with the heavy hand irons that as the family to be featured in a United States The script for POWER AND THE LAND had to be heated on the wood stove. Once the Film Service documentary on bringing electrici- was based on a ‘dawn to dusk’ concept milking is done, the Parkinson boys labor to ty to the farm. The resulting film, POWER AND THE showing life on the farm from the early morning pump enough water by hand to cool the fresh LAND, premiered at the Old Trail Theater in near- until the close of day. In the first part, the milk. On a hot summer day, the milk could spoil. by St. Clairsville, Ohio in 1940. While the REA Parkinsons are working hard to accomplish Without electricity, wood had to be sawn by was well underway by that time, this film was shown to millions of American farmers.1 Over the past three years, I have interviewed Parkinson family members and friends as well as representatives of Ohio rural electric coope- ratives and the Ohio Farm Bureau. Earlier this year, I completed a short documentary entitled POWER FOR THE PARKINSONS: THE FILM AND THE FAMILY THAT HELPED ELECTRIFY THE AMERICAN FARM. Subsequently, this thirty-one minute ‘pilot’ won a 2003 Silver Telly in the category ’History/Biography‘ and a second 2003 Silver Telly in the category ‘Education (for academic use).’2 12 The electrification of the farm drama- tically transformed life in the American countryside. Well into the mid-twentieth century, farmers were literally in the dark. In 1910, according to David E. Nye, ‘only 2 per cent of American farms had electricity.’ By the end of the 1920s, only 600,000 of some 6.5 million farms had access to electricity. If over 95% of farms in Holland had electrical power by 1935, only one American farm family out of nine at that time had electricity. In the United States, the Northeast and Far West had the highest percentage of electrified farms; most American farmers in the Mid-West, the South, and the High Plains were largely still in the dark.3 3 4

The social costs were enormous. Without electricity, most farms lacked running water. In 1919, a typical rural family might spend ten hours a week just pumping water and carrying it to the kitchen. This water then had to be heated for wash day, where the clothes were usually scrubbed by hand. A farm wife might spend twenty more days a year on this task than a woman in a nearby city with an electric washer. Preservation of food was difficult without electricity; the diet was often monotonous and could be unhealthy. Other health problems could be created by the outdoor privy. Frequently, as D. Clayton Brown has noted, the 5 6 privy ‘contaminated the water supply, causing typhoid, dysentery and a variety of gastrointe- stinal illness.’With agriculturalists seeing ‘a con- nection between abandonment of the land and lack of comforts in the home’, Brown notes, ‘the lack of electricity meant more than inconvenien- ce; it was viewed as a chief cause of the decline of the rural way of life.’4

On May 11, 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed an executive order creating the Rural Electrification Administration. Initially, the REA had largely been seen as a relief agency that would lend money to private power utilities that would in turn put people to 7 8 work building transmission lines. But when these private power interests appeared to be A day’s work for a farmers woman before and after hand and tools had to be sharpened with a foot- unwilling or unable to work on terms acceptable electricity was brought to the farm. Stills from POWER powered grinding stone. And there always was to the REA, that agency then turned to the idea AND THE LAND © Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI : the endless pumping of water for the livestock of getting farmers to form electric co-operati- 1 Hazel Parkinson heats the water on a fire stove and household needs. ves.5 In order to persuade the independent-min- 2 Hot water at the washing machine ded farmers to join with their neighbors to com- 3 Hazel Parkinson kindles a fire at the stove But change was coming for the plete this task, the REA asked the United States 4 The electric stove American Farm. Bill and his neighbors, sitting Film Service to make a film showing the advan- 5 Hazel Parkinson washing by hand around the water pump, talk things over in the tages of electrifying the American farm. In 1939, 6 The electric washing machine ‘country way.’ The power companies, the film’s the U.S. Film Service retained Dutch film maker 7 The ‘sad iron’ heated on the stove narrator (William P.Adams) intones, ‘say it costs Joris Ivens to undertake this project. After trave- 8 The electric iron too much, say a lot of things.’ ‘The power com- 3 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 6

pany won’t do it,’ the narrator adds, ‘but I hear there is a new kind of power - government power! I hear there’s an agency - Rural Electrifi- cation.’ Bill and his neighbours next meet in the local school house, organize a cooperative, bor- row money from the REA, and bring power to their farms. In the concluding segments of the film, two REA linemen come into the kitchen as Hazel is preparing the evening meal. One of the linemen flips the new light switch on and off. As one of the linemen explains the dials on the new electric stove, Bill comes in the back door and casually throws his hat over the no-longer needed kerosene lamp. He and the linemen admire the pies that Hazel is putting in the new electric oven. They know that life will now be better on the Parkinson farm.

The poles bringing electricity to the rural areas. STILL FROM POWER AND THE LAND © JIA/EFJI ments. Richard Dyer MacCann writes that it site is almost unrecognizable. Even more sadly, contained ‘some imaginative and satisfying Bill and Hazel and all of their children (Dan, documentary photography’ and ‘is an important Tom, Jake, Ruth, and Bip) are now deceased.10 instance of persuasive reporting on a govern- I was able to complete videotape interviews ment program by means of film.’8 ‘At his best, in with Ruth’s husband (Tom Brannan, now dece- a film such as POWER AND THE LAND,’ Richard ased), three of Ruth’s children (Sara A., Meran Barsam writes of Ivens, ‘he combines Thomas L., and David Brannan) and two of poetry, politics, and photography into a state- Bip’s children (John and James L. Parkinson). ment of uncommon beauty and strength.’ The While only one of the interviewed grandchildren film ‘is a wonderfully evocative piece of had any direct memories of Bill Parkinson (he Americana ...’ ‘THAT POWER AND THE LAND could had died in 1957, seven years after Hazel), they be made by a foreigner new to the United States recalled what they had learned from their and emerge as wholly American as a painting parents about the family’s role in the making of by Edward Hopper,’ Barsam adds, ‘is both a tri- POWER AND THE LAND. One of the most lasting Hazel Parkinson tires her eyes with the kerosine light bute to the subject and to the sensibility and memories of Ruth and Bip, as conveyed later by © JIA/EFJI vision of the director.’‘Ivens’ affinity for the strug- their grown children, was the difficulty Hazel While Ivens was disappointed in not gles of peoples everywhere, whether Spain, or had in keeping the same clothes in the exact being allowed to emphasize the conflict China, or America,’ Barsam concludes, ‘is now- order on the clothesline throughout the shoot. between farmers and the private utilities, he here better represented than in this lovely film.’9 They also noted that Bip and Ruth took great was proud of his ability to establish a close and pride in being part of the history of the electrifi- 7 trusted relationship with the Parkinson family. POWER AND THE LAND was filmed some cation of the American farm and later in life gave He was also justifiably proud of the final film. 64 years ago. The Parkinson farm compound is a number of presentations in the community. Bip Scholars have paid the film some high compli- no longer standing. Indeed, the original farm and Ruth’s children also recounted the subsequent history of Parkinson family members after 1940.11

They also noted that the farm already had electricity in 1939. This confirms information already known to scholars. Robert L. Snyder, in a 1968 study of Pare Lorentz, quoted a letter from Ed Locke, Ivens’ script writer and assistant director, that the Parkinsons (as of October 6, 1939) already had ‘the following electrical equipment: 1. electric lights in house and barn, 2. electric motor attached to washing machine, 3. radio, 4. vacuum cleaner.’ In 1985, Ruth Parkinson recalled that ‘we had to hang sheets from the ceiling to cover up the light fix- tures, move pictures to hide the switches on the walls and dig out the old sad irons again.’12

Ivens, in his autobiography, did not mention that the Parkinsons already had power in 1939. And there is only a very indirect state- ment to this effect in POWER AND THE LAND.13 The film’s scenes involving the wood stove, kerosene lights, and the tub and scrub board are thus re-enactments by the Parkinsons of a recently abandoned lifestyle. If Ivens did not make a spe- cific reference in his memoirs about the prior electrification of the Parkinson farm, he nevertheless did write that ‘our farm film presented material that seemed to demand re-enactment.’ And as Hans Schoots has noted in a biography

The high tension cables of the electric utility © JIA/EFJI 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 7

electricity. At one point, Bip gets down to check out a cow hooked up to an electric milking machine. Later, in town, Bip tours the creamery. When Bip asks if electricity could cool milk on his farm, Frank assures him that it would do that as well as pump water and do the washing and a hundred other things without getting tired. As was the case with POWER AND THE LAND, the narration obscures the fact that the Parkinson farm already had electricity. When Bip asks if they are going to get electricity on his farm, Frank simply answers yes. Shortly afterwards, Frank assures Bip that the lines will reach his farm by fall. In the final scenes, Bip watches linemen setting and then climbing a pole. As the film ends, Frank assures Bip that the country needs small boys like him to grow up and put electricity to work in farms and rural factories.18

‘Bip’ smiling and playing with his father, still from POWER AND THE LAND, 1940 © JIA/EFJI of Ivens, the fact that the Parkinsons already Administration and include footage of members electric power ‘made the basic principle of the of the Parkinson family and their neighbors. The REA scenario possible; first a day on the farm title credits for both films are identical: ‘Edited by without electricity, then a day with it.’ Ivens, as Lora Hays under supervision of Joris Ivens.’ other scholars have noted, was not the only Douglas Moore, who had written the score for documentary filmmaker to use what some have POWER AND THE LAND, also composed the music called ‘straightforward re-enactment’ or the ‘sta- for these films. More research needs to be com- ging of reality.’ During this period, the sincere pleted on the origins of these two films and the attempt at re-enactment was a well accepted extent of Ivens’ direct involvement with their pro- practice by documentary film makers.14 duction. To date, scholars have not included 17 these two films in his filmography. ‘Bip’ with a sunflower, still from POWER AND THE LAND, When the scenes for POWER AND THE 1940 © JIA/EFJI LAND were shot, the Parkinsons had enjoyed the The longer of the two films, BIP GOES benefits of electricity for less than a year. There TO TOWN, runs approximately ten minutes. In the The second film, WORST OF FARM is little question that their reconstruction of their opening scenes, Bip is shown pumping water DISASTERS, runs approximately six minutes. earlier lifestyle was accurate. And as was typical into a jug which he takes out to two older brot- Once again, the narrator is not identified in the of much early rural electrification, the hers who are mowing hay in a back field. Bip opening credits. In the opening scene, a hand is Parkinsons had not yet made full use of the then returns to the farm house. After washing up shown writing a letter to the Rural Electrification potential of this new technology. Ivens, in his and receiving a grocery list from Hazel, he rides Administration about life on the farm without memoirs, indicated that he had offered Bill into town with the milk truck. Neither Bip nor the electricity. After brief scenes of the countryside, Parkinson the standard government rate of $5 a driver (Frank) speak directly on camera (The of Bill and his sons pumping water, and of Hazel day. While Tom Parkinson later said in 1985 that narrator is not identified in the opening credits). at her wood stove, one of the Parkinson boys he could not recall any money being exchanged The truck stops at a modern dairy, powered by bumps a kerosene lamp hanging in the barn. as payment, he added that ‘I do remember Dad saying he’d settle up for the pump and water system that was installed as part of the film.’The Parkinsons thus received better lighting and modern plumbing for the house and the barn.15 Whatever staging may have occurred in the first part of the film, the subsequent scenes showing the Parkinsons’ pleasure with the new water pump, the shower in the basement, and the modern bathroom upstairs was genuine. If Hazel also received kitchen appliances as part of the bargain, she subsequently discovered that she preferred her old wood stove. According to Ruth’s daughter, Hazel thought the old wood stove cooked better and it remained in the Parkinson house until the property was sold.16

Members of the Parkinson family gra- ciously allowed me to copy materials in their possession. These include still family photographs and as well as REA production stills left with the family. Some of these photographs show Ivens and his crew at work on the Parkinson farm. Jim Parkinson, one of Bip’s sons, allowed me to copy two additional REA films in the family’s possession. These 16 mm. films, in their original cans, are titled BIP GOES TO TOWN and WORST OF FARM DISASTERS. Both films were produced by the Department of Agriculture for the Rural Electrification

‘Bip’ laughing while playing with his father, still from POWER AND THE LAND, 1940 © JIA/EFJI 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 8

grumbling by some of the cameramen over the numerous retakes. He recalled that the dinner table scene was filmed in mid-afternoon with the shades drawn. He and Bip were also great- ly impressed with Ivens’ Packard convertible coup with its side light. I also interviewed two other friends of the family who grew up on nearby farms. One, John D. Johnson vividly recalled life on the farm before electricity. Another childhood friend, George Kuzma, described Hazel as a great cook and caring person. Kuzma noted that he was in several of the scenes filmed by Ivens and his crew.22

The Parkinson story does not end with the premier of POWER AND LAND in 1940. Even before Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, Dan had enlisted in the US Army. He served for four years, most of that in the New Guinea campaigns in the Pacific. He did not return to the farm until after the war was over. In the meantime, Tom served in the United States Army in the European theater. He was wounded at the Battle of Sinz in 1945. For his conduct during that battle, Tom was awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Star. Ruth, undoubtedly influenced by Dan and Tom’s military service, underwent nurses’ training and became a nurse. Bip was too young to fight in World War II, but he later volunteered to fight in Korea. There he saw much combat. Although Bip did not talk much about what happened in Korea, his two sons later learned from their mot- ‘Bip’ and an electric milking machine 1940 © REA her that on one occasion his position had been The next scenes show flames and a bell ringing Dongen’s suggestion that Hays use some of the overrun. In the ensuing struggle, Bip had to kill out to alert the neighbors. In superbly edited extra footage from POWER AND THE LAND in edi- an enemy soldier with a shovel. Apparently action scenes, the Parkinsons and their neigh- ting BIP GOES TO TOWN. This was Hays’ first edi- because of this and other horrific combat expe- bors rush to the fire. But all they have to work ting job on her own. ‘I did the editing in NYC,’ riences, Bip came home from Korea an alcoho- with is a hand pump and a bucket brigade. In she adds, ‘and Joris supervised me mostly by lic. But with his wife’s support, he pulled himself spite of their heroic efforts, the barn burns to the phone as he was shooting a film in California at together and became a solid citizen in Belmont, ground. This farm, the narrator sadly intones, the time.’‘I loved working with Joris,’ Hays adds. Ohio. On occasion, Bip, when his children and did not have electricity for pumping water. The ‘His great enthusiasm was contagious. He was later his grandchildren were in the local school, fire might not have started, he adds, had the always fun to be with and always modest about would go down and show POWER AND THE LAND barn been equipped with electric lights. The his many achievements. I’ve been very grateful and share his recollections. I was able to inter- final scenes show overhead transmission lines, to have had his support.’21 view Janie Bartlett, now retired from teaching a variety of equipment being powered by elec- first grade at that school, who remembered tricity, water gushing from a tap, and a Belmont In addition to securing copies of Bip’s presentation and recalled that her stu- Electric Co-Op transmission facility. Some these films, I was able to videotape several dents particularly enjoyed the scene showing 700,000 farms have received electricity since childhood friends of the Parkinson children. One Bip coming out of the outhouse.23 1935, the narrator notes, and these farms are was John W. Parkinson, III, a relative and close now safer places to live and work.19 friend of Bip’s. John was present during part of Few people today realize how the the filming in 1939. In a recent interview, he coming of electricity transformed life in the More research is needed on the ori- recalled Ivens’ being clearly in charge and the American countryside. This is an important gins and editing of these two short films. Helen van Dongen, who had previously worked as a photographer, assistant editor, and editor on Ivens’ earlier films, had edited POWER AND THE LAND. She subsequently worked with Ivens on KNOW YOUR ENEMY:JAPAN (1944), but that film was not completed because its content varied with changing policies. She would also work with Robert Flaherty on THE LAND (1942) and LOUISIANA STORY (1948). Thus, van Dongen’s work as editor on POWER AND THE LAND,as Ronald S. Masgliozzi has written, ‘was her last completed collaboration with Ivens.’ According to Hans Schoots, van Dongen ‘finished POWER AND THE LAND by herself after an acquaintance from the Sloan Foundation invited Ivens to make a film about the social significance of new technology.’ Ivens flew to Colorado in May, 1940 to work on this film, but the Sloan Foundation withdrew its support in June. In late 1940, Ivens got a job making a film for the Shell Oil Company in California. In early 1941, Ivens was in Los Angeles lecturing on filmmaking at the University of Southern California.20

Lora Hays is listed as the editor for BIP GOES TO TOWN and WORST OF FARM DISASTERS. Hays had been the assistant editor to Helen van Dongen on POWER AND THE LAND. Hays has recalled that the ‘months in Washington were HOT’ and that ‘I was a total slave to Helen van Dongen.’ Helen van Dongen and Ivens, Hays has noted, ‘were very generous in promoting my career.’ Indeed, it was van 6 ‘Bip’ (Frank) Parkinson with his children, thirty years after the film © JIA/EFJI 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 9

story. But the story is also about an ordinary 13 In a segments on the progress of the REA autobiography, ‘I had much more feeling of farm family who answered their country’s call in since its founding from 1935, the narrator sta- working together. We filmed an old farm in fla- time of need. This story will be told in the forth- tes ‘Lights up! 1936! 26 REA systems, 7,500 mes and a bucket brigade of many farmers coming documentary: POWER FOR THE farm families like Bill Parkinsons get light.’ If who got together in no time and extinguished PARKINSONS:THE FILM AND THE FAMILY THAT this was an attempt to acknowledge indirectly the fire.’ Ivens, The Camera and I, p. 195. HELPED ELECTRIFY THE AMERICAN FARM. that the Parkinsons already had power, the date is not accurate. The Belmont Electric 20 Ronald S. Magliozzi, ‘Biographies and Cooperative was not established until March, Filmographies: Helen van Dongen,’ in Eva 1 ‘According to incomplete figures from the U.S. 15, 1938. Ken Keylor has written: ‘Actually, the Orbanz, Filming Robert Flaherty’s Louisiana Department of Agriculture,’ Hans Schoots Parkinsons already had electricity on the farm Story: The Helen van Dongen Story (New York, noted in a recent biography of Ivens, ‘more when POWER AND THE LAND was being filmed. In 1998), pp. 117-119. Schoots, Living than six million people saw the film between fact, they had been among the first Belmont Dangerously, pp. 157, 161. 1940 and 1968, mainly at educational mee- Electric Cooperative members to be hooked up tings.’ some nine months earlier.’ Keylor, ‘Parkinsons 21 Lora Hays to Ephraim K. Smith, September Hans Schoots, Living Dangerously: A recall’, p. 7. 21, 2003. Biography of Joris Ivens (Amsterdam, 2000), p. 157. 14 Ivens, The Camera and I, pp. 190-191. Brian 22 EKS interviews with John Parkinson III, July Winston, ‘Honest, Straightforward Re-enact- 13, 2000 and August 11, 2002; John D. 2 See www.tellyawards.com for information on ment: The Staging of Reality,’ in Kees Bakker, Johnson, July 13, 2003; George Kuzma, July the Telly Awards. Joris Ivens and the Documentary Context 28, 2003. (Amsterdam, 1999), pp. 164-165. 3 David E. Nye, Electrifying America: Social 23 Ibid. Janie Bartlett had attended the Belmont Meanings of a New Technology, 1880-1940 15 Ivens, The Camera and I, p.189. Tom School as a member of the class of 1949. She (Cambridge, 1990), pp. 288-291, 294-299. ‘And Parkinson’s comments in 1985 can be found in described Bip as ‘a cute little boy. He was a in fact’, Nye has written, ‘most farm electrifica- Ken Keylor, ‘Parkinsons Recall,’ p. 8. In a letter year ahead of me and he was always a fun tion was private, particularly in the West, to Robert L. Synder on February 18, 1962, boy and had lots of pep and energy.’ She where half the farms were electrified by 1935.’ Tom is quoted as saying: ‘We quickly got our remembers Bip missing classes on days the pp.301-302 heads together and told that we had no objec- film crew was at work on the Parkinson farm. tion to tearing the place up to install such EKS interview with Janie Bartlett, July 15, 4 D. Clayton Brown, Electricity for Rural equipment, but it had to stay.’ Tom indicated 2003. Hazel Parkinson, in a letter to Ivens after America; The Fight for the REA (Westport, that the family concluded they received around the filming, wrote that ‘Bip thinks school is rat- Connecticut, 1980), pp. XIII-XVI. ‘On the typical $900 worth of equipment. Snyder, Pare her dull after being in such good company all Texas farm,’ David E. Nye has noted, ‘the well Lorentz and the Documentary Film, p. 124. fall.’ Ivens, The Camera and I, p. 206. Bip also was 250 feet from the house... On wash day sent a note to Ivens expressing his regret that three eight-gallon tubs had to be filled for each 16 Hazel’s regard for her old wood stove is the film crew could not come back and rescue load, and most families required at least four found in EKS interview with Sara A. Brannan, him from school tests. See Schoots, Living loads, or one hundred gallons of water.’ Nye, August 19, 2000. It is not clear whether the Dangerously, p. 156. Electrifying America, p. 303. Parkinsons paid for the kitchen appliances or received them in return for some demonstra- 5 D. Clayton Brown, Electricity for Rural tion project. Hazel, in a letter sent to Ivens America, pp. 45-53. after the filming, wrote ‘There is a separate meter on each piece of electrical equipment 6 Joris Ivens, The Camera and I (New York, and I am keeping a record for the Rural 1969), pp. 187-189, 205. Electrification Administration... so by the next meeting our friend Mr. MacAllister will be able 7 Ivens, The Camera and I, pp. 187-205. Ivens to tell exactly how much it costs to have a and the film crew had sent the Parkinsons a clean shirt or make a pot of coffee.’ Letter from mixer as a present. Hazel responded with a Hazel Parkinson in Ivens, The Camera and I, thank you letter, quoted by Ivens in full. In this p. 206. letter, Hazel wrote that Bip and Ruth ‘often speak of you and wish you were here. In fact 17 In 1985, Ken Keylor, then member services we all do. I am sure Bill would like to see the director of the Belmont Electric Cooperative, warm fire in the grate with you tonight but you referenced these two films in an article based are probably doing something for more interes- on interviews with Frank, Ruth, Tom, and Jake ting than talking to farmers’, pp. 205-206. Parkinson. See Keylor, ‘Parkinsons recall,’ p. 8. ‘And, since a veritable mound of film had been 8 Richard Dyer MacCann, The People’s Films: accumulated,’ Keylor writes, ‘ideas began A Political History of U.S. Government Motion springing up about making use of the footage Pictures (New York, 1973), p. 103. in yet other films. In fact, two more movies were produced starring members of the 9 Richard Meran Barsam, Nonfiction Film: A Parkinson family and their Belmont County Critical History (New York, 1973), pp. 88, 94, neighbors.’ 96. 18 Based on copy of Bip Goes to Town loaned 10 Hazel M. Parkinson, 1890-1950; William B. to Ephraim K. Smith by James Parkinson. This Parkinson, 1889-1957; Daniel N. Parkinson, film had been in Bip Parkinson’s possession. 1917-1971; Jacob M. Parkinson, 1922-1996; The National Archives, it should be noted, has Frank M. (Bip) Parkinson, 1930-1996; Thomas a reference copy of a silent version (with cap- R. Parkinson, 1919-1997; Ruth Parkinson tions) of this film. This may have been prepa- Brannon, 1927-1995. red for those small town theaters or venues without sound equipment. Although intact, this 11 EKS interviews with Tom Brannan, August reference copy flickers because of film shrinka- 19, 2000, Sara A. Brannan, August 19, 2000, ge. James L. Parkinson, August 19, 2000 and August 11, 2002, John W. Parkinson, July 13, 19 Based on copy of Worst of Farm Disasters 2000 and August 11, 2002, Thomas L. loaned to Ephraim K. Smith by James Brannan III, July 29, 2003, and David Brannan, Parkinson. This film had been in Bip July 29, 2003. Parkinson’s possession. The barn was that burned was not the Parkinson barn, but an 12 Letter from Ed Locke to Pare Lorentz, abandoned barn in the Muskingum Watershed October 6, 1939, as quoted by Robert L. Conservancy. See Keylor, ‘Parkinsons Recall... Snyder, Pare Lorentz and the Documentary The Year of the Camera,’ pp. 6-8. Keylor based Film (Norman, Oklahoma, 1968), p. 124. Ruth’s this excellent retrospective on interviews with comments can be found in Ken Keylor, Tom, Jake, Ruth, and Bip Parkinson. This foot- ‘Parkinsons Recall... the Year of the Cameras,’ age of the burning barn appears to have been Country Living (May, 1985), p. 7. footage that Ivens had hoped to include in the main film. ‘In the original script,’ he writes in his 7 Prof. Ephraim Smith 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 10

The Foundation

The Board A new policy plan for 2005-2008 Research project started in Germany

To improve cultural gover- The Foundation approved a new policy plan for Last year the Foundation applied for a stipendi- nance the board decided the period 2005-2008 with which it will apply for um from the DEFA-Stiftung to do research on last year to rotate its mem- a subvention from the Dutch ministry of Culture. the films Joris Ivens made in Germany. Ivens bers. As a result Jean Pierre The starting point of this plan is the independent had a lifelong affiliation with Germany, rooted in Sergent and Marja Alofs position of the Foundation and the added value his German family background, his studies in took leave during the May it has created over the years by its active policy Berlin, and the relationships he had with Marc Vernet, Head board meeting in Paris. and organisation of retrospectives, exhibitions, German artists like Krull, of BiFi (Bibliothè- Marc Vernet was appointed publications and research. Being a new and pio- Brecht, Eisler, Piscator, que du Film / Film as a new board member. neering organisation in Holland, it initially attrac- Von Wangenheim and Library, Paris) ted criticism, but now its specialism and capabi- Heartfield. It is fascinating Jean Pierre Sergent was part of the original lities have been acknowledged internationally. how his life and films were board when the European Foundation Joris Both on a local level (e.g. collaborating with linked with so many of the Ivens was founded in 1990 by Marceline other cultural organisations in Nijmegen), on a modern historical develop- Loridan-Ivens. Together with Loridan he had national level and internationally (e.g. being an ments in Germany. The acted in Chronique d’un été (1961), the film associate of FIAF) the Foundation has proved selection committee of the made by Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin. Later on the necessity for its existence. In the next four DEFA-Stiftung approved Sergent collaborated on several films of Ivens, years the Foundation will continue to improve Judith Kretzschmar the project, which will take like LE 17ÈME PARALLÈLE and LE PEUPLE ET SES and enlarge its core business - the archive - by nine months. Judith Kretzschmar started her FUSILS. After making films Sergent became a digitising its collections for on-line consultation research in November 2003 at the Joris Ivens publicist and journalist. During his membership, at request, and continuing acquisition, listing Archives in Nijmegen and will continue visiting Sergent was notable for his skill at mediating and preservation processes. many archives in Germany, Paris and Moscow, any tensions or conflicts. interviewing people who knew Ivens and colla- The educational website will be enlarged and borated with him. The aim of the project is to Marja Alofs was the alderman for culture at the translated into English. Research into Ivens’ make an elaborated and scholarly filmography, City Council of Nijmegen when she energetical- films and his filmography, like the project in including the different versions, the conditions ly supported the transfer of the Joris Ivens Germany, will be continued in other countries. and context in which the films were developed, Archive from Amsterdam to Nijmegen in 1997. The foundation will support initiatives to colla- the history of reception, censorship etc. By coincidence her political career had started borate with other institutions and archives simi- Kretzschmar studied at the University of Leipzig during the meeting of the City Council in 1988 larly dedicated to a single filmmaker, of which and has already published articles on German when Joris Ivens was made an Honorary many already exist in Europe. Also our rela- documentaries and filmography. Citizen of his birthplace. tionship with BiFi will be strengthened by, Both Günter Jordan, a DEFA specialist in Berlin, among other things, digitising the Ivens collec- and Bert Hogenkamp, a professor at the Both board members were warmly thanked for tion in Paris. Research will continue to find lost University of Utrecht, will supervise the project. the positive and valuable roles they had played films and trace different versions, especially in by the Foundation’s President Marceline Parisian laboratories. A special focus will be on Loridan-Ivens. China, because of the Olympics in 2008, and the special role Ivens played in the modern history of China. Another initiative will be the organisation of a photographic exhibition of Robert Capa and Joris Ivens, explaining the impact of their approach to images.

Personnel

Marja Bisschop left the office in March after she had fulfilled her one year-contract. She assisted the secretaryship, always working hard and in Opening frame of the new English/Dutch version of the The viewing room of BiFi, Paris good spirit to re-list the photo collection at the website of the Foundation. Photo’s © Marion Michelle archive. Marja - many thanks for your support and the fun you brought to the office. Website George Manders started working in May at the archive to continue the re-listing and re-packing The website of the Foundation (www.ivens.nl) is of the photo collection. George - good luck. now available in two languages: English and Dutch. A new section on Essays has been added, consisting of background articles and essays about different themes and their relationships to Ivens and his films. Also the filmography will be even further completed and The front desk of BiFi, Paris extended.

During the same meeting the board was happy Bridges to welcome Marc Vernet, director of BiFi (Bibliothèque du Film, Paris) as a new board In September Marceline Loridan-Ivens (CAPI member. The BiFi contains one of the world’s Films) and Dick Rijneke / Mildred van most important collections of documents on film Leewarden (Rotterdam Film) signed an agree- history and, since its creation in 1992, a beauti- ment to collaborate on a project called Bridges. ful and active study centre to do research on Rijneke/van Leewarden made four films on the famous French filmmakers. Like the EFJI, it Lift Bridge crossing the Meuse in Rotterdam, The historic building ‘Arsenaal’ in which the Foundation doesn’t keep film stock but is completely focu- around the time when the bridge stopped func- will establish its office in 2004. Photo: Bram Relouw sed on scripts, storyboards, posters, magazi- tioning in 1995. These four films cover several nes, clippings, publications, books, sets or cos- A new home film genres from feature to documentary. One of tumes. Besides heading the administration of the films is a remake of THE BRIDGE, the avant- BIFI, Vernet has lectured in several universities After many years of preparation and legal pro- garde classic, made in 1928 just after the ope- in the USA and France, contributed to several cedures, the renovation of the Arsenaal has fin- ning of the Lift Bridge. The complete package of film magazines as well as setting up several ally started. This historical building, dating from films, including Ivens’ THE BRIDGE, will be pre- publications himself. In October Vernet organi- the 18th century when it was a powder house, sented to film festivals around the world. sed the ‘Deuxièmes Journées d’etudes will house a Belgian Café and a variety of small européennes sur les archives de cinéma’ about film and cultural institutions. The Ivens Founda- new ways of safeguarding, improving and man- tion will occupy an office on the first floor. The aging film heritage. opening of the building is planned for mid-2004. 8 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 11

Archives Personnel ments, films scripts, diaries, letters, notes etc. the struggle of women against prejudice and This scanning has been done to a resolution of social repression. The Italian part, directed by On July 1st 2003, George Manders took over 300 dots per inch, an international publication Gillo Pontecorvo, tells the story of the title hero- from Marja Bisschop, working on the Joris Ivens standard. The foundation now has the opportu- ine, Giovanna, who manages to organise a suc- Archives photo collection. His early career was nity to make the HWC available on the Internet cessful occupation of the factory to protest in graphics and publishing. He was educated at via the website, thus creating a digital archive. against the authoritarian dismissal of some of the Grafische Opleidingen Centrum and specia- However, before making this decision there her female colleagues. With the support of the lised at the Grafisch Lyceum in Eindhoven, the must be deliberation between providing a facili- men at home, the women in the end succeed in Netherlands. George, our new ‘photo man’, will ty for research and promotion of Ivens’ artistic their aim to run the factory by themselves, thus be primarily involved in updating the descrip- heritage, and the protection of copyrights and taking their fate into their own hands. Under the tions of the photo’s in the archives, while at the concern for the quality of publications resulting direction of the Archivio Audiovisivo del same time refining and extending the existing from manipulation of the collection. From a mar- Movimento Operaio e Democratico, a new res- inventory. The large collection, containing not keting viewpoint, the online access can tored copy of the film has recently been re- only original prints, but also celluloid and glass obviously contribute enormously to the primary leased. The story of the film and its restoration negatives, will also be repackaged in special, aims of the foundation. A number of possibilities is published in a booklet edited by Antonio acid free archival folders. This new approach are currently being explored to make this col- Medici and contains sections on the restoration should protect the valuable collection and guar- lection available for researchers all over the process and problems, interviews and the com- antee its availability for future generations. world. plete script text. Interestingly, some of the documents printed are part of the Joris Ivens archi- Photo preservation Visits to the archives ves and have been annotated and made available to the Italian editors by the foundation’s In April Huub Jansen, co-ordinator of the Joris In the past year researchers from many different archival staff. Ivens Archives, did a short course at the countries have found their way to the Ivens Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage on archives in Nijmegen. The Dutch filmmaker’s the preservation of photographic collections. broad and diverse artistic legacy proves itself The recent increase in appreciation of the histo- time and again a rich source for study, to be tap- rical and artistic value of photographs has led to ped by researchers for their equally diverse pro- a sharpened awareness of preservation projects. The visitors have included: blems. Preservation implies taking preventive - Gerda Jansen Hendriks, a programme maker measures, including the potential for reproduc- for Dutch television, spoke at a conference in tion and properly controlling the storage envi- Amsterdam in June about the newsreels and ronment. To prevent deterioration, storage at documentary films made in the early periods of low temperature and humidity is of paramount the Indonesian Revolution. For her lecture she importance. At the municipal archives in researched the documents on Ivens’ famous Nijmegen, modern facilities make it possible to film INDONESIAN CALLING, part of which she used deal adequately with such problems of preser- to illustrate her discourse. vation of photo collections. - University student Sonia Garcia Lopez studied the documents and photographs relating to THE New inventories SPANISH EARTH for her research project on the European presence in Holly-wood. In the past few months Huub Jansen has finish- - Ian Mundell, researcher and journalist, is a ed off the inventory of the Ewa Fiszer regular visitor to the archives, this time resear- Collection, the majority of which are paper ching documents relating to LOIN DU VIETNAM documents. However, there are also a small and LE CIEL, LA TERRE. number of books on film and art in general, some photo and film negatives, and a set of Giovanna curious commemorative objects relating to Ivens’ involvement in the political establishment In 1957 Ivens supervised the production of the of the former East Germany. film DIE WINDROSE, commissioned by the Ivens met Ewa Fiszer, a polish poet and writer, International Women’s Federation. In fact this in Warsaw in 1950, while he was working on a film contained five episodes, each made in a dif- film. They were married a year later, (separating ferent country and each with a different story in 1967) although most of the time the couple line. The general theme of all the episodes was lived quite separate lives. The collection of documents Ivens left behind in Ewa’s apartment in Warsaw is, in a way, a testament of their end- uring mutual affection and care. The collection is based around documents relating to the American period of Ivens life (1936 - 1945), and especially to some of the important films he made in this time like THE 400 MILLION (1939) and POWER AND THE LAND (1941).There is also an abundance of material about the film OUR RUSSIAN FRONT (1941), a production in collaboration with big Hollywood names like Lewis Milestone, on the struggle of the Red Army against the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Jansen is currently working on a collection of documents concerning the World Union of Documentary and its successor the Association Internationale des Documentaristes, in which Ivens was heavily involved. This is the next step in the ongoing inventory of the various Ivens collections managed by the foundation.

