Oscar winner for Angel & Big Joe,
1975 With fellow Oscar winner Bob Godfrey,
Marisa
Berenson, and a well-known ex-footballer and
rental car pitchman
___ . ___
Listen to Geoff Alexander's 1996 interview with Bert Salzman
View Bert's films
Angel & Big Joe,
Felipa:
North of the Border,
Geronimo Jones,
Joshua: Black Boy of
Harlem, Lee Suzuki: Home
in Hawaii,
Matthew
Aliuk: Eskimo in Two Worlds,
Me and You:
Kangaroo,
Miguel: Up
from Puerto Rico, and
Shopping Bag Lady
on the Internet Archive
Bert Salzman
passed away on November 29, 2016 in Sonoma, California at the age of 85.
The early to mid-1970s were truly heady times for the educational film world.
Fueled by the Johnson administration's "Great Society" philosophy,
educational programs embraced themes of ethnic awareness and diversity, and
school districts nationwide began demanding professional quality 16mm films that
both encouraged and provoked classroom discussion. Two critical demands were
made of these types of films: 1) the story must be an engaging one so that
adults as well as learners would be involved and interested, and 2), the story
had to be told completely in twenty minutes or less to allow time for adequate
discussion in a 55 minute class. Learning Corporation of America (LCA) was a prime source for these types
of films, and the maker of several of its most profound and dynamic films was
Bert Salzman.
Bertram W. Salzman was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 2, 1931 to
Emma and Philip Salzman. When he was four years old his mother died and he and
his brother were sent to live in an orphanage. He was a New York City
high-school dropout who prided himself on becoming self-educated, and was already an successful
artist before embarking on a career as a filmmaker (as a young boy, he became
interested in painting). His film career began
as a result of his self-discovery of electric theory applied to stage and set
lighting, which led him to become Production Manager and Assistant Director to
documentary filmmaker George Stoney from 1961 to 1964. In 1970, Linda Gottlieb
of LCA asked him to choose three ethnic groups as focal points for his first LCA
films. His LCA series encompassed eight films, including the Oscar-winning Angel & Big Joe. Salzman infused each of these films (which he both wrote and directed) with
elements essential to great film of any genre: pathos, passion, and humor, and
did it all in 20 minutes. He based much of his dramatic structure on
Aristotle's Poetics.
When asked how he felt about receiving the Oscar, the ever-philosophical
filmmaker thought a moment and replied, "it's like the best pastrami
sandwich I ever ate".
At the age of 51, Salzman left the cinema world to live in the French
countryside to continue his life-long study of art and literature. "My life is
my career," said Salzman to people who questioned the impact of the move on his
future in film. He later moved to Sonoma, California, focusing on painting and
teaching meditation. It was in Sonoma that Bert directed his last films, which
were documentaries on two contemporary Indian mystics: Awaken to the Eternal
(1997) and Abide as the Self (1998).His book,
Being a Buddha on Broadway: Access the Power of Your Naturally Peaceful Mind,
was released in the summer of 2004.[3]
He passed away on November 29, 2016, in Sonoma, California.
Filmography
Angel and Big Joe (1975) An Academy Award winner for
best Live Action Short as well as eight other festival awards, 'Angel' stars
Paul Sorvino in a story about a Puerto Rican migrant boy having to make a tough
decision to co-run a business with a valuable new friend, or leave with his
family toward an unknown future.
Felipa: North of the Border (1971) A bilingual girl of
Mexican-American parents has ambitions to be teacher. She gets early experience
when she helps her uncle learn English so he can obtain a driver’s license for a
new job. Shows a relentless desire on the part of an extended family
to succeed. See a "now" picture of young actress Phyllis Valencia at
Lost & Found FilmKids.
Geronimo Jones (1970) Possibly Salzman's hardest hitting film, Geronimo is a Papago-Apache youth who has been
given the gift of an amulet worn by his grandfather. In buying a birthday
present for the grandfather, Geronimo trades the amulet for a TV, which he
places before the grandfather. When Geronimo turns on the TV, the two are
instantly reminded or the relationship of the native American to contemporary
society. A gripping film, winner of numerous festival awards, and perhaps the
first and only educational film ever screened in the giant Radio City Music Hall
in New York.
How Things Get Done (1964) Tells the story of 12 square
blocks of land in New York City and of what goes on when the area is pinpointed
for change. Documents the pressures, speculation, finances and politics of an
urban renewal plan. Made for the Adult Education Association as part of
the Metropolis: Creator or Destroyer? series, co-produced by George
Stoney.
Joshua: Black Boy in Harlem (1969, ACI Films) It’s
Joshua’s last day in Harlem before leaving for a college in Texas where he has
earned a track and field scholarship. He runs joyfully through New York’s
central park but his joy ends when he is the victim of a racial slur uttered by
a five year old boy that he had befriended. Later, on his way home Joshua is
able to work out his anger during a fight with a boy his age.
Lee Suzuki: Home in Hawaii (1973) The melting pot of
the Pacific is the settling for this story of a teenager whose ingenuity enables
his proud grandfather to retain his precious way of life. See Suzuki represents
not only the rich racial mix of his unique state, but also its hope for the
future.
Matthew Aliuk: Eskimo in Two Worlds (1973) Here, Matthew's Uncle Isak comes to visit the family in
Anchorage after undergoing harsh and unfruitful hunting conditions in the North.
Uncle Isak's challenges in dealing with a more structured environment presents
the Aliuk family with a new series of questions.
Me and You, Kangaroo (1975) In a touching tale a boy
raises an orphaned baby kangaroo in the outback of Australia but due to events
beyond his control is forced to return the animal to the wild. Nicely
filmed, with no spoken dialogue.
Miguel: Up from Puerto Rico (1970) Miguel, a Puerto
Rican boy has moved to New York City with his family. He finds his ability to
speak English and Spanish puts him at an advantage in assisting his family in
their new surroundings. Miguel later stretches his ingenuity to an extreme when,
to put food on his family’s table, he goes fishing in the heavily polluted East
River.
Shopping Bag Lady (1975) Twenty years ahead of its time
in addressing the issues surrounding people without fixed addresses, this film
also explores the cruel ways humans often interact with each other, the
ignorance responsible for those actions, and the accidental event that
transforms the antagonist into one who better understands the events surrounding
the misfortune of others.
Other films:
From 1975 to 1982, Salzman wrote, directed, and produced several television
shows in the US and France, and wrote and directed the Canadian 1977 feature
film Just Jessie.
Awaken to the Eternal (1997)
Abide as the Self (1998)
