In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

harrowing scenes ofWhite executions of suspected Reds, massive hydroelectric projects and the trials ofthe 1930's. For European surveys, upper-class Modern Europe or Russian History. (Courses; Russian History, Modern European Civilization) Taylor Stults; Muskingum College, New Concord, Ohio SOURCE NOTES This regularfeature ofFilm & History seeks to pass along suggestionsfor sources offilm and ideasfor using it effectively. One ofthe notable and perhaps inevitable results ofthe political and social turmoil ofthe 1960's has been the rise of a radical and counter-culture filmmaking movement. For the historian or teacher who seeks a useful and often dramatic illustration of contemporary social trends, these radical films offer a priceless source of information and visual stimulation. Radical groups have engaged in filmmaking over the past decade or so, and while some ofthe groups are short-lived, the product oftheir work is still available from surviving distributing organizations. The subjects ofthe films are "movement oriented" and frankly slanted—there is no pretense at objective reporting in the documentaries produced by the radical filmmaker. These films are clearly intended to convince an audience and even to motivate actions of a given kind, and they should not be taken unthinkingly as models ofbalanced film journalism. With this awareness, however, the radical documentaries can be notably useful in a class setting and are able to provide insights into events and movements quite impossible to duplicate with literary sources. The subjects that are covered by the radical filmmaker are predictable: the peace movement, the war in Vietnam (from both sides), racism and the Third World movement, feminism, prisons and ofcourse student activism in the 1960's. The quality of 'the films can vary considerably, from highly skilled products with great insight and feeling to those films that are heavyhanded exercises in propaganda. The potential user ofradical films has a responsibility to preview the film before showing it, not only for message and teaching usefulness but for basic filmic qualities. The majority ofthe films being discussed are short, from eight to twenty minutes with only a very few being of feature length. The precarious finances ofmost radical filmmakers restrict them to short works but a selection ofshort films, covering a subject from various angles, can be highly useful to the teacher. The style ofthe films also vary, but it is safe to generalize and say that most are shot in cinema verite fashion, with hand held cameras and synonchronous sound. Prices for rental and purchase are similar to those ofestablished film companies, although the radical groups will often reduce their prices for student or non-profit showings—you can, in other words, negotiate. The value ofradical films is to be found in their frank lack ofobjectivity—they are willing to take sides and to make statements about current political and social questions. The movement filmmaker is one who is engaged, he is not merely a recorder ofevents but an active participant. The result ofsuch activist filmmaking is often overly didactic and simplistic, but can equally be a moving and personal document ofa critical period in American life. The engaged filmmaker is often in a position, thanks to his sympathy and 46 contacts with radical groups, to record events closed to the establishment cameramen. The Columbia University Strike of 1968, for instance, has been superbly captured on film, from the inside, by the radical filmmakers on Newsreel. No other cameras were permitted inside the liberated buildings and certainly no other newsmen had the confidence and trust ofthe students involved in the uprising. The radical cinema can provide, in short, a privileged glimpse into movements or events that have become the stuffofhistory. Below are the names and addresses of some representative radical filmmaking and distribution organizations. They should be contacted directly for catalogues and further information. Films for Social Change 5122 Waterman Boulevard St Louis, Mo. 63108 American Documentary Films 379 Bay Street San Francisco, Calif. 94133 Third World Cinema Group (East) 244 West 27th Street New York, N. Y. 10001 (west) 2409 Telegraph Avenue Berkeley, Calif. 94704 Newsreel 322 Seventh Avenue New York N. Y. LETTERS To the Editor: For those cinema buffs and historians who are going abroad this summer they may find the New Cinema Club and its...

pdf

Share