Hans Wegner Collection

The Hans Wegner Collection (HWC) is an important and extensive collection of documents relating to the period between 1936 until 1968. After the inventory was finished we began digitising all these typescripts, official docu- Hans Wegner welcoming Joris Ivens and Ewa Fiszer, 1958. Photo: Ewa Fiszer Collection / EFJI 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 12

only criss-crossing the color line that divided the USA Activities into two worlds, but also lines between high and low culture, between politics and art. Ivens and Robeson collaborated on SONG OF THE RIVERS (1954), despite the political and geographi- Charles Musser cal barriers of a divided world they had to cross. Ivens and Robeson lost the freedom to travel because the governments of

their respective homelands withdrew their pass- The river Seine, Paris. Still from LA SEINE A RENCONTRE ports. PARIS, 1957 © JIA/EFJI In our latest news magazine (No. 8) Günter Jordan, the German film scholar and specialist on DEFA history, wrote an article on Charles Musser’s contribution, providing new facts after The ‘Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie’ in Paris, one of thorough research of the almost forgotten German the biggest museums on science and technology in the part of the history. In Spring 2003, Musser publis- world, presented a retrospective of 19 Ivens films in hed an even more detailed article about the sub- July 2003. The title ‘Un cineaste dans le tourment du ject, which resulted in a brilliant study highlighting XXe siècle’ was chosen to focus on the extreme the complexity and dialectics of Ivens’ work. This aspects of the 20th century and Ivens’ films which multi-faceted text involves music, film, photogra- reflect on these. Ivens’ film oeuvre presents the extre- phy, poetry and song texts, noting the importance me transformation of an 7.000 years old agricultural of ‘the river’ that recurs in Ivens’ SONG OF THE society into a highly industrialized society. This trans- RIVERS and LA SEINE A RENCONTRÉ PARIS, in formation resulted in much violence, technical deve- Robeson’s OL’MAN RIVER and BRIDGE OVER THE The Amazon river. Still from SONG OF THE RIVERS, 1954 © JIA/EFJI lopments, globalisation and high hopes for a better OCEAN, Brecht’s FOUR RIVERS or Steichens ‘Family world. Françoise Augier, director of the programme, of Man’ exhibition. Musser provides us with the UNE HISTOIRE DE VENT: ‘An aesthetic renewal presented the opening evening at the auditorium. The context in which SONG OF THE RIVERS was created, through film’ programme was supported by the Institut Néerlandais at first sight only a rigid propaganda film that in Paris and its coordinator for film: Harry Bos © CSI sought to articulate utopian possibilities at the Twenty-six year old Leonie Redler finished her mas- heights of the Cold War, when ideologocial impe- ters course at the University of Arts in Berlin with a ratives constrained artists of all political persuas- thesis on Joris Ivens and his last film UNE HISTOIRE DE sions. However, upon reflection, this key film is a VENT, entitled ‘Joris Ivens - Between Poetry and laboratory of metaphors and allegories, a monu- Politics, A Film Analysis of Motives and Topics in UNE ment in film history with many fascinating aspects HISTOIRE DE VENT’, she used the film as a ‘cinematic to unveil. These include links with Pudovkin’s testament’. MOTHER and classic documentaries, structured along musical lines, like BERLIN, SYMPHONY EINER In analysing the film she identifies three key strands GROSSSTADT, ENTHOUSIASM or KOYAANISQUATSI. that help to understand Ivens’ life and work: According to Musser, SONG OF THE RIVERS ‘may - the natural elements as part of his film language appear to exemplify the most impersonal qualities - his political life, a decade after the collapse of the of social realist filmmaking, but it is actually a very Stalinist regimes personal film, which recapulites Ivens’ own history - his dealing with objectivity and re-enactments in as a filmmaker’. The Foundation, represented by Claude Brunel and documentary film Marceline Loridan-Ivens, opened the debate after the The complete text of Charles Musser’s fascinating study was published by the Canadian film maga- screening © CSI She concluded that, in his last zine Cinémas and can be read on http://www.eru- film, Ivens firstly dissociates dit.org/revue/cine/2002/v12/n3/000738ar.html or from Maoism and socialist on our website: www.ivens.nl/ essays. realism at the end of his life, rewriting his own history by The role that rivers played in Ivens’ life and films not mentioning his earlier mili- was also the subject of a film study and lecture in tant films. Secondly, he deve- Ivens’ birthplace of Nijmegen. André Stufkens dis- lops an innovative symbiosis cussed the many layers of meaning that rivers had of documentary and fiction over Ivens’ career. His text (in Dutch) can be read film and opens the door to the on the website: www.ivens.nl/ essays. Leonie Redler essay film as a new genre. The archetypical impact of SONG OF THE RIVERS According to Redler, even at the end of a long career, was proved by an exhibition and book of photos, UNE HISTOIRE DE VENT led to artistic development for by the well known Dutch documentary photograp- the filmmaker, an aesthetic renewal through film. A vivid discussion started with the public during the her Kadir van Lohuizen, of the six major rivers of debate © CSI the world like Ivens did fifty years ago. Van The European Foundation Joris Ivens (Nijmegen) and Lohuizen documented life on the Amazon, Niger, the German Cinemathek (Berlin) supported her work Ob, Donau, Mississippi, Ganges and Yangtse. He by providing access to literature and films. had committed himself to finding the source of each river, and then following its streams from A pdf-file of the thesis is available by sending an e- spring to the ocean, which took him seven years. mail to Leonie Redler ([email protected]). He called his exhibition ‘Veins’, a metaphor linking the blood carrying veins of a human body with rivers, being the veins of a natural or human landscape. Rivers are like veins, and as such, are like films: neverending streams and waves of images. The way the exhibition of photos was arranged directly refers to the global ‘Family of Man approach’ - the way in which SONG OF RIVERS was pre- Rivers, veins of images sented.

Charles Musser, professor of American Studies Charles Musser: Utopian Visons in Cold war: Joris and Film Studies at Yale University, researched Ivens, Paul Robeson and the Song of Rivers (1954), in the fascinating parallels in the life and works of Cinémas, nr 2003 Joris Ivens and Paul Robeson, which was publis- André Stufkens, De Waal die Stroomt, lecture and film hed by the Foundation in the ‘Cinema without programme, LUX-Nijmegen, 11 September 2003 Borders’ book in March 2002. Paul Robeson, a Kadir van Lohuizen, Aderen (Vains), exhibition 6 July - Bram Relouw (EFJI) presenting the educational websi- world-renowned performance artist from the USA, 19 October Kunsthal Rotterdam; book Aderen, Mets & te during an information market for secondary school was, like Ivens, forever crossing boundaries, not Schilt, Amsterdam ISBN; 90 5330 356 1. 59,- euros. teachers. Photo: Gerlinda Heywegen. 10 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 13

Joris Ivens, Abstraction, still from WE ARE BUILDING, 1930

Paul Strand, Abstraction, PORCH SHADOW, 1916

Paul Strand, close up and diagonal directions of a bridge, still from NATIVE LAND, 1942 Joris Ivens, close up and diagonal directions of a bridge, still from THE BRIDGE, 1928 Paul Strand and Joris Ivens: images with a shared mission

Paul Strand, Close up machine, still from NATIVE LAND, 1942 Joris Ivens, Close up machine, still from PHILIPS RADIO, 1931

Paul Strand, newsreel about Ambridge riots, still from NATIVE LAND, 1942 Joris Ivens, newsreel about Ambridge riots, still from BORINAGE, 1934

Paul Strand, signs of poverty: shirts in holes on a clothesline, still from REDES / THE WAVE (1935) Joris Ivens, signs of poverty: socks in holes on a clothesline, still from BORINAGE (1934)

Paul Strand, a funeral of a fisherman in Mexico, still from REDES / THE WAVE (1935) Joris Ivens, a funeral of a mineworker in Belgium, still from BORINAGE (1934)

Paul Strand, breakers at the ending of REDES / THE WAVE (1935) Joris Ivens, breakers at the opening of BREAKERS (1929) 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 14

terns, movements and directions. However, despite ports for political reasons. Ivens and Strand then these modern perspectives, there is still a definite met again at a film festival in the Czech city of romantic element at the same time, which can be Marianske Lazne in 1949, where they were showing seen in these early films where they alternate metal their films. Later that year in Perugia, Italy, they both or concrete structures with images of steams, spoke about the function of the artist in society and reflections on the water and drifting clouds. Ivens their ideas on realism in art. and Strand integrate modern aesthetics and views, but never turn these into extreme abstraction or Their devotion to nature made them film alienated defragmentation. With their ‘straight magnificent panoramic landscapes and the ele- camera’ method they tried to reach for a new kind of ments of nature, like water and wind, became objectivity and distanced approach. However, this metaphors with a romantic meaning. Take for Paul Strand, Prof. Brousil and Joris objectivity is consciously subjective, never senti- instance the opening scenes of BREAKERS and SONG Ivens in Prague, 1949. Collection Hans Wegner / EFJI mental or formal, a kind of dynamic realism within OF THE RIVERS by Ivens and the beginning of NATIVE the traditions of Western art. LAND.

An introduction Their avant-garde experiments even had Strand and Ivens even used each other’s social and political elements. Because of their mili- images to compile their films. For the American part tant commitments - which became more fervent in of SONG OF THE RIVERS (1954) Ivens included many André Stufkens the Thirties after the economic depression - Ivens, shots made by Strand for Native Land. These in- Strand and many other artists felt they had to make clude the images of a night attack by the Ku Klux Joris Ivens once stated, ‘The aspect of a stand against poverty, unemployment and fas- Klan and film of industrial workers and factories. time in film differs a lot from time in photography, cism. With their shared ideology it isn’t surprising Some lines in SONG OF THE RIVERS and NATIVE LAND take for instance a photo Paul Strand made of a one can see many parallels in structure, narration, are almost identical, and even spoken and sang by door-handle’. The photos of Paul Strand, one of the commentary text and images between the films of the same person - American artist Paul Robeson most important American artists of the 20th centu- Strand and Ivens. When Ivens re-enacted the fune- (see newsletter no. 8, 2002). ry, show timelessness while Ivens’ films stand in the ral of a worker for BORINAGE in September 1934, midst of historic moments. This different approach Strand did the same half a year later in Mexico for Both artists also tried to find new ways to to time in their works of art might be the cause of THE WAVE (Redes, 1935). There are also shots of relate ‘image and language’ - Ivens using his films, both the underestimation of the political impact of stockings and shirts full of holes on a clothes-line, editing commentary dialogues and film image, while Strand’s work and the misunderstanding of the representing misery and poverty. The shocking Strand used his books, editing photos and accom- timeless impact and transcendental layers of mea- sequence of a strike by metal workers being broken panying text. ning in Ivens’ films. Being a strict Marxist, Strand’s up by policemen firing gun shots in Ambridge, photos are clearly linked to historic moments and Pennsylvania, (1933) can be seen in BORINAGE as They intended to collaborate on an his strong ideology, while Ivens’ films are more well as in Strands’ NATIVE LAND. Italian project, but it turned out to become separate about seeking to obtain universal and timeless valu- art works: UN PAESE (1955, Strand) and L’ITALIA NON es, surpassing the political momentum. The link They could have met in Moscow in 1935 ÈUNPAESE POVERO (1960, Ivens). During the Fifties between their lives and art work is quite striking and where both tried, and failed, to set up projects, befo- and Sixties they crossed borders between East and needs thorough research to deepen our knowledge re leaving for the USA. When Ivens entered the West, North and South, at a time the divided world of these underestimated aspects. USA in February 1936 he was received with enthu- frowned upon such movements. Strand worked in siasm by the ‘Nykino’ film group, formed in 1934 by Egypt, Ghana and Romania, Ivens in Latin- The seminal art of Strand and Ivens can Paul Strand, Leo Hurwitz and Irving Lerner. Like America, Mali, Asia and Europe. In each country only be understood as a reflection on the global Ivens, Strand proclaimed that a documentary they actively supported national independence by transformation in the 20th century of an agricultural should emotionally involve people by dramatising presenting, in a respectful way, the culture and poli- society into an industrial and mechanised world. reality, ‘A documentary should have the highest tics of developing countries. They both had high hopes for a transformation in possible aesthetic content and dramatic impact.’ society at the same time, based on human dignity, Being a famous film pioneer, Ivens’ arrival was a In between all this travelling both had solidarity and harmony between culture and nature. shot in the arm for the young documentary move- settled in France during the Fifties, where they One even could proclaim these two individuals sha- ment in the US, which tried to get rid of the compi- found a tolerant atmosphere. France became their red a common quest for a communal Eden, an idyl- lation and newsreel style of documentary by inte- adopted home, where they could leave the country lic utopia, a world without exclusion of cultures, grating feature elements like re-enactment with and return safely as real globe trotters without wor- classes and continents. With their craftsmanship non-actors. Strand also admired Ivens’ famous edi- ries about permits or entry cards, passports etc. and perfection they were able to transform the reel ting of the closing of the dykes in ZUIDERZEE and Strand and Ivens celebrated their idyllic view of into the ideal. NEW EARTH. France -seen from an outsiders perspective- in LA FRANCE DE PROFIL (1951, Strand), LA SEINE A REN- However, the opposing view - finding the Both Strand and Ivens supported the CONTRÉ PARIS (1957, Ivens) and POUR LE MISTRAL ideal in reality - became more difficult. Although democratically elected government in Spain during (1965, Ivens). they travelled a lot around the world, they never the Civil war by making a film. With the revenues of found their ideals fully realised in society, only in Ivens’ THE SPANISH EARTH (1937) 16 ambulances For both Strand and Ivens ‘the plain their optimistic art. It is only in art that they could were bought and sent to Spain. HEART OF SPAIN people’, the common man, had an almost religious fuse and solve the antagonism between their 20th (Paul Strand and Leo Hurwitz, 1936) showed new mission to save culture, to save civilisation from century modernism and 19th century romanticism. ways of blood transfusion by Dr. Norman Bethune, materialism, corruption, dishonesty and exploita- They kept their optimism about human progress the Canadian doctor on whom Ivens was eager to tion. And their admirable art illustrates this vision and shared that peculiar and passionate trust in the make a film himself and would write a script about with respectful and sacred images of people, lands- camera, in the machine itself and in the people in many years later. capes and objects. ‘I used to say that communism front of it. Unfortunately this would now be called wasn’t a religion, but there is much the same in it’, ‘naive’, as viewers have become more sceptical. By the end of the 1930’s, the documen- Ivens said in 1986. They left us with touching ima- tary movement had begun to focus on domestic ges, never to disappear from your retina once seen. Both Paul Strand (born 1890, New York) affairs, shown by Ivens’ POWER AND THE LAND (1940) and Joris Ivens (born 1898, Nijmegen) joined the and Strands’ NATIVE LAND (1942), as well as Time in It is a rare opportunity to find three close avant-garde movement as youngsters. Strand ente- New England (1950) his book of photographs. They friends of both Paul Strand and Joris Ivens, able to red the art world as a photographer under the gui- appealed for support of leftist issues (co-operatives shed light on the links between their life and oeuvre dance of Lewis Hine and Alfred Steiglitz, who intro- and civil rights) by creating a patriotic atmosphere, by publishing texts and photos. Catherine Duncan, duced him to the modern art of Picasso and referring to the American identity and the legacy of Marion Michelle and Virgilio Tosi knew them well for Cézanne. For the magazine Camera Work he made democracy. For example, a group of farmers sang decades and collaborated with them. his famous close-ups of a fence and cups, which about ‘This is how we built a nation’ while harvesting present the aesthetics of modernity focussing on crops in Power and the Land, while a later sequen- A hand written text by Joris Ivens to Hazel Strand on the announcement card of Paul Strands’ death in 1976 abstract qualities of the subject: light and shadow, ce showing a young and joyful farmers son wande- © Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI structure, rhythm, the tactile surfaces of materials. ring through the fields and playing with his father The beauty of metal bridges, machines and sky- can also be seen in NATIVE LAND. scrapers were unveiled in a photo series on New York, which in 1920-21 turned into a film called After World War II ended, both Ivens and Strand left the US. Strand, who had stopped making MANHATTA (together with Charles Sheeler). This film predated the ‘city’ films of the European film avant- films and returned to still-life photography, left his garde movement, like The Bridge which Ivens made homeland because of the racist and intolerant atmosphere there. Later Strand and Ivens were for- seven years later. Both THE BRIDGE and MANHATTA show the joy with which Ivens and Strand tried to ced to become expatriates, because their home- find new ways of seeing, by using new angles, pat- lands, the US and Holland, confiscated their pass- 12 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 15

Paul Strand, still from the compilation film HEART OF SPAIN, 1937 (with Leo Hurwitz) Joris Ivens, still from THE SPANISH EARTH, 1937 (with John Fernhout and Ernest Hemingway)

Paul Strand, a graphic with the map of the USA, still from NATIVE LAND (1942) Joris Ivens, a graphic with the map of the USA, still from POWER AND THE LAND (1940)

Paul Strand, a young farmers’ son playing with his father, still from NATIVE LAND (1942) Joris Ivens, a young farmers’ son playing with his father, still from POWER AND THE LAND (1940)

Paul Strand, an American steel worker, still from NATIVE LAND (1942) Joris Ivens, used this sequence from NATIVE LAND for SONG OF THE RIVERS / LIED DER STRÖME (1954)

Paul Strand, the Ku Klux Klan fighting against African-Americans, still from NATIVE LAND (1942) Joris Ivens, used this sequence from NATIVE LAND for SONG OF THE RIVERS / LIED DER STRÖME (1954)

Paul Strand, the Ku Klux Klan fighting against African-Americans, still from NATIVE LAND (1942) Joris Ivens, used this sequence from NATIVE LAND for SONG OF THE RIVERS / LIED DER STRÖME (1954) 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 16

Paul Strand and Joris Ivens almost two brothers (to me) Virgilio Tosi

documentary THE FIRST YEARS, produced jointly by Czech, Polish and Bulgarian Documentary Film Studios.2 In this period, and for some years afterwards, Ivens shared the same destiny which would later befall Strand: the total or par- tial deprivation of his passport by the Dutch authorities.

As a young film critic, I was attending the Festival in Czechoslovakia with a small group of Italian journalists. Before then, I had only seen a couple of Ivens’ documentary films at the Filmclub of the Cineteca Italiana in Milan. His name was a legend among film fans, also because very little was known about him and his work. As for Paul Strand, I had only heard him mentioned as a progressive photographer and documentarist. During the Festival, I was deeply impressed by the presentation of NATIVE LAND. The film, anticipating the modern docu- drama, presented - with dramatic reconstruction of reality, in part re-enacted by non professional actors - some social and racial conflicts existing in the United States: the episodes of the film (Ku-Klux-Klan activities, the lynching of a black Paul Strand in his garden at Orgeval, 1972. Photo: man, trade union strikes illegally broken up) Virgilio Tosi were based on the findings of the US Senate’s One may ask: why compare two Civil Liberties La Follette Committee. artists, two protagonists of the film and photographic culture and art of the 20th century, so In a meeting with Strand at apparently different: one American, the other Marianske lazne he gave my colleagues and I Dutch, one mainly a photographer, the other the rare opportunity to admire the twenty photo- wholly a documentarist. gravures on separate sheets which formed The Mexican Porfolio, published in New York in 1940 There are many reasons, and André in a limited edition of 250 copies, which is now Stufkens asking me if I would consider writing acknowledged as a masterpiece in the history about these two men, shortly indicated some of of photography.3 Glauco Viazzi, an important them: both shared the same ideals of the avant- Italian film critic, interviewed both Strand and garde movement; both contributed essential Ivens. He offers an interesting portrait of the two masterpieces to left wing documentary film his- artists: tory; both were deeply involved in the social and political path that, all along the 20th century, “Although totally dissimilar at first was called the socialist and communist move- sight, the cinematographers Joris Ivens and ment, to which they participated in different Paul Strand are in reality extremely similar in ways, but with a strong tendency to interpret it nature and character. Ivens, smiling and good- as a modern utopia, in which they deeply belie- humoured, has a boyish face which shows ved. immediately that he must be a very kind hearted person. Talking with him for a few minutes is I had the privilege to enjoy with both enough to become friends - one feels you have Paul Strand and Joris Ivens a friendship which been knowing each other for years. When he is lasted for decades after I met them for the first worried, he looks really like a boy. And yet this time during the International Film Festival of kind man, who has clear opinions, who is not an Marianske Lazne (Czechoslovakia) in 1949. intellectual, nor a sentimental, but can merge both things, is one of the very few artists who Paul Strand was invited there to pre- has expressed himself exclusively through sent his feature length documentary NATIVE documentary films. [...] LAND, still unknown in Europe.1 After the Strand too has only realised documentaries. Festival, Strand decided not to return to the However, his activity as a cinematographer United States because of the growing threat seems to be marginal: he is renowned as a pho- posed by the Un-American activities Committee tographer, not as a film maker. [...] Strand is lead by Senator McCarthy. He remained in elderly, white haired and with a dark faced lined Europe, in Paris, first in a hotel, then renting a by many narrow, thin wrinkles. When he laughs, little apartment. Some years later, the US however, like Ivens he looks like a boy: a good embassy withdrew his American passport, old boy, who lived through plenty of bitterness, practically preventing him from travelling outside but never lost heart. [...] Later, at the hotel, he France. showed us a score of photographs he took in Mexico. They are really extraordinary, and we Joris Ivens, after having spent about now realise why critics consider him the fore- ten years in the USA (1936-1944), left for most American photographer of the day. [...] ‘I Australia, in the role of Film Commissioner for would like to do something of the kind in Italy, or the Dutch East Indies government. This mission in France’, said Strand.”4 was abruptly ended by his resignation and the filming of INDONESIA CALLING!. From 1947 Ivens and Strand did not meet for the onwards, Ivens lived mainly in Eastern Europe, first time at the 1949 Festival. It is possible that making documentary films for the local recently they first met in 1935 in Moscow, at that time a nationalised film industries. At the time of the kind of Mecca for every leftist artist or intellectu- Marianske Lazne Film festival he was comple- al. Strand spent six weeks in the Soviet capital Joris Ivens in Paris, 1985. Photo’s: Virgilio Tosi. ting the post-production of his feature-length between May and June 1935, where he met Collection Virgilio Tosi / EFJI 14 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 17

During the early Fifties, Strand and Ivens met on several occasions in Paris, where Strand was living. While Ivens was still having problems in travelling freely to the West side of the so-called iron curtain, Strand had married, in 1951, his third wife Hazel Kingsbury, abando- ning hotel life for a little, fifth floor apartment in Paris (without lift!). He was very busy trying to publish a photographic book on France. In spite of his fame, even among specialists, as a major American photographer, it was not easy to find a publisher for the book he was preparing with the French left-wing writer Claude Roy. They succeeded at last: La France de profil appeared in 1952, although not from a French publisher, but by a Swiss one.

In a letter to me dated August 25, 1951, Strand mentioned having met “Joris” and exchanged news about me.10 The relationship between Strand and Ivens was not just a formal friendship, but was based on common ideals and related difficulties, as witnessed by the many letters each of them wrote to me along the years.

After the book on France, Strand wanted to create an ‘Italian book’. A preliminary

Joris Ivens, the countryside of Luccania, film still from L’ITALIA NON È UN PAESE POVERO, 1960 © Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI phase was the search for an Italian writer who would prepare the text to accompany Strand’s Ejzenstejn, with whom he hoped to work on a A few weeks after Marianske lazne, photographs. Several names were proposed film. It seems that he was offered a job as a still in 1949, both Strand and Ivens briefly atten- and discussed between Strand and some of his cameraman, but nothing came of it, as the ded another important international film mee- Italian friends, until he asked me to contact Soviet authorities did not grant him a work per- ting, in Perugia, Italy, on the subject: “Do today’s Cesare Zavattini. Then began a long series of 5 mit. films reflect the problems of modern man?” The personal and written exchanges of ideas in event was promoted by a number of Italian film- order to identify the precise theme of the book, Ivens had first been invited to makers, among whom Vittorio De Sica, Cesare which finally bacome UN PAESE.11 Strand had Moscow by Vsevolod Pudovkin to present, in Zavattini, Roberto Rossellini, Luchino Visconti. started photographing images of different parts 1930, his first documentaries. On that occasion Among the participants were the Soviet of Italy, from Gaeta to Sicily and Puglia, from he lived in Ejzenstejn’s flat, who at the time was Vsevolod Pudovkin, the American Ben Tuscany to the Adriatic Sea. Several very diffe- staying in Mexico. Later on, Ivens was asked to Barzman, the Polish Alexander Ford, the French rent formulas were discussed as to the possible produce a feature length film (PESN’ O GEROJACH Georges Sadoul. The group of American film- content of the book: it could take an overview of - KOMSOMOL - 1932), meaning that he was the makers known as “The Hollywood Ten”, black- the whole country, or be based on a particular first foreign film director to ever be invited to listed and threatened with imprisonment in their area of Italy. work for a Soviet production company. Ivens country, sent a message to Perugia. Both Ivens was in Moscow, working at different documen- and Strand took the floor at the meeting with a During this long period of creative tary film projects, also in the summer of 1935, short report on the need for social engagement attempts involving Zavattini, Strand and their but we do not have any evidence of a meeting of documentary film directors for peace and close friends, we have knowledge of the active 8 with Strand at that time. progress. I attended the event myself, and took participation of Joris Ivens to this delicate plan- the opportunity to invite Joris Ivens to return to ning phase. In a long letter he sent me from Their first certain encounter is dated Italy in order to present some of his films in the Paris on December 16, 1952, Strand discussed 1936, in New York, when Ivens was invited by framework of various Italian Film Societies. The the various possibilities for the structure of the the New Film Alliance to lecture about docu- invitation originated from the Federazione book, and noted the fundamental differences mentary, presenting and discussing his films. Italiana dei Circoli del Cinema, of which I had existing between a film and still photographs. These progressive filmmakers were members recently been elected General Secretary.9 of the Film & Photo League (Paul Strand among “The problem is unlike that of a film, them) and had lively debates on one of the main in which one has constant story action in a cer- topics aroused by Ivens’ theories and documentaries - the possibility of “reconstructing” reality. They finally divided into two groups: the strict followers of Dziga Vertov’s assertions on the need of “catching life on the spot” remained in the Film & Photo League, while Paul Strand and others created their own independent group, including the “Frontier Film” which produced NATIVE LAND.6 This film clearly demonstrates how Strand shared Ivens’ positions on the possibility to introduce in a documentary film sequences where real events are reconstruc- ted.

Strand and Ivens shared, in the years of Roosevelt’s Presidency, both a professional, and social/political experience. Both were deeply involved in the progressive State Film Agency, led by the documentarist Pare Lorentz. Strand had been the director of photography on a Lorentz film, and Ivens had directed POWER AND THE LAND (1940).

In 1941, Ivens and Strand were in New York, and we find a definite trace of at least one meeting in a list of rendez-vous Ivens noted in his agenda: he mentions Strand as president of Frontier Film.7 Later they definitly met at the meetings of the Association of Documentary Film Producers as Ivens was elected president and Strand vice-president. Joris Ivens during the shooting of L’ITALIA NON È UN PAESE POVERO, 1960 © Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 18

In my above mentioned letter, I refer- red to Ivens’ project of LIED DER STRÖME: “He is working on an exciting idea. Perhaps you will meet him in Paris around the end of January.” Only months later, in a letter dated November 27, 1954, Strand commented: “We saw Joris not so long ago and hope to see him again when his film is shown here quite soon. He is fine and seems very satisfied with the success of the great project he has made and which we are very eager to see.” In successive letters he mentions having seen Ivens in Paris, regretting I wasn’t there. In a letter of May 19, 1955, Strand informs me that, “for the reasons you know”, he will not have any further possibility of coming to Rome, or going elsewhere outside France.

This situation deeply influenced Strand’s way of life, especially because it made it impossible to produce a number of photographic books he had in mind. He complained about it in several letters. In July 1958 he expressed his hopes about the possibility that his passport would be returned to him, as a Virgilio Tosi and Joris Ivens during a seminar at the consequence of a US Supreme Court’s deci- Virgilio Tosi and Joris Ivens during a seminar at the Centro sperimentale di cinematografia, Rome, 1977. Centro sperimentale di cinematografia, Rome, 1977. sion. From August 1958 he was again “mobile”. Collection Virgilio Tosi / EFJI Collection Virgilio Tosi / EFJI Immediately he went to London, then to the tain background, the background less important Karlovy Vary Film Festival in Czechoslovakia, to world. Some of those letters he sent me, allo- perhaps than the action. I must find things in the Rome and then to Egypt, to make a new book. wing me now to reproduce faithfully his thinking background itself which are visually exciting and and his feelings. alive. [...] However we also have the same Another point that connects the inte- question in our minds as to a book limited to rests and activities of Ivens and Strand is a pro- Although it is impossible to analyse one area. [...] Or, as an alternative, Joris’ sug- ject born out of the fertile imagination of Cesare here in detail every comment Paul Strand made gestion of a group of photographs from various Zavattini. After Ivens had completed LA SEINE A on the dramatic events of the second half of the part of Italy as an introduction to the region of RENCONTRÉ PARIS (1957) and before he started 20th century, a few fragments are worth quo- Luzzara.”12 preparing the three TV films L’ITALIA NON È UN ting. After the Hungarian events of 1956 he PAESE POVERO (1960) there are traces, which wrote me (November 1, 1956): “As for the vol- In those years, Zavattini was thinking includes some of my personal memories of canic world in which we live, so full of eruption, about a project for a film to be called Italia mia, what was told to me by the both Ivens and event after event, it makes the head swim, the which he discussed with Vittorio De Sica, Zavattini, of a film written by Zavattini and direc- obvious all mixed up with the unbelievable, dan- Roberto Rossellini and others, but was never ted by Ivens on the most important Italian river, gerous and tragic. One can but wait the resolu- realised. When Strand-Zavattini’s Un paese the Po. In his second autobiography Ivens tions of forces now in inevitable motion, and not appeared in 1955, it was as the first of a series wrote: “He [Zavattini] knew very well the region with panic.” Later (December 4, 1956): “We are of books entitled “Italia mia”. Zavattini wrote on and the people, and I had always been attracted now witnessing the sad and disgraceful specta- the book cover that Un paese was the beginning by rivers. [....] So, why not do it? Zavattini was cle of the instability of the intelligentsia.” of a new kind of book, born from an encounter listening to me, taking notes, it would have been with cinematography, a synthesis of film and a great poem on the Po. After making LA SEINE Years later, after several dramatic book. However, none of these planned books A RENCONTRÉ PARIS I knew the traps, and I could events (the Berlin wall, the Cuban missile crisis, 16 were ever published, and Un paese remains a avoid them. But it remained only a project.” The and the war in Vietnam) he wrote (November unique example of its kind.13 film remained at the idea stage, but it is interes- 26, 1964): “Yes, much has happened to speak ting to note that, in the introductory text written about and discuss. I feel that all was probably In the Strand-Ivens relationship, we by Cesare Zavattini for UN PAESE, among the quite necessary and in the long view salutary. must also underline the great and passionate various proposals mentioned on how to shape Nevertheless it has also been very disturbing interest Paul Strand had for Ivens’ project which the book with Strand there was also “a journey and tends perhaps to give the reactionary for- 17 finally, in 1954, became LIED DER STRÖME (THE along the Po, from its sources till the sea”. ces a feeling of a certain self satisfaction and SONG OF THE RIVERS), a film produced by Defa confidence it is not good for them to have.” In (DDR) and officially promoted and sponsored Besides the single events or projects June 1965 Paul Strand (along with other by the World Trade Union Federation. Among they were jointly involved in, it is interesting to American artists) declined an invitation by Ivens’ co-workers were Dimitri Sostakovic, compare the respective attitudes of Ivens and President Johnson to a reception and dinner at Bertolt Brecht, Vladimir Pozner and Paul Strand (and the eventual changes of attitude) the White House, motivated by his disagree- Robeson. Film sequences from all over the towards important political events of the 20th ment towards the foreign policy of the US admi- world were sent by dozens of filmmakers. In his century. nistration (on Vietnam) and the publishing of a second autobiography, Ivens wrote about LIED letter in the ‘New Herald Tribune’ (Paris, June DER STRÖME: “It was the most ambitious film I Paul Strand didn’t write much for 15, 1965). After he had finished photographing made in the Eastern countries, a great fresco publication apart from a few articles and Living Egypt, and was preparing the publication on the workers’ condition in the world, with eigh- essays, and no autobiography. But he kept with of the book, the Suez war provoked his reaction teen countries collaborating.”14 It is worth obser- great care his personal correspondence with (June 9, 1967): “I am sick at heart at what ving that Paul Robeson, who sang in Ivens’ film, some of his close friends, hundreds of letters in Western imperialism has done to the Arabs had already worked with Paul Strand in NATIVE which he gave and commented on news, wrote using the Israeli tool.” LAND, as “narrator”. In the early Fifties, when about his daily life and his work and expressed Ivens was often living in East Berlin, he was a his point of view on what was happening in the In 1968, a few days before the occu- consultant on the documentary films made by pation of Czechoslovakia, he wrote (August 15): Hazel and Paul Strand at Orgeval, 1972. Photo Virgilio Tosi Defa, who were a nationalised production com- “The negative elements seem to overshadow pany. When asked to give seminars to young what is healthy and good. Or am I getting filmmakers he presented, as well as some of his older?” He joined to his letter some worrying own films, Strand’s NATIVE LAND.15 articles published by ‘Le Monde’ and commented: “They are having [the journalists] a great In a letter to Strand (December 26, time these days ‘fishing in troubled waters’ and 1953) I mentioned “my Dutch friend” referring to not only ‘Le Monde’, of course. Nevertheless I Ivens. This was part of the cryptic way of expres- must say that I find the going on as reported sion often used during the cold war. Strand very disturbing and almost incredible.” At the asked me (letter of July 4, 1952) to transmit his time I was myself in Prague, with my Czech wife greetings to some common friends from Eastern and two little daughters. After our return to Europe whom I would meet at the Venice Film Rome I wrote Paul Strand a long, hard letter festival, but requested me to ask them not to (September 14, 1968), telling him in detail what write to him, because it was not “prudent”. we had witnessed: no sign of counterrevolution, 16 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 19

Socialism has become imperialism. We must Biography of Joris Ivens, Amsterdam University then rebuild Socialism, start again and continue Press, 2000, p. 165. onwards”.18 8 See U. Barbaro (ed.), Il Cinema e l’uomo moderno, Le edizioni sociali, Milano, 1950. From an essay on Joris Ivens, A Way 9 The Italian “tournée” of Ivens took place, after of Seeing Joris Ivens’s Documentary Century, I encountering many difficulties for obtaining his quote: “He never made explicit his reactions to films and providing him with a visa for Italy in the events in Budapest, in 1956, but it is likely spite of his passport’s problems, in the spring of that the first cracks in his Stalinist beliefs began 1951. For details see V. Tosi, Quando il cinema to appear. This was perhaps enhanced by era un circolo - La stagione d’oro dei cineclub Khrushcev’s process of de-Stalinization. To his (1945-1956), Fondazione Scuola Nazionale di brother he wrote: “What a long, worrisome, and Cinema-Marsilio editore, Roma-Venezia, 1999, sometimes horrible period is necessary in order pp. 147-153; V. Tosi, Joris Ivens. Cinema e uto- Hazel and Paul Strand at the station of Orgeval, 1972. to arrive at a better world, to change a socio- pia, Bulzoni, Roma, 2002, pp. 14-21 and pas- Photo Virgilio Tosi economic system and to achieve better, more sim. Ivens himself wrote about this Italian human relations among people.” He never com- ‘tournée’ in his second autobiography: J. Ivens, the confidence of the people in a modern and mented on the events in Prague, in 1968.”19 R. Destanque, Joris Ivens ou la mémoire d’un dynamic socialism (‘let us build our human Ivens died in 1989 in Paris, a few days after the regard, Editions Bfb, Paris, 1982, passim. socialism’). “Many illusions were squashed by tragic events at Tienanmen Square in Peking. 10 In the spring of this same year I spent some the 50 ton tanks of the invaders”. [...] Someone His death was certainly connected with the weeks touring Italy with Ivens for his conferen- said “the truth is always revolutionary”. [...] great disappointment he suffered about the poli- ces and presentation of films in several Film Actually ‘Pravda’ in Russian means ‘Lie’. [...] tical situation in China. Once more, he had to Societies. Dear Paul and Hazel, the tragedy we lived for a 11 recognise he had been an utopist. At his funer- Published in 1955 by Einaudi, Torino. UN PAESE week, and the Czech people are still living, I al, representatives from both the Embassy of has been republished in Italy (Alinari, Firenze, cannot tell you in a letter. [...] We left the Peopleís Republic of China and of the 1997, with a note by Virgilio Tosi), jointly with the Czechoslovakia after the first, very moving, Association of the Chinese Democratic first English edition (Aperture, New York, 1997). deeply affecting words of Dubcek (unlawfully Students were present. 12 The underlining is mine. The final maquette of restrained with barbaric and middle-age tech- UN PAESE, as it was published, consists only of niques).” As we mentioned at the beginning, photographs of Luzzara, the native village of both Strand and Ivens are to be considered per- Zavattini, and of the text Zavattini wrote, which Strand answered (October 2, 1968): sonally, socially and politically engaged with the includes statements of the inhabitants photo- “It is too long since we received your very communist movement which spread around the graphed by Strand. moving letter so full of a friendship we deeply world during their long and active lives. More, 13 The Czech film critic, prof. A.M. Brousil defi- prize. [...] We had no idea that you were all in they are typical examples of “citizens of the ned UN PAESE “a film on paper”. Prague during those precise weeks and can world”. Two different men and artists, not only 14 J. Ivens, R. Destanque, Joris Ivens ou la realise what a serious experience, serious and closely connected by their ideals, but also by a mémoire d’un regard, cit, p. 241. very painful. Also somewhat dangerous. It was strong humanistic and internationalist spirit. 15 Joris Ivens had evidently asked Paul Strand to very much a relief to know that you are in Rome Although, as far as I know, they did not exchan- provide him a print of NATIVE LAND, which Strand safe and sound. Please accept on faith, howe- ge correspondence regularly over the years, has done. This copy is actually present in the ver, that for many reasons we cannot discuss they were friends. Their friendship was based Joris Ivens Archives. these sad events in a letter. Events which I think on the great respect, esteem, and sympathy 16 Ivi, p. 249. See also H. Jansen, Established however deserve a certain amount of patience they felt for each other. Their friendship with me, contacts and unrealised projects. Ivens and Italy to clarify, remembering all the crisis of the past which never faltered through the years even in the Fifties, in “Joris Ivens - A Wind Tale” (eds. 50 years since the birth of the first socialist when we disagreed on the evaluation of current G. Capizzi, M. Ganzerli, A. Giorgio), state. Yesterday I received what for me is the social and political events, provided me with Cinemambiente, Torino, 2002, p. 67. first serious analysis of present events in this examples and inspiration, so much so that I like 17 Paul Strand, Cesare Zavattini, Un paese, relation, a masterly and careful piece of Marxist to think of both of them as more than friends, Einaudi, Torino, 1955, p. 7. scholarship. [...] it says what I have been thin- almost as elder brothers to me. Paul Strand and 18 J. Ivens, R. Destanque, Joris Ivens ou la king but I could never formulate with such know- Joris Ivens walked, separately, a parallel ‘long mémoire d’un regard, cit, pp. 133 and 139. ledge and clarity. I also in these days miss the march’ along the history of almost all of the 20th 19 In Kees Bakker, A Way of Seeing Joris Ivens’ voice of Togliatti [died in 1964], his understan- century. They remain, to this day, major prota- Documentary Century, in K. Bakker (ed.), Joris ding and wisdom.” gonists in the history of film and photography, Ivens and the Documentary Contest, and as magnificent examples of the possibilities Amsterdam University Press, 1999, p. 41. Neither the Czechoslovakian events of social engagement. of 1968, nor what happened afterwards, affec- ted Paul Strand’s crystalline faith in the ideals of 1 Completed in 1942, produced by Frontier Film, the 1917 October Revolution. He died in 1976, directed by Paul Strand and Leo Hurwitz, pho- and was spared from experiencing all the sub- tography by Paul Strand. At the 4th International sequent changes of world policy. At the Père Film Festival in Marianske lazne, NATIVE LAND Lachaise cemetery, “While the cremation took was awarded the first prize for best script. place Cathy had had the idea that we walk to 2 THE FIRST YEARS was presented at the end of the Mur des Fédérés and place flowers there” 1949. Originally, it should have been composed (from a letter by Hazel Strand, April 20, 1976). of four episodes, including one shot in Yugoslavia, which was never edited after the Ivens wrote two autobiographies and political rupture between Cominform and many articles and essays, and given many Yugoslavia. interviews on political subjects, so it is possible 3 In 1967 The Mexican Porfolio was republished to find out his varying attitudes towards the dra- with a preface by Alvaro Siqueiros; Paul Strand Virgilio Tosi and Joris Ivens in Paris, 1985. Photo: matic events he lived through. However, in many gave me, as a mark of friendship, a copy of this Marceline Loridan-Ivens cases he deliberately decided not to take an rare publication. Virgilio Tosi met Joris Ivens and Paul Strand in open position, in order “not to provide weapons 4 Glauco Viazzi, Le interviste di Cinema - 1949 in Máriánske lázne ad Perugia after which to the reactionaries”, as said in those days. It Aleksandrov e Daquin, Ivens e Strand, he invited Ivens to Italy for a retrospective tour. would be too long to retrace the long story of his “Cinema” n.s. I, 23, 30 ottobre 1949, p. 174. When Strand wanted to make a photographic relationship with the USSR, from the enthu- 5 In the following decades Strand, inspired by book on Italy, Tosi helped him to find places and siasm of the Thirties, through the slow and his faith in the first Socialist State, tried in at people of interest. The friendship with Strand silent “taking of distances”, to the rupture. We least two occasions to realise, with a Soviet and Ivens continued until their deaths in 1976 will here only quote two contrasting sentences publisher, an internationally coproduced book and 1989. Tosi has about 200 letters from his from his second autobiography. When lecturing which should have contained his photographs correspondence with Strand and published at US universities in 1936: “I used to say that in taken in the USSR and a text written by Ilja many articles on Ivens. These include an intro- Soviet Russia you could still find traces of the Erenburg or by Evgenij Evtusenko. Nothing hap- ductory essay to the Italian version of Ivens’ first old regime but, in spite of errors, imperfections pened, nor could he republish UN PAESE out of autobiography: Io-cinema, autobiografia di un and some abuses, the Soviet society was on a Italy as he wished to. cineasta (Milan 1979), in Quando il cinema era higher level than the American.” Then, in 1982: 6 For more details about this period, see the un circolo - la stagione d’oro dei cineclub (1945- “Perhaps my greatest illusion was to believe essay by B. Hogenkamp in Joris Ivens: 50 Jaar 1956) (Venice 1999), in UNA STORIA DI VENTO that, as it would be right, in a Socialist country Wereldcineast, published by the Nederlands (Turin, 2002) and a monograph: Joris Ivens. each personís right of expression would have Filmmuseum, Amsterdam, 1979. Cinema e Utopia (Bulzone editore, Rome more chances to be realised. History hit me on 7 See Hans Schoots, Living Dangerously - A 2002). the head; today, everywhere man is limited, 17 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 20

In Relationship with Paul Strand & Joris Ivens; Their legacy today

Catherine Duncan

Paul Strand during the shooting of NATIVE LAND, 1939. Photo: Marion Michelle

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Marion Michelle

NATIVE LAND a photoserie

Marion Michelle met Joris Ivens in the Forties, and became his partner in 1944, after which she followed Ivens to Australia and filmed INDONESIA CALLING! (1945). In1946 she went to Europe with Ivens and wrote the script for THE FIRST YEARS 4 (1949). Together with Catherine Duncan she published Working with Ivens (1963) and developed a script 1 Set photo of NATIVE LAND with Paul Strand and Leo for TILL ULENSPIEGEL. In 1999 Hurwitz in New York, 1939. Photo: Marion Michelle Michelle published My Native Land, 2-5 Set photos of the actors during the shooting of her memories on Ivens in the USA. NATIVE LAND, 1939, with a.o. Virginia Stevens. Photo’s: Her photos of Ivens were exhibited at Marion Michelle the Centre Pompidou in Paris, in 6 Paul Strand and Leo Hurwitz filming NATIVE LAND, 3 Leipzig, Amsterdam (IDFA) and 1939. Photo: Marion Michelle Nijmegen (Town Hall).

Marion Michelle met Paul Strand in New York in 1939, when she worked as a stills photographer on the set of NATIVE LAND (1942). At the request of Strand she replaced him for the making of a photographic report in Mexico. She met Strand again in France, where they continued their friendship.

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On the only occasion my memory Although he could rarely leave his bed, the visi- today, in the full sense of the term. This is rein- recalls being together with both Paul and Joris at torsí bedroom was turned into a studio, and for forced by the color printout, which is often at the same time was a Sunday in Orgeval, where the first time I participated in the way Paul wor- odds with what we once recognized as ‘reality’. Paul and Hazel Strand had invited us to their ked on his books. Until then we had only worked What words can we find to go with these ‘physi- home for lunch. The two men were old friends as on texts together, once photographically, Paul cal’ images? Paul had been one of the pioneers of militant had already created his montage. With the documentary film when Joris first arrived to show Garden Book however, we began at the begin- If the camera can explore different his films in America. I imagined they would still ning, a mass of unedited photographs accumula- speeds from different aspects, perhaps for text have much in common, even if Paul in his later ted over the years in Orgeval. We used work too we can improvise different rhythms. work had concentrated on still photography. prints so we could hang them on the walls where Contractions of an e-mail text are already Paul could see them from his bed. After studying teaching us that there is nothing more tiring to To my surprise, the meeting was them, he would ask us to bring him two of the read than a long text on the screen. Better to print somewhat formal. I had an impression that the prints so he could see them together. If the rela- it out and read it as a text. The image condenses two men shared a professional respect for each tionship pleased him, these two were set aside, language, turning it preferably into short phrases, other, but found it difficult to discuss their work on followed perhaps by another two, which enriched individual words. This economy inevitably expo- a personal basis. Film and photography kept at a or demanded a change in the existing relations- ses text for still photography to the same con- respectful distance, as if they were engaged in hip. I had heard from Michael Hoffman, the direc- traction. Instead of an explanation or description, finding individual solutions. Having had the privi- tor of Aperture (which would presumably edit the it aspires to an inner relationship with the image lege of working with both men separately in the finished book), that Paul was maddeningly slow itself, words that surge up from what Benjamin role of what Paul described as a ‘word girl’ this in establishing these relationships, and equally called an ‘optical unconscious’, charged with hardly surprised me, since I too, had tackled the maddening in his defense of them. But on this poetic power. relationship of text and image as something very occasion, Michael was in no hurry for The different in film and in photography. Garden Book. He had other plans for immediate I have in my possession several recent Today - perhaps because I am working myself work to keep Paul’s interest alive in photography. works by the Dutch artist and photographer, with a digital camera - I would be less categorical Machiel Botman, which I would describe as prop- in making this distinction. What these two great The Garden Book was never comple- hetic in this regard. They are printed on a folded artists had in common was a fundamental ap- ted before his death. But in those days we wor- sheet of beautiful paper where both sides contri- proach to relationships between the images ked on it together, I realized that Paul was cre- bute to the double identity of the text/image. themselves. ating his album in the same way that Joris had Sometimes text stands alone, at others together created INDONESIA CALLING! with the image. Independently, how could such a In retrospect, my first discovery of this text as dreaming the words, singing inside give approach was made one night in Australia, in the Perhaps it is in the last three years us any clue as to the image or what reality it cutting room with Joris and Marion Michelle since I began working with a digital camera might evoke. Nor could we foresee from the when INDONESIA CALLING! was literally created myself that I began to link the work of these two image alone what words this image might call up. from Marion’s film coverage of extemporary artists as prophetic of the change in our rela- Yet, seen /read in relationship we know at once events, shot at a momentís notice and without tionship with text and image. It would have been we are participating at another level of artistic reference to a pre-meditated script. We were all fascinating to know how these two men would experience. agreed on the subject - the right of independen- have reacted to this ‘new’ photography - Paul the ce for the people of Indonesia now the war was perfectionist particularly. Both men closely follo- There is a tactile pleasure in handling over. But how Indonesians in Australia would de- wed technical developments, insisting on the these works, as if the closeness of eye and hand fend this right in Australia would defend that right impact a new technique could have on the artist’s invested them with a sense of contraband, con- could only be followed day by day, through their relationship with his work. Paul had been the first tradicting Bergson’s theory that to perceive a militant action fully supported by Australian trade to introduce me to the new techniques that work is to immobilize it. On the contrary, these unionists. Another difficulty was procuring film showed us the unseen in nature and space. At works are an invitation to movement and physical stock, in short supply at the end of the war. the same time, he revealed in those visionary contact. They are not designed to be hung on Material was scant - ‘1 to 1 shooting’ was how garden photos another space, which, perhaps, walls - the prolongation of easel painting, as Marion described it, and what scraps remained Joris shared with him in those last shots of him- Benjamin noted. Perhaps the wall itself is outmo- on the cutting room floor would have given little self on top of the mountain in China. Both artists ded as a way of exhibiting modern photography? clue to the richness that emerged in the final had reached the lonely grandeur of seeing bey- image. When the film was shown - to the ond themselves. Once we perceive reality as a constant Indonesians first, then to the Australian public, movement of changing relationships, then the and eventually smuggled into Indonesia - there work of art escapes from a sacrosanct identity - was no doubt that it had become a prodigious freed for new encounters. As Machiel himself arm in the struggle for independence. suggested, he might one day send me the same image of dreaming the words remanded with a Driving back through the summer different text. If he does, then it will be a new work dawn after that night in the cutting room, with the altogether. film in its can to be delivered when the laboratory opened, I began to think about the text that I And I will be singing inside to think that would write to go with it. When images were inter- the legacy Paul and Joris left us is being so ima- related by a montage of genius adding words and ginatively renewed by artists today. commentary could be helpful perhaps, but the first language to be learnt by a ‘word girl’ was how to let images speak for themselves.

Joris Ivens, film still from INDONESIA CALLING!, 1946 © Many years later in France, I made my Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI second discovery, this time with still photography. In 1945 Catherine Duncan met Joris Although first hand knowledge of using a camera For a ‘word girl’ their legacy is not easy Ivens and Marion Michelle in Sydney (Australia) had stopped with a box Brownie in my childhood, to assume. Discussing the problem with friends and wrote the commentary for INDONESIA CALLING! I had become a fervent admirer of Paul Strand’s and photographers, it would seem that no rela- (1946). Later on, after moving to Europe she photographs. tionship today is so difficult to create as that wrote the commentary for THE FIRST YEARS The magic of those moments after Sunday lun- between word and photographic image. Since (1949). Together with Marion Michelle she publis- cheons when Paul showed visitors a new print 1936 when the philosopher Walter Benjamin sig- hed Working with Ivens (1963) and developed a had been renewed many times, and I possessed naled the profound change brought about in our script for TILL ULENSPIEGEL. In 1999 Duncan several of his published books. perception by the films of Charlie Chaplin and published To bear you in Mind, her memories of Walt Disney cartoons, we can no longer think in Ivens. Because in his later years Paul was the split terms of subject/object between photo- Catherine Duncan met Paul and Hazel unable to travel, he confined his camera to grapher and image. This new inter-relationship Strand in France and collaborated closely with Hazel’s garden, and perhaps because I was has been consummated by the practical simplifi- the photographer on the text for several of his more and more implicated in his work, these pho- cation of using a digital camera. The first time I photo books and portfolios, like The Garden and tographs had for me a visionary effulgence - if I saw the young photographer Lea Crespi pick up On my Doorstep. After his death, Duncan publis- may use that old fashioned word which expres- my digital camera and take pictures at arms’ hed several essays about him in Paul Strand. ses a ‘shining forth’. length without looking, I was bemused by the Essays on his Life and Work (1990) and Paul results that came up on the computer screen. By Strand The World On My Doorstep 1950 - 1976, Slowly, we began to talk about ‘The this very act she had become part of the picture, a photographic book on Strand published by Garden Book’, and in the last months of his life, establishing a tactile rather than an optical rela- Aperture after the exhibition of Strand photos at the book itself began to take form in his mind. tionship with the image. We ‘take’ a photograph the Folkwang Museum, Essen. 19 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 22

Bersiap Joris Ivens and the early Indonesian revolution Gerda Jansen-Hendriks

Indonesian battle cry meaning ‘I’m ready’ and most appropriate man for the job. In August was often shouted by groups of revolutionary 1945, he was in Australia for a new job - Film youngsters, who wanted all white people out of Commissioner of the Netherlands East Indies. Indonesia as soon as possible. It is telling that However, it was a promising assignment that the period is named after the most extreme eventually turned into a nightmare. A year ear- group of the time. For a long time, the Dutch lier, in September 1944, Ivens was asked if he could not accept that the majority of Indonesian was interested in working for the Government of people did not need them anymore. the Netherlands East Indies. It was the idea of Lieutenant Governor-General Van Mook and his The conference organised by the assistant Charles van der Plas. Van der Plas NIOD was focused on the identity and shifting was one of the most liberal colonial minds of loyalties of the different groups in Indonesia. It that era. Both Van Mook and Van der Plas had meant to get a more subtle image of what hap- known, even in 1944, that the situation in Joris Ivens, demonstration for national independence pened in the year after the declaration of Indonesia would be drastically changed once of Indonesia in Sydney, film still INDONESIA CALLING!, Indonesian independence. In this respect, non- they returned. They considered it very important 1946 © Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI fiction films from this period were not really to have a film service of high quality that could In October 1945, Joris Ivens started appropriate. They are not very subtle and they help to convince the Indonesian people of a working on INDONESIA CALLING!. This film is about do not give a taste of the chaos and the related new future. Ivens was excited about the idea. He the then recently declared Indonesian indepen- loved ‘history in the making’ and saw great dence and the refusal of the Dutch colonial rulers to accept it. As a result, INDONESIA CALLING! led to Ivens losing his Dutch passport and was the beginning of a conflict with the Dutch authorities that lasted for decades. Recently INDONESIA CALLING! was shown at an international conference organised by the NIOD, the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation, about the early phase of the Indonesian revolution. The aim of the conference was to get a better understanding of this cha- otic period of history that saw the birth of the Indonesian nation.1 Non-fiction film had a special role in this, with a variety of newsreels and documentaries being produced by the young republic itself, Britain, the Netherlands or made independently like INDONESIA CALLING!. This article is based on a lecture about the theme.

It all started on August 17, 1945. Around 11 o’clock in the morning, the future president Soekarno read aloud a declaration of independence on the steps of his house in Jakarta (which had been renamed Batavia by the Dutch). The small group present sang the national anthem, the Indonesia Raya, while the red and white flag was raised.2 Technically, they and Soekarno were still subjects of the Netherlands East Indies Empire. In fact, the Dutch were nowhere in sight. Their empire had been occupied by Japan in 1942 and nearly all Joris Ivens, film still INDONESIA CALLING!, 1946 © Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI Dutch military and civilians were put in prison camps. When the war in the Pacific ended, complexities of the revolutionary period. They opportunities ahead. He also enjoyed the idea Indonesians were not ‘liberated’. At the moment do something else: they represent the ideas and of working in the service of his own country. the Japanese capitulated, on August 15, there the hopes for the future as seen by the different However, over the following year, he must have were no Allied troops in Indonesia proper (only groups involved. In this respect, they are indica- lost all fondness for it. Countless pages have in the far eastern part, on New Guinea, the tive of the future stereotypes about this period. been written about what happened in Australia island that the American General MacArthur INDONESIA CALLING! is no exception. between Ivens and the Netherlands Indies used as a base for his attack on Japan). The Government Information Service or NIGIS. One end of the war in Indonesia was the beginning A lot of events that concern the revo- of the results of the conflict was that Ivens never of a power vacuum that in some places would lution have been filmed in Indonesia. Although Joris Ivens, an Indonesian dance, film still from last for over a year. It was a very violent period, they were not in attendance at the declaration of INDONESIA CALLING!, 1946 © Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI which gave free reign to many disintegrating for- independence itself, in the weeks following, ces, from extreme revolutionaries to Islamic fun- Indonesian cameraman frequently filmed mass damentalists and outright criminals. meetings where the red and white flag was raised and rousing speeches were made by Until recently, the period of revolution Soekarno and other leaders. These events were had only been described in stereotypes and also recorded by the British Army, who were the from a nationalist angle. Indonesian history first Allied force to land in Indonesia.3 Their foot- books glorify a national revolution that clearly age was used by newsreel companies like had its victims, but these were all completely Gaumont in the UK. The first series of reports justified.That the period is also characterised by showed an avid interest and curiosity about the acts of gruesome violence between future of the Indonesian people. Indonesians, is conveniently forgotten. Dutch history books refer to the early Indonesian revo- These events may even have been lution as the ‘bersiap’. This was originally an filmed by Joris Ivens as he would have been the 20 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 23

got permission to go to Indonesia. He resigned also wanted to make. After his arrival in on November 21, 1945, even though some Australia, he soon began to talk about a five parts of INDONESIA CALLING! had already been part film about the liberation. He was very shot.4 unhappy when it became clear that, on the orders of General MacArthur, he was not allo- According to the narration in the wed into the Pacific theatre of war. As Film beginning, the film is a story ‘about the ships Commissioner, he already had made arrange- that did not sail’. The ships were Dutch, and ments with American film companies and the they could not sail because the Australian American Army to use their war footage. This Seamen’s Union had successfully organised a was later incorporated into DOOR DUISTERNIS TOT boycott. This was a great nuisance for the Dutch LICHT, together with some of the footage made authorities, because they had planned to trans- by the British Army (mentioned earlier). Another fer a great deal of their troops and goods legacy of Ivens as Film Commissioner was the through Australian harbours. We see modern equipment which the Gouvernements Indonesian seamen listening to a radio channel Filmbedrijf used. Ivens had ordered it from the - Indonesia Calling - to learn about the new United States. It came to Australia while the Indonesian Republic and then convincing their boycott was on, but a Dutch Navy officer called Australian mates to start the boycott. In one of Quispel, the most important man within NIGIS, the more telling scenes, a ship with a crew of managed to smuggle the heavy load of came- Indian sailors gets round the boycott and sails ras, editing tables and the like on board a Dutch out, only to return after emotional pleas from marine ship that was leaving for Indonesian sailors who follow the ship in a small Batavia/Jakarta.7 boat. A twist of fate then occurred. After INDONESIA CALLING! was made on an Ivens had resigned, he was replaced by two extremely low budget, with an old camera and Dutch filmmakers who knew him well - Jan Mol very little film. It stands out from other films and Mannus Franken. Mol became the new man about the early revolution mainly, of course, in charge of the Gouvernements Filmbedrijf, President Sukarno of the young republic of Indonesia because it has no shots of Indonesia. What it and Franken was appointed artistic director. does though, is convey a feeling of urgency Before starting Mol even met Ivens in Australia tion in the country. It made films for a variety of about a new era. This is also very strong in the in January 1946 to discuss the educational films sources, including the Dutch East Indies Marine Indonesian newsreels that were made in this Ivens had been planning. Department. After the Japanese invasion of period.5 The seamen listening to the radio are Java, the studios at Meester Cornelis were not comparable to shots in Indonesian newsreels left idle. Numerous newsreels were produced were people are buying a newspaper that there by the Japanese. Interestingly, this was all announces the declaration of independence. done under the technical guidance of Jan Mol. There is also a comparable focus on interna- He was a prisoner of war, as all Dutch men tional support for the Indonesian cause. But in were, but the Japanese asked for his assistan- INDONESIA CALLING! there is something that is ce. Later, different judgements were passed on lacking in the Indonesian films - solidarity this ‘collaboration with the enemy’.8 What matte- between people of all creed and colour. red for the future, is that because of his work for the Japanese, Jan Mol personally knew most of Indonesian filmmakers primarily wan- the Indonesian post war filmmakers, and some ted to show that the Indonesian people were as of them had even learned the trade from him. It one and that they could run a country on their was clear that he and Franken were not old fas- own. For a ‘global citizen’ as Joris Ivens would hioned colonial hardliners. Franken had left the be called today, the co-operation between diffe- Netherlands for the East-Indies in 1934, where rent nations and races constitutes the essence he made PAREH, HET LIED VAN DE RIJST (PAREH, of his story. At the beginning of INDONESIA THE SONG OF RICE, 1936), presenting sincere CALLING! Ivens shows an ideal multicultural and and lyric interest in the Indonesian people. multi-ethnical society in cosmopolitan Sydney where Indonesians and Australian citizens live Mol and Franken were without doubt and dance happily together. At the end of the the producers of DOOR DUISTERNIS TOT LICHT film the final images show people from different even though the film itself has no credits. nations crossing a bridge in a kind of demonst- However, it was clearly a production of the ration, a mighty metaphor for this idea of solida- Gouvernements Filmbedrijf and one of the rity between nations. Interestingly enough, this Dutch cameraman who worked for the company is also an important theme of the Dutch docu- thought, on being asked recently, that the film mentaries that were made by the service that must have been made by Mol and Franken.9 At made life so difficult for Ivens, the Netherlands the time, there was nobody else who could pro- Indies Government Information Service. duce a film like that. Two versions of DOOR DUISTERNIS TOT LICHT have been made. The later By the end of 1945 the NIGIS had Advertisement of the Netherlands-Indies Film Company one ends with the Lingadjatti agreements on changed it’s name to Gouvernements November 15, 1946. This agreement seemed to Filmbedrijf, meaning Film Company of the Like Ivens, Mol and Franken had a offer a compromise between the Indonesians Government. One of the most important docu- respectable record of service. All three men and the Dutch, but it never worked out. mentaries the company produced was DOOR started out in the 1920’s as experimental docu- DUISTERNIS TOT LICHT (THROUGH DARKNESS TO mentary filmmakers. The Dutch Film League In March 1946, the first version of LIGHT).6 It is the story of ‘the liberation of the had given them the opportunity to screen their DOOR DUISTERNIS TOT LICHT was only given a Netherlands East-Indies’ and this is the story films. Ivens and Franken collaborated intensive- Universal (U) rating by the Dutch board of film that Joris Ivens was supposed to have made, ly on REGEN (RAIN, 1929) and BRANDING censors after some scenes showing dead and for that matter, the one which he himself (BREAKERS, 1928) and it was Ivens who took bodies were removed. The later version was

Mannus Franken, an Indonesian dance, from TANAH Mol’s UIT DE WERELD DER KRISTALLEN (FROM THE approved for 14 years and older. ‘Death, woun- SABRANG, 1935 © Mannus Franken Stichting WORLD OF CRYSTALS, 1928) with him when he ded and other war atrocities. Not for young presented Dutch vanguard films during his trip children’, according to the board.10 They are across the Soviet Union in 1929. They undoub- right. The film contains, for example, two shots tedly respected each others work. of a dead body floating in a city canal. These images are shocking in their own right, but are At the end of the 1930’s Jan Mol left given more resonance because it is the only for the East Indies to work on a commercial tra- known footage to show the results of the violen- velogue in colour, technically not an easy job. ce that was so characteristic of this period. When the Germans invaded the Netherlands in May 1940 he was unable to return home and It is remarkable that a documentary decided to establish an East Indies branch of about post-war Indonesia does not once name his company, Multifilm Batavia. Multifilm was the newly proclaimed republic, nor show based at Meester Cornelis, just outside the Soekarno. Yet this is what DOOR DUISTERNIS TOT capital, and became the centre of film produc- LICHT managed to do, and it is very revealing. 21 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 24

7 Stated by H.V.Quispel in an interview made on October 19, 1982 for the documentary EEN IDE- AAL VOOR OGEN.DE KWESTIE INDONESIË IN HET BIO- SCOOPJOURNAAL. The complete interview is detailed in: Gerda Jansen Hendriks, Frank Klein, Peter Otten, Een ideaal voor ogen. De kwestie Indonesië in het bioscoopjournaal. Een verantwoording bij de documentaire (thesis, Universiteit van Amsterdam, 1983), p. 99.

8 Bert Hogenkamp en Paul Kusters, J.C. Mol. Een filmografisch en bibliografisch overzicht van J.C. Mol (standing 4th from the right) and Mannus zijn Nederlandse werk (Hilversum, 2000), p. 15- Franken (squatting down, 3d from the right) during the 17 shooting for the Netherlands Governmental Film Company in Meester Cornelis, Indonesia, 1948 © 9 Conversation with Charles Breijer, cameraman Mannus Franken Stichting for Multifilm Batavia, on December 3, 2002. Even if the narration was in English, or Swahili for that matter, it would unmistakably be a film 10 Nationaal Archief (National Archives in The from an official Dutch body. The emphasis on Hague), dossiernr. 2.04.60, inv. nr. 180, the different Indonesian peoples - plural - is typi- Centrale Commissie voor de Filmkeuring, 1945- cal of the Dutch policy of that time. Indonesia 1947. was no longer the politically unified country it used to be. It was a federal construction, in accordance with the cultural variety of the Gerda Jansen Hendriks islands. The Indonesian Republic is just one group in this whole structure, not worthy of spe- Director of the history programme ANDERE cial attention in the film. As such, the film does TIJDEN (CHANGING TIMES) for Dutch public televi- try to give equal attention to all who live in sion (NPS/VPRO). She did research on news- Indonesia, from whatever island or ancestry. reels relating to Indonesia from 1945 to 1950, Everybody is a victim of the Japanese occupa- on which she published her thesis at the tion and everyone should be ready to co-opera- University of Amsterdam. te in rebuilding a new East-Indies or Indonesia. Both terms are used in the film. This is a film made by people who wanted a new nation, just like Joris Ivens. The difference is that Mol and Franken kept believing in the good intentions of the Dutch authorities. Joris Ivens concluded that these intentions were not sufficiently supported by deeds. He did his own good deed and made INDONESIA CALLING!.

1 The conference took place from 25-27 June 2003 at the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation as part of the research programme ‘Lasting Attachments. Personal Orientations and national perspectives on colo- nialism and conflict in Indonesia, 1930s - 1950s’.

2 A good description of the complicated events leading to the declaration of independence can be found in Lambert Giebels, Soekarno Nederlandsch onderdaan. Een biografie 1901- 1950 (Amsterdam, 1999), p. 333-373.

3 All the British footage is kept in the Imperial War Museum in London. A description can be Joris Ivens meets representatives of the NIGIS Film and Photo Unit at the Netherlands Consulate General in Sydney, March 23, 1945. found in Gordon Daniels, Japan and Indonesia 1940-1946 Film evidence and propaganda, in Ian Nish ed., Indonesian Experience: the role of Japan and Britain 1943-148 (London, 1980), p. 53-72

4 The conflict with the NIGIS and the making of INDONESIA CALLING! is described in Hans Schoots, Gevaarlijk leven. Een biografie van Joris Ivens (Amsterdam, 1995), p. 252-254 and 262-285; it is also discussed at length in Eric van ‘t Groenewout, Indonesia Calling. Het ver- haal van schepen die niet uitvoeren (thesis, w.p., w.d).

5 Some of these newsreels, like BERITA FILM INDONESIA, are kept in the Imperial War Museum in London. A small number ended up in the Netherlands, as part of the collection of confiscated Japanese newsreels that were made in Indonesia during the war. It is now part of the collection of the NIBG (Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid) in Hilversum.

6 The film is kept in the archives of the NIBG under archive No. 03-0601/03-0608 22 Gerda Jansen Hendriks 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 25

Survey retrospectives and screenings

September 24, Musée du Cinéma, Brussels, Barcelona (CCCB), Barcelona, Spain Belgium A series of Ivens’ films were screened. The pro- ZUIDERZEE was screened gram consisted of the following films: THE FAMILY FILMS (1910-1930), rarely screened September 11, LUX Artplex, Nijmegen, The home movies of the Ivens family which display Netherlands ordinary events like the birthday of Joris Ivens’ City & River, a program of debate and film in sister Thea. They are worth watching because Nijmegen linked to the river and architecture, of the authenticity they convey and the fact that with: THE BRIDGE, LA SEINE A RENCONTRÉ PARIS these touching images come straight from the and ...À VALPARAISO early days of (home) cinema. THE WIGWAM (BURNING RAY) (1912), a beautiful September 8 - 25, Svenska Filminstitutet, little (fiction) film, Ivens’ first, made at the age of Stockholm, Sweden 13. He plays the good Indian ‘Burning Ray’, who September 8 - 10, THE BRIDGE, RAIN, PHILIPS tracks down the kidnapper of a farmers’ daugh- RADIO, INDONESIA CALLING! ter, with every Ivens family member playing dif- September 15 - 17, THE SPANISH EARTH ferent roles. September 19 - 21, NEW EARTH, THE 400 MILLION RAIN (1929), a magnificent avant-garde master- September 21 - 22, THE FIRST YEARS piece about a rain shower in Amsterdam. September 24 - 25, SONG OF THE RIVERS THE SEINE MEETS PARIS (LA SEINE A RENCONTRE Each film was screened twice PARIS) (1952), a poetic film about the Seine and the people that live on its banks. June 2003 FOR THE MISTRAL (POUR LE MISTRAL) (1965), an impressive and beautifully shot film about the June 28, Nijmegen, The Netherlands French mistral wind and it’s effect on the lands- A celebration of Nijmegen being 2000 years old cape and the people. (in 2005) began with a city film competition Poster Ivens-retrospective Cité des Sciences et de (organized by EFJI and other film institutions in March 2003 l’Industrie, Paris, June 2003 Nijmegen) March 9 and 19, Royal Belgium Filmarchive, June 25, Netherlands Institute for War Brussels, Belgium December 2003 Documentation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands March 9: screening of PHILIPS RADIO (1931) in a Conference: THE BERSIAP IN INDONESIA, 1945- program with Dziga Vertov’s Entuziasm: December 18 - 28, 15th Ankara International 1946. Keyspeaker: Gerda Jansen Hendriks on Simfonia Dombassa Film festival, Ankara, Tur key ‘Stereotypes for the future: the early Indonesian March 19: screening of LOIN DU VIETNAM (1967) RAIN, THE SPANISH EARTH, BEFORE SPRING, ...A revolution newsreels and documentary film directed collectively by Alain Resnais, Claude VALPARAISO, LOIN DE VIETNAM and A TALE OF THE (with Britsh newsreels, The March of Time and Lelouch, Agnès Varda, William Klein,Chris WIND will be screened at a Joris Ivens retro- Ivens’ INDONESIA CALLING!) Marker, Jean-Luc Godard and Joris Ivens spective June 6 - 22, Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, February 2003 November 2003 Paris, France 19 of Joris Ivens’ films were brought together in Februari 14, 53th Berlinale; Berlin International November 29, Musée du Cinéma, Brussels, this big retrospective in June at the Cité des Film Festival, Berlin, Germany Belgium Sciences et de l’Industrie in the Cinéma Jean LE PETITE PRAIRIE AUX BOULEAUX, the latest film DE WIGWAM, BRANDING and ZUIDERZEE will be Bertin. by Marceline Loridan-Ivens, was shown at a screened The following films were screened: THE BRIDGE, Special Screening RAIN, LA SEINE A RENCONTRÉ PARIS, POUR LE November 28-December 4, Festival Pei popoli, MISTRAL, PILE DRIVING, ZUIDERZEE, THE BRIDGE, January 2003 Florence, Italy ROTTERDAM EUROPORT, ...A VALPARAISO, December 3 NEW EARTH will be screened as KOMSOMOL (SONG OF HEROES), POWER AND THE January 16-19: Docpoint; Helsinki Documentary part of a thematic section on water called LAND, CREOSOTE, BORINAGE, ITALY IS NOT A POOR Filmfestival, Helsinki, Finland. ‘Madame l’Eau - Water Stories’ at the 44th edi- COUNTRY (2ND PART), THE SPANISH EARTH, THE DocPoint provided a retrospective of Joris Ivens tion of this festival 17TH PARALLEL, BEFORE SPRING (LETTRES DE work, from his silent film period up to the 1980s CHINE), PHILIPS RADIO (SYMPHONIE INDUSTRIELLE), because one of the main themes of the festival November 20 - 30, IDFA, Amsterdam, the WIGWAM (SHINING RAY) and A TALE OF THE WIND was ‘the best of Dutch documentaries’. It also Netherlands included a series of documentaries shown at INDONESIA CALLING! will also be screened in a June 8, Documentaire sur Grand Ecran, Paris, the last International Documentary Filmfestival program of Dutch Documentary films from France Amsterdam (IDFA). 1945-1965 At the Documentaire sur Grand Ecran, UNE Films screened: THE BRIDGE, RAIN, PHILIPS HISTOIRE DE VENT was screened RADIO, BORINAGE, SPANISH EARTH, THE 400 October 2003 MILLION, THE MISTRAL (POUR LE MISTRAL) and A June 18, Documentaire sur Grand Ecran, Paris, TALE OF THE WIND (UNE HISTOIRE DE VENT) Oktober 17 and 18, Erasmus House, Jakarta, France For more information visit www.docpoint.info Indonesia LA SEINE A RENCONTRÉ PARIS was screened Two Ivens films each day: INDONESIA CALLING! / RAIN / THE BRIDGE and A TALE OF THE WIND May 2003

September 2003 May 18, Documentaire sur Grand Ecran, Paris, France September 26-29, Dutch embassy, Warsaw, UNE HISTOIRE DE VENT was screened Poland THE BRIDGE was screened at the Dutch May 24, Musée du Cinéma, Brussels, Belgium Architecture Film Festival NEW EARTH was screened in a line up which included Zéro de Conduite and Bezhine lovj by September 26, Clair Obscur, FESTIVAL TRA- Eisenstein on the theme of censorship VELLING, Université of Rennes, Rennes, France April 2003 In the Ciné Quartier at Le Tambour - Auditorium Poster Joris Ivens Festival, Erasmus House, Djakarta, ...A VALPARAISO was presented April 17, Centre of Contemporary Culture 16/17 October 2003 23 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 26

Acquisition

Foundation had already assisted in correcting Tineke de Vaal and completing the inventory, which can be studied at www.bifi.fr. The BiFi and EFJI also In addition to previous deposits Tineke de Vaal, agreed to collaborate in cataloguing the library the wife of Jan de Vaal, the co-founder and and digitising the material for online consulta- director of the Netherlands Film Museum, gave tion in the future. 400 photos and hundreds of books to the foundation. The photos show Ivens both during very Ragnar van Leyden public premieres and festivals around the world, and in intimate moments in the De Vaals home Dutch born Ragnar van Leyden (b.1932, The in Monnickendam or at Le Troque, the country Hague) gave the letters from his corresponden- house of Marceline Loridan-Ivens near Paris. ce with Joris Ivens to the Foundation. His The books from the De Vaalís personal collec- parents, the painters Ernst and Karin Van tion include a comprehensive set of mono- Leyden, took him to the USA in 1939 to escape graphs, publications and reference books on the Nazi threat, where they continued their suc- film history which mention Ivens’ work. Original cessful artistic careers. When they returned to and rare copies of books about film from the Europe, Ragnar become a film editor in Paris (A twenties (Hans Richter, Léon Moussinac) are MURDER ON SUNDAY MORNING / UN COUPABLE also included. This important collection of books Eyemo-camera, Bell & Howell © Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI IDEAL, THE OTHER SIDE) and collaborated with and publications will be called the ‘Jan de Vaal Ivens on several films in the sixties. In 1972, Library’ to pay respect to the enormous contri- Marceline Loridan-Ivens Ivens sent him a letter from Beijing asking him bution he has made to the Joris Ivens Archive. to do the editing on a series of films on the Tineke de Vaal herself has already worked for To complete previous deposits, Marceline Cultural Revolution. The first rushes, made with 26 years in arranging and completing the Joris Loridan-Ivens gave the contents of nine trunks Chinese cameramen who didn’t have any expe- Ivens Archive. and cases to the Foundation. This gift includes rience or training with Ivens’ modern style of a large number of books, posters and docu- filming, were sent to Van Leyden in Paris. The Virgilio Tosi ments relating, in the main, to three films: LE letters give insight into the discussions about 17IÈME PARALLÈLLE / THE 17TH PARALLEL, these first steps to make COMMENT YUKONG Rome based film director and film historian COMMENT YUKONG DEPLAÇA LES MONTAGNES / DEPLAÇA LES MONTAGNES / HOW YUKONG MOVED Virgilio Tosi bestowed the letters written to him HOW YUKONG MOVED THE MOUNTAINS and UNE THE MOUNTAINS. by Joris Ivens between 1950 and 1988. Tosi met HISTOIRE DE VENT / A TALE OF THE WIND.For Ivens for the first time during the film festival in instance the filming and editing list from A TALE Peter Entell Máriánske Lázne in 1949 and then again at the OF THE WIND, which was recorded - every festival in Perugia later that year. Afterwards he, second of it - by hand with a pencil. Before this, American/Swiss filmmaker Peter Entell (b.1952, as the secretary general of the Italian the Joris Ivens Archives did not have a great New York) gave letters to the archive written by Federation of Ciné Clubs, invited Ivens to deal of information or memorabilia from the last Ivens to him and to Loïs Wheeler Snow. Entell screen his films during a ‘crazy’ three week tour part of his career, so Mrs Loridan-Ivens’ dona- (Show and Tell productions) makes documenta- of Italy in 1950, which was a tremendous suc- tion has more than filled this gap. Interestingly, ries in Africa, Asia and Europe about social, cess. The letters give an insight into the rela- one of the contributions is an old Bell & Howell political and environmental issues (ROLLING, LE tionship between Ivens and Italy and the many film camera, given as a gift to Ivens by some TUBE/THE TUBE). When he moved to Switzerland projects he initiated with Italian filmmakers friends and similar to the one he used to work in 1975 and married Sian Snow, Entell became during this period. The friendship continued until with. acquainted with Ivens who regularly stayed in Ivens’ death in 1989. Tosi published many arti- the house of Loïs Wheeler Snow in Les cles about Ivens, including an introductory BiFi Diablorets, taking breaks between productions essay to the Italian version of Ivens’ first auto- and going for long walks in the Swiss moun- biography: Io-cinema, autobiografia di un cine- The BiFi (Bibliothèque du Film) in Paris keeps a tains. Ivens knew Loïs Wheeler Snow from way asta (Milan 1979), in Quando il cinema era un large collection of Joris Ivens documents, main- back. Ivens met her husband Edgar Snow, the circolo - la stagione d’oro dei cineclub (1945- ly about his youth and the Twenties, when Ivens famous American journalist, in 1937 before 1956) (Venice 1999), in Una Storia di Vento studied in Berlin where he was one of the co- filming THE 400 MILLION. Snow was the first (Turin, 2002) and a monograph: Joris Ivens. founders of the Film League in 1927. This priva- Western journalist to visit the communist Cinema e Utopia (Bulzone editore, Rome te collection, which also includes his personal stronghold in Yanan which he later described in 2002). Tosi organised various film lectures, library of film and photography which he had RED STAR OVER CHINA, the first of a long series of debates and retrospectives in Italy on Ivens, opened for members of the Film League, went publications on modern China. Both Ivens and including one at the Scuola Nazionale di to France in 1951 as a consequence of the pas- Snow shared a long friendship with Chinese Cinema in Rome and another at the sport conflict with the Dutch government. Prime Minister Zhou en Lai. Documentary Film School in Bolzano. A three Joris Ivens, Tineke de Vaal, Jan de Vaal, young Paul hour seminar on Ivens at the Centro In 1949 a French employee of the Sergent and Claude Brunel celebrating Ivens’ 85th Sperimentale di Cinematografica was recorded Cinémathèque Française (CF), Pierre birthday, La Trocque, 1983. Collection De Vaal / EFJI by Tosi’s students in 1977. Another student of Boulanger, started doing research on Ivens with his, Stefanio Missio produced a documentary the purpose of writing a biography. At that time on the Italian documentary in which the cen- Henri Langlois, director of the CF, presided over sorship of RAI televison was unveiled, and the several retrospectives of Ivens’ films in Paris censored parts were finally published. and the two became good friends. To support the research, Ivens provided Boulanger with as many documents as possible. A part of his personal archive was kept by his brother Hans Ivens in The Hague, who took care of this collection when Joris left Holland for Russia and the USA. Because of the passport conflict Ivens didn’t dare to travel to Holland himself. He had good reason to believe that he would have been incarcerated there to prevent him returning to France. Instead he asked Pierre Boulanger to take all the material from his brother in The Hague and transfer it to Paris. It remained at the Paolo Taviani, Virgilio Tosi, Joris Ivens and Marceline CF for over 40 years, even though Boulanger Loridan-Ivens during the retrospective at the Festival left his job and research quite soon after its arri- dei Popoli, Modena 1979. Collection De Vaal / EFJI val.

After the CF and CNC formed the BiFi in 1992, all paper collections, including the Ivens collection, went to the BiFi. By this time the 24 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 27

Far from Vietnam > < Inside Vietnam The genesis of the collective film Ian Mundell LOIN DE VIETNAM

Ivens was associated with several shot in the North and one with the resistance in strands of the French anti-war movement, and the South. Others would be made in elsewhere his film ‘affiche’ LE CIEL, LA TERRE (1966) attrac- in South-East Asia, while a team of “progressi- ted press attention and enjoyed a respectable ve American film makers” would record the anti- distribution in cinemas.2 It was also shown wit- war movement in the USA. hin the anti-war movement, from small student meetings to the large ‘Six heures pour le Each film would be by a different Vietnam’ rally in Paris on 26 May 1966.3 director, with Ivens coordinating and editing. Other than himself, Ivens wrote that he had But Ivens had more to say about the retained four directors: Chris Marker, Robert Vietnam War. An opportunity to develop his Destanque, Roger Pic, and Jean-Pierre Joris Ivens during the shooting of LE CIEL, LA TERRE © ideas appeared with a letter from Isabelle Sergent. Sergent and Destanque were relative- Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI Blume, the coordinating chairman of the ly unknown as filmmakers at this time9, but both Conseil Mondial de la Paix (otherwise known as Pic and Marker had considerable reputations. Every time a major conflict occurs, the World Peace Council). The CMP began life Pic was a theatre and news photographer, who intellectuals and artists in the West wonder how in the late 1940s, emerging from anti-war cam- was already filming in North Vietnam in 1966. to react and act to show their involvement: go to paigning by European writers, artists and scien- Marker, meanwhile, was celebrated for his poli- Sarajevo and bear witness or stay at home and tists. It had the support of socialist governments tical film essays, and the extent to which these protest, go to Baghdad or stay at home and and organisations, and from the outset it was had attracted the attention of the French cens- show solidarity? During the sixties this concern considered by the USA to be a front organisa- or. became the starting point of the film LOIN DE tion for advancing Soviet aims in the Cold War. VIETNAM/FAR FROM VIETNAM (1967). The film, Ivens joined the CMP in 19484, and made the There were further discussions of the reflecting the frustrations of being a western film PEACE WILL WIN (1951) about its 1950 con- form of the film, but the funding issue was not intellectual concerned about the American war gress in Warsaw. He subsequently tried to per- resolved. Blume arranged for Ivens to talk to her in South-East Asia, is true to its title. The direc- suade the CMP to fund a film centre in this city, Soviet contacts about resources, but the con- tors who contributed were indeed far from where he was based at the time.5 versation appears not to have taken place.10 In Vietnam - they shot this film ‘mosaic’ mainly in December Ivens wrote to Blume to say that he Paris and New York. had made other arrangements for visiting Vietnam at the beginning of 1967. It seems like- It is tempting to see Joris Ivens as a ly that Ivens was trying to use the CMP as a way distant participant in LOIN DE VIETNAM, because of securing funds without suffering direct inter- he was so close to the war. He was in Hanoi ference from the socialist governments as pro- together with Marceline Loridan, soon to embark ducers when it came to the film, given his past on two months of filming under harsh American experience with this bureaucracy.11 When it bombardment for LE 17E PARALLÈLE (1967). They became clear that the CMP was not going to ful- were not far away, but practically on the war fil this role, he was able to fall back on an invi- front; just as Ivens was drawn to Madrid in 1936, A letter from the World Peace Council with the logo dra- tation to return to North Vietnam, where he had 1 he was drawn to Hanoi in 1966. Being eye-wit- wing by Picasso. Collection Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI the possibility of support in shooting a film, if not nesses, their contribution to the impact of LOIN in its post-production. DU VIETNAM was significant, but until now Ivens’ Blume had written to Ivens in contribution to the genesis of the film was obscu- February 1966, when LE CIEL, LA TERRE came Nevertheless the planning for the re. The idea for LOIN DE VIETNAM can be traced to out, expressing her admiration for the film and CMP project was not wasted. It includes the a project that Ivens developed for the Conseil asking for the CMP to be loaned a print to use desire to film with synchronised sound - a new Mondial de la Paix, but which foundered for lack in its campaigns.6 She wrote again in July with a technology for Ivens, although not for his colla- of funds. Ivens participated in the collective’s more ambitious proposal. Inspired by the borators - and a strong idea of the contribution consciousness raising discussions in Paris, announcement of the Russell Tribunal, she sug- this could make. “The six films will be testimo- before departing for Hanoi, carrying a message gested a cinematic approach to the same nies,” the proposal says. “Each must be living, of solidarity with Vietnamese film makers. And issue7, “a film put together by a cinéaste, made profound, truthful, to document and explain a as well as providing powerful reportage, Ivens up of newsreel, declarations, commentaries, country, its people, their struggle. To win over and Marceline Loridan shot sequences to order press conferences, dialogues”. for inclusion throughout the film. She proposed the Hungarians and The CMP project Soviets as producers, but suggested that Ivens should compose the scenario, direct production, Through 1966 the anti-Vietnam war and choose the collaborators. The project could movement stepped up its activities, and in be put to the CMP in his name. “I believe that France the disparate protest groups started to such a production would be better than all this present a more united front. The escalation in discussion to isolate America and so hasten, for US bombardment of North Vietnam that began our part, an end to this atrocious war,” Blume in March 1965 was something that all could wrote. Ivens took her up on the idea, and in oppose, regardless of differences in political September ‘66 his collaborator Jean-Pierre emphasis. There was also a trend for anti-war Sergent travelled to Brussels to present Blume activity to become more concrete, going beyond with the proposals for the project.8 It was to be a the signing of petitions. The Russell Tribunal series of six films, each of around 15 minutes in started work investigating US war crimes in length, filmed in 16mm, black and white, with South-East Asia, and French protesters raised synchronised sound. In total it would cost money for ambulances to be sent to North $120,000. The subject would be “Vietnam and Vietnam, and even proposed mobilising a volun- South-East Asia against American aggression”. Joris Ivens meets Chris Marker in Leipzig, 1963. teer civil defence force. The core would be two films from Vietnam, one Collection Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI 25 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 28

Paris when US vice-president Hubert After sounding out all of the film’s col- Humphrey visited in April. Roger Pic inter- laborators, a core group would develop a voca- viewed Fidel Castro on the importance of the bulary of the war, together with simple defini- Vietnam war to the international struggle. tions. The directors would then choose the Godard disappeared from view entirely, reappe- words that they wanted to illustrate and say how aring in the summer with an idiosyncratic mono- they planned to present them. At this stage it logue about his difficulties in making a film was envisaged that five directors would sign up about Vietnam. Demy, however, dropped out for the film - Resnais, Godard, Klein, Varda and completely when his proposal was poorly recei- Demy. They would work with a large number of ved by the collective.18 collaborators, including Ivens in Hanoi, and a range of others who had expressed a desire to Ivens and Loridan took their planned Joris Ivens, Jean Pierre Sergent and Chris Marker in be involved with the project. The collective trip to Hanoi, carrying a list of shots required by 19 Paris, 1967. Collection Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI would eventually compile a catalogue of 200 to the other directors and a letter setting out the 250 people, from musicians to sound engineers collective’s aim in making LOIN DU VIETNAM.20 the largest audience, it must also be moving and editors, who had offered to help.14 This expresses the collective’s solidarity with and increase understanding: we will show men, Vietnam’s filmmakers, but questions the mea- women, children filmed in the rhythm of their The different sequences would be ning of such an action. life, their work, and their daily combat; we will filmed in parallel, with a general meeting each make understood their words, smiles, tears and week to allow the group to “take its bearings and “Words of friendship and solidarity, songs...” maximise the opportunities for reciprocal influ- however sincere they may be, are only words,” it ence (and, of course, for criticism) and collecti- says. “Silence in the face of the war in Vietnam The film that Ivens and Loridan made ve development”. The aim was to achieve “a is impossible. But saying ‘solidarity’, from afar in North Vietnam in 1967, Le 17E PARALLÈLE, ful- permanent mobilisation of the imagination” and without risk, may also be a convenient way fils this promise. It also met Blume’s original inspiration from the Russell Tribunal, with Loridan presenting 10 minutes of the testimony from the film to tribunal members meeting in Copenhagen in November 1968.12

The aesthetic ambition of the CMP project also persisted. According to the proposal sent to Blume, the film would be “a vast portrait, historical and current, both poetic and educational, of South-East Asia exposed to American aggression or directly threatened with it”. This ambition stayed in the minds of the proposed collaborators of the CMP project and those of their colleagues who were involved in the anti-war movement. It evolved into LOIN DU VIETNAM.

The Vocabulaire collective

The nucleus of the collective which began discussions in December 1966 consisted of Alain Resnais, Agnès Varda, Jacques Demy, William Klein and Chris Marker. All friends and long-time collaborators, they were soon joined by Jean-Luc Godard and others who heard what they had in mind. The collaborators wanted a framework within which to develop the film, and Marker proposed a “vocabulary” of the war, “whose key words do not always have the same meaning, nor the same clarity that they should, for those who read them or use them”.13 Jean Luc Godard reading a book about Vietnam, 1967. Collection Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI This vocabulary included words such as independence, escalation, negotiation, among the collaborators. The final editing would of easing one’s conscience. Our solidarity democracy, violence, Vietcong, and phrases be down to Resnais, although as discussions occurs in towns that no-one bombs, in lives that such as “war of the people”. They were to be progressed Marker himself took on this coordi- no-one menaces. What does this mean? We explored using cinematic means, “not simply nating and editing role.15 know that this war is your war, that the peace, illustrating the arguments but communicating a when it becomes possible, will be your peace, reflection, by all the means that cinema offers to By the end of January 1967, discus- and that no-one has the right, even with the best transform a reflection in words and make it tan- sions had produced a number of other options intentions, to put themselves in your place, to gible”. This might involve dance, mime, inter- for organising the film.16 The idea of including speak on your behalf. Where is our place? To views, a montage of documentary footage or the US anti-war movement had been part of the answer these questions, we have undertaken to photographs, animation, scenes of dialogue or CMP project, and William Klein was keen to film make a film. It is a response that is neither prai- pure fiction. in his native country. This prompted a geograp- seworthy nor heroic, but which has the sole hic approach to be discussed. As well as the motive of being tangible, within our means and For instance, ‘independence’ might three countries directly concerned (North within our limitations. It is with our work, it is wit- compare familiar images of US independence Vietnam, South Vietnam and the USA), this hin the context of our profession, that we want while a commentary explained the analogous would take in Havana, London and Paris. In to bring a little life to this word ‘solidarity’.” situation in Vietnam in 1967. This would conclu- addition, there were variations on the vocabula- de with the fact that the 1945 declaration of ry idea and the suggestion of an aesthetic As well as shooting to order - the city independence by the Democratic Republic of model: “that is to say the escalation of different under bombardment - Ivens and Loridan provi- Vietnam begins with the same words as the US degrees of interpretation of reality of the war, ded a striking sequence of street theatre for the declaration of independence of 1776. from pure documentary to pure fiction”. film. Beginning with people gathering to watch the performance, it shows two actors with Like Ivens, Marker took inspiration Loin du Vietnam clown-like face paint playing US president from the Spanish Civil War. “To make a rather Lyndon B Johnson and defence secretary immodest comparison,” he wrote, “each of us Elements of all three approaches Robert McNamara. Realising that they have stands before the Vietnam War in the attitude of were carried forward into the next phase. There been defeated, the actor playing Johnson sings the Picasso of Guernica before the war in were further meetings, and the directors embar- through his tears “I have lost the war, I must go Spain. If painting can testify as painting (and ked on their projects. Klein went to the USA, home!”.21 There is also an interview with Ho Chi politics as politics), cinema must be able to where he filmed pro-and antiwar demonstra- Minh, the poor film quality of which suggests it testify as cinema. Or else, we must despair of tions. Film crews covered the demonstrations in may have been shot to order rather than with cinema.” 26 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:56 Pagina 29

the other material provided by Ivens and with the film, which was significant since his 1 Ivens draws a parallel between his experience Loridan. company, ‘Films 13’, had undertaken its French in Madrid and Hanoi in the opening lines of LE distribution. Some participants later blamed CIEL, LA TERRE. Thanks to Ivens, the collective was half-hearted distribution for LOIN DU VIETNAM’s well served with footage from North Vietnam. ‘failure’, but it was also undermined by events. 2 Paul Otchakovsky-Laurens “Le Ciel et la terre” The South was another matter. François First, the Tet Offensive of 31 January 1968 was Jeune Cinéma no 13 (mars 1966) p30-31. The Reichenbach was to have visited Saigon for the a significant blow to the US forces, and in March film was shown privately, uncensored, someti- collective, but had fallen ill. Instead, Claude President Johnson announced a halt to almost mes in ciné-clubs. In Paris it was screened Lelouch used a location scouting trip to Saigon all bombing of the North. Although the war (and publicly at ‘La Pagode’, with Vsevolod to film on board aircraft carriers in the Gulf of the bombing) was far from over, the film’s Pudovkin’s Storm over Asia (1928). The Tonkin.22 This footage was added to shots of US impact was severely under-cut. And in May ‘Fédération Jean Vigo’ made prints available to planes flying over the North, and the film by 1968 the focus of French attention shifted away its clubs outside Paris immediately, and within Ivens and Loridan of people running for cover in from Vietnam to its own ‘revolution’. Paris after the run at ‘La Pagode’ ended. Hanoi. Meanwhile, the photographer Michèle Ray provided footage of US soldiers on patrol in While LOIN DU VIETNAM may have fail- 3 Anon “La manifestation ‘Six heures pour le the South, and explained how three weeks as a ed in its political aim - both in terms of the anti- Vietnam’ a réuni plusiers milliers de partici- captive the Vietnamese resistance had aliena- war campaign and in establishing a sustained pants” Le Monde (28/5/66) p3. ted her from the US. collective film making structure in France - the fact that it exists is remarkable. The Vocabulaire 4 A [Abraham] Zalzman “Joris Ivens” (1963) Édi- The fictional elements considered in collective worked - it produced a tangible tions Seghers. the debates fared particularly badly in the final expression of solidarity with the Vietnamese film. Only a few fragments of Agnès Varda’s people and both Marker and Ivens continued 5 [JIA 573] Letter dated 7/6/51 from CMP gener- short fiction film appear in the final cut23, while the method of collective film making. Ivens con- al secretary Jean Laffitte, in Prague, to the that of Ruy Guerra was dropped completely. He tinued with the Laos collective, once again organisation’s Polish section (Polski komitet obroncow Pokoju, Warsaw), copied to Ivens. The proposal is rejected, in favour of giving the CMP propaganda unit in Prague the role.

6 [JIA 399] Telegram from Blume to Ivens, 28/2/66.

7 [JIA 415] Letter from Blume to Ivens, 15/7/66.

8 [JIA 415] Letter from Ivens to Blume, 16/9/66. This says Sergent will visit, and a note on the proposal document indicates that Sergent discussed the project with Blume in Brussels on 20 September.

9 Sergent and Loridan had both been involved in CHRONIQUE D’UN ÉTÉ (1961), the celebrated experiment in cinéma verité by Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin, and had made the film ALGÉRIE ANNÉE ZÉRO (1962) together. Destanque is credi- ted for some of the photography in LE CIEL, LA TERRE, but his role is unclear.

10 [JIA 415] Letter from Blume to Ivens, 28/10/66. Letter from Ivens to Blume, 17/12/66.

Agnes Varda. Collection Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI 11 For instance his negative experience with THE later said that Marker had even considered rele- filming on the front line, while Marker revived FIRST YEARS (1949), which was funded by the asing two films to deal with the huge amount of the SLON collective, whose work persists today authorities in Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, material.24 The only fictional element to be retai- under the name ISKRA. Bulgaria and Poland. In 1948, during the final ned intact is that of Alain Resnais, depicting a stages of production, Stalin excommunicated journalist wrestling with his self-doubt on being Ian Mundell is a political journalist working in Yugoslavia and that section was cut. commissioned to review Herman Kahn’s book Brussels and London. He is researching books Meanwhile, the Bulgarians demanded reshoot- on escalation. on Chris Marker and Ivor Montagu. ing because the section in their country was not optimistic enough. “I made a resolution never to On release make such a film or work that way again,” Ivens

The film was edited through the summer of 1967, and was finished only days before L’Humanité, 11-12-1967 its premiere at the Montreal film festival, on 16 August.25 In September it was well received by the crowds at the New York Film Festival, although US critics were less impressed. Nevertheless, it was released in New York cinemas, and was shown at anti-war demonstrations. The French premiere was in Besançon, on 18 October, to an audience of workers who had been involved in a strike in March that year. Several of the directors involved in LOIN DU VIETNAM had visited the strikers and would later Ian Mundell sign the worker’s own film, CLASSE DE LUTTE (1969), as an act of solidarity. Ivens was among them.

The Paris premiere took place on 9 December as part of a week of events in memory of Che Guevara, shot in Bolivia on 9 October. However, cracks were beginning to show in the collective, and the discussion after the film was marked by an argument between Ivens and Lelouch, with Ivens disputing Lelouch’s call for peace in Vietnam rather than victory for the North.26 Lelouch quickly became disillusioned 27 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 30

Agnes Varda and Joris Ivens, 1967. Coll. Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI

wrote to friends. See: Hans Schoots “Living 18 Varda (1994) p92. dangerously: a biography of Joris Ivens” (2000) Amsterdam University Press, p224-5. 19 [JIA 416] A note dated 23/II/67, Hanoi, is a “liste des prises de vue pour le film à [sketch] 12 Camille Olsen “Le étudie la des cinéastes française”. According to subse- notion de génocide” Le Monde (1/12/67) p2. quent accounts of the trip, most of the filming John Duffett (ed) “Against the crime of silence” was carried out by Loridan after Ivens fell ill: (1968) Ohare Books/Bertrand Russell Peace Marceline Loridan and Joris Ivens “17e Foundation. In addition to the 10 minute clip of Parallèle, la guerre du peuple (deux mois sous LE 17E PARALLÈLE, a typewritten text of the whole la terre)” (1968) Les Editeurs réunis (Paris) p10- film was provided to tribunal members. 11; Robert Destanque and Joris Ivens “Joris Ivens ou la mémoire d’un regard” Editions BFB 13 [JIA 417] “Project: ‘Vocabulaire’”, a four page (1982); Claude Brunel “Joris Ivens” (1983) Le document with cover, undated, by Chris Marker. Cinémathèque Française, p75. This cites Resnais, Varda, Klein, Demy and Godard as signing the film, and looks forward to 20 [JIA 417] Carbon of a letter addressed to discussions before filming begins in February “camerades du cinéma vietnamien”. Dated 1967. This and the subsequent meeting report 16/2/67, Paris, and signed by Resnais, Marker, of 25/1/67 suggest that it was drawn up early Demy, Varda, Godard and Ivens. In a later that month or before. Pierre Billard (“La Longue account (“Plusieurs semaines sous terre avec marche de ” L’Express (11- les paysans vietnamiens” Le Monde (17/8/67) 17/12/67) p116-118) gives Resnais, Varda, p2), Ivens mentions delivering this letter. Klein and Marker, and notes Godard’s early involvement. In a rare interview (R. Ritterbusch 21 [JIA 418] This quote is from a summary of the “Entretien avec Chris Marker” Image et Son film attached to a press release. Whether you no213 (février 1968) p66-69) Marker rejected get this in the film depends on the version you the suggestion that he and Resnais initiated the see: the English version held by the British Film film, although he says that they were among the Institute helpfully translates the Vietnamese dia- first group. logue, while a version shown in 2003 by the Musée du Cinéma in Brussels (otherwise sub- 14 Anon “Loin du Vietnam” Cinéma 68 no 122 titled French and Dutch) leaves you to work it (janvier 1968) p36-55. Quoting Jacqueline out for yourself. Meppiel, during a debate at Besançon following a screening of the film. 22 Claude Lelouch “Itinéraire d’un enfant très gâté” Éditions Robert Laffont (Paris) (2000), 15 Despite his efforts to disappear into the col- p135. lective undergrowth, it is clear from the other participants that Marker was responsible for the 23 Varda (1994), p92. final shape and look of the film. For instance, comments by Valérie Mayoux (Olivier Kohn and 24 Jean A Gili “Entretien avec Ruy Guerra” in Étu- Hubert Niogret “Témoinages” Positif no 433 des Cinématographiques no 93-96 (mai 1971) (mars 1997) p90-95); Godard (Los Angeles p80-123. Free Press 8-22/3/68, reprinted in “Jean-Luc Godard: interviews” edited by David Sterritt, 25 Michel Ciment “Loin du Viêt-Nam” Positif no University Press of Mississippi (1998)); Resnais 89 (novembre 1967) p11-13. (in “I film di Alain Resnais” (1984) by Flavio Vergerio, cited by Marcel Oms, “Alain Resnais” 26 Destanque and Ivens (1982), p289. (1988) Editions Rivages); and Varda (“Varda par Agnès” (1994) Editions Cahiers du Cinéma, p92).

16 [JIA 417] Report dated 28/1/67, dealing with a meeting on 25/1/67. Six loose pages, no author named.

17 Billard (1967) and Roger Dadoun (“Loin du Vietnam” Image et Son no215 (mars 1968) p126-130) attribute this sequence to Pic. 28 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 31

Short Cuts

THE BRIDGE and ZUIDERZEEWERKEN online reliable memory of mankind. However, neither its content nor its medium proved to be reliable. Under the auspices of the Royal Library Nitrate was highly flammable and didn’t have the (Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague) a national necessary endurance qualities, causing many digital collection of 30 major Dutch institutions headaches for film archivists. FIAF (International (museums, archives, universities) will be dissemi- Federation of Film Archives) produced and publis- nated onto the internet. The website is called hed a voluminous and fascinating book about the ‘Memory of the Netherlands’ (www.geheugen story of nitrate ‘This Film is Dangerous, A vannederland.nl) and is already set up and thriving, Celebration of Nitrate Film’. Not the glamorous especially for educational purposes. As a part of actors, neither the creative film directors play a this website the Film Museum has put 10 hours of major role but the medium itself with all its aspects: Dutch documentary history online. Short films from its highly appreciated qualities of warmth and high all generations, from the pioneers until now, will be definition and the troubles of shrinking, flammabili- available: Bert Haanstra, Herman van der Horst, ty and preservation. It includes a Calendar of Film Mannus Franken, Johan van der Keuken, George fires at film archives, such as the 1959 fire in the Film still from TISHE! Sluizer and Ed van der Elsken, to mention just a courtyard of the headquarters of the few. Documentaries were selected based on their tance of memories, both for the protagonist, who Cinémathèque Française at the rue de Courcelles. ability to show characteristics of Holland: the Dutch survived the holocaust, and for the younger gene- It is thought that this tragic event is the cause of the landscape and its transformation, the fight against ration, represented by a young German photograp- loss of the Chagall film Ivens edited one year befo- the sea, industrialization, cities, colonies and archi- her (August Diehl). re being commissioned by Henri Langlois and tecture. Among these are Ivens’ THE BRIDGE (1928) Chagall himself. and ZUIDERZEEWERKEN (1929), which can be seen At the Munich Film Festival Marceline Loridan- Martin Scorcese writes in his Foreword: ‘Informed through streaming video (Real Media and Media Ivens received the Bernhard Wicki Prize for ‘The estimates suggest that the world has lost 80% of all Player). Bridge’, the Peace Prize for German Cinema. This silent films ever made and up to a quarter of all prize is named after the German actor and director sound films in major producing countries.[...] We all Tishe! Bernhard Wicki (1919-2000), who was interred at have a responsibility to preserve the past for the Sachsenhausen as a political prisoner, and went future. The intentional burning of books and pain- Can you make an interesting film by simply pointing on to make some powerful anti-war films, including tings is regarded as a cultural crime. How will futu- the camera out a window for a year, focussing on THE BRIDGE (1959) and the German part of THE re generations learn about the 20th century if, the street below? Victor Kossakovsky, winner of the LONGEST DAY. His widow Elisabeth Wicki-Endriss through our neglect, its greatest art form is lost?’ Joris Ivens Award in 1993 (Belovy), started without dedicated the prize to tolerance, hope and reconci- The complete collection of Ivens’ nitrate films was a script or any idea what would come out of it, and liation, building bridges between nations and reli- restored in 1995 at the Film Museum and is now ended up with a successful documentary. gions. being digitised. Kossakovsky was inspired by the first ever photo- Roger Smither (ed.), Catherine A. Surowiec (ass. graph, made in 1829 by Nicephore Nièpce, and the At the 20th Jerusalem International Film Festival, ed.), This Film is Dangerous. A Celebration of story of E.T.A. Hoffman - Das Vetters Eckfenster. Marceline Loridan-Ivens received the Jerusalem Nitrate Film, FIAF, Brussels, 2002 (690 pages). He also declared that Ivens’ RAIN had inspired him, Municipality Prize in the category of the Jewish ISBN 2-9600296-0-7. Prize 60 euro (+ mailing and indeed one can see parallels. In 1927 Ivens experience for best feature. The jury stated: ‘This is costs), to be ordered at: [email protected] had started out with hardly any script, only a few an unusually challenging film dealing with defiance cameras waiting to see what, by chance, was hap- by the sheer act of survival and the reclaiming of Dutch Documentary 45 - 65 pening on the streets of Amsterdam - what the memory. The jury would also like to acknowledge uncontrolled reality would offer to the camera. It the delicate and moving performance by Anouk The twenty year period after the end of World War took Ivens two years to capture the rain. And like Aimée, and the film’s memorable cinematography’. II is generally considered as the heyday of Dutch Tishe!, one can see the beauty of a puddle, an oil documentary filmmaking. Films by Bert Haanstra, slick on the street, the beauty of gestures. The Herman van der Horst and others continuously Russian word ‘tishe’ has several meanings: ‘Stop’, This film is dangerous won awards at festivals like Cannes and Berlin. ‘shhh, be quiet’ or ‘Be modest’. Modesty could be These films are characterized by their attention to Kossakovsky’s credo: without interference by the Ivens’ first film classics were recorded on nitrate, a editing and photographic composition, based on filmmaker, reality is beautiful enough, everything in flexible transparent plastic, also known as celluloid, the vanguard tradition of the Film League filmma- this film is real. a chemical product made from raw materials of kers like Ivens, De Haas and Franken and called natural origin: cotton fibres and camphor. In the few the Dutch Documentary School. Prof. Dr Bert decades after its invention, it was generally presu- Hogenkamp selected and restored almost 40 films med that film would become the permanent and which will be presented at IDFA and before being taken on a world tour. Amongst these is INDONESIA CALLING! (1946), even though Ivens was mainly living outside of Holland between 1947 and 1964. Bert Hogenkamp will present his book on ‘Dutch Documentary 45-65’ on Friday 21st November 2003.

Marceline Loridan-Ivens and Anouk Aimée in Auschwitz-Birkenau during the shooting of LA PETITE PRAIRIE AUX BOULEAUX © Christian Simon-Pietri / Agence H&K

La Petite Prairie aux Bouleaux

During a Special Screening Programme at the Berlinale, the Berlin Film Festival (14 February 2003), Marceline Loridan-Ivens’ premiered her feature film LA PETITE PRAIRIE AUX BOULEAUX (THE BIRCH TREE MEADOW / BIRKENAU UND ROSENFELD). The many journalists present gave this French- German-Polish production positive reviews. The story of Miryam (played by Anouk Aimée), a victim of a concentration camp who returns to the place of evil decades later, did not want to reconstruct the horror she went through when she was deported to The front of Ivens’ birth house in Nijmegen, which has Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944, because this would The cover of This film is dangerous, published by the been recently renovated and now is in authentic state. be impossible. Instead the film shows the impor- FIAF Photo: Bram Relouw 29 4692-brochure-joris-ivens 13-11-2003 21:42 Pagina 32

Curiosities from the archives

Broad Hurst, Joris Ivens, ink on paper, 1945. Collection Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI

Ivens meets ‘Ivens’ A stocky, snub-nosed ‘outcast’...

Joris Ivens really had fun finding Ivens’ resignation as Film Commissioner for the Netherlands East-Indies on his family name at unexpected Wednesday November 21st 1945 received much press attention from major places, like on a bookshop in news papers around the world like the Daily Telegraph and the New York Santiago de Chili. Times, which announced the news on the front page. The Sunday Telegraph in Sydney published a cartoon, made by ‘Broad Hurst’, subtitled ‘IVENS...outcast’. Ivens asked for and eventually received the original drawing which became part of his archive. The newspaper article was recently acquired and explains Ivens’ arguments, based on the principles of the Atlantic Charter and the great Western ideals of freedom and democracy.The Australian journalist also describes Ivens’ physical appearance: ‘...44 years old, stocky, snub- nosed Ivens, who lived with his wife...’. This seems to be as much of carica- ture as the cartoon - at that time Ivens was 46, quite athletic and had left his wife, Helen van Dongen, in New York. (See also Gerda Jansen Hendriks, page 20-22)

The cartoon and article in the Sunday Telegraph, 25 November 1945. Image: George Manders. Collection Joris Ivens Archive / EFJI