Bruce Goldstein
Encyclopedia
Bruce Goldstein is a New York Repertory film programmer, producer, archivist, and historian.
Goldstein became the director of repertory programming for New York's Film Forum
in 1986. At Film Forum he presented series on Film noir
, silent comedy
, classic 3-D
, Pre-Code movies, science fiction
and "gimmick movies" of the 1950s, Westerns, and French crime films. Prior to his work at Film Forum, Goldstein programmed for the Thalia, the Carnegie Hall Cinema, the Bleecker Street Cinema, and his own theater in Provincetown.
In 1990 Goldstein was awarded the New York Film Critics Circle Awards
for "visionary programming."
In 1997, Goldstein founded Rialto Pictures
, which has been described as "the gold standard of reissue distributors" by Los Angeles Times/NPR film critic Kenneth Turan
. Rialto's releases include Murderous Maids
, the original 1954 Japanese version of Godzilla
, a restored print of the 1974 documentary Hearts and Minds
, The Battle of Algiers, Mafioso, Lola Montès
, and the first U.S. release of Made in U.S.A., and Z
. In 2007, the Museum of Modern Art
presented a retrospective tribute to Goldstein's company, entitled "Rialto Pictures: Reviving Classic Cinema."
In 2004, the government of France named Goldstein a Chevalier (knight) of the Order of Arts and Letters
for his work releasing, promoting, and screening classic French Cinema.
In 2009 Goldstein was awarded the Mel Novikoff award by the San Francisco International Film Festival
, an award given annually "to an individual or institution whose work has enhanced the filmgoing public's knowledge and appreciation of world cinema."
In 2010 Goldstein was nominated by James Billington
, Librarian of Congress, to the Board of the National Film Registry
.
Goldstein became the director of repertory programming for New York's Film Forum
Film Forum
Film Forum is a nonprofit movie theater located at 209 West Houston Street in New York City. It began in 1970 as an alternative screening space for independent films, with 50 folding chairs, one projector and a US$19,000 annual budget. Karen Cooper became director in 1972 and under her leadership,...
in 1986. At Film Forum he presented series on Film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
, silent comedy
Silent comedy
Silent comedy refers to a style of acting, related to but distinct from mime, invented to bring comedy into the medium of film in the silent film era before a sound track on film was technologically practicable...
, classic 3-D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
, Pre-Code movies, science fiction
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
and "gimmick movies" of the 1950s, Westerns, and French crime films. Prior to his work at Film Forum, Goldstein programmed for the Thalia, the Carnegie Hall Cinema, the Bleecker Street Cinema, and his own theater in Provincetown.
In 1990 Goldstein was awarded the New York Film Critics Circle Awards
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
New York Film Critics' Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City-based publications. It is considered one of the most important precursors to the Academy Awards....
for "visionary programming."
In 1997, Goldstein founded Rialto Pictures
Rialto Pictures
Rialto Pictures is a film distributor founded in 1997 by Bruce Goldstein. A year later, Adrienne Halpern joined him as partner. In 2002, Eric Di Bernardo became the company’s National Sales Director. It was described as “the gold standard of reissue distributors” by Los Angeles Times/NPR film...
, which has been described as "the gold standard of reissue distributors" by Los Angeles Times/NPR film critic Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan is an American film critic and Lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California.-Background:...
. Rialto's releases include Murderous Maids
Murderous Maids
Murderous Maids is a French film directed by Jean-Pierre Denis, released in 2000, which deals with the Papin sisters. The screenplay by Jean-Pierre Denis with Michèle Pétin, was based on the book L'Affaire Papin by Paulette Houdyer which told the story of a double murder that made sensational...
, the original 1954 Japanese version of Godzilla
Godzilla (1954 film)
is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
, a restored print of the 1974 documentary Hearts and Minds
Hearts and Minds (film)
Hearts and Minds is a 1974 American documentary film about the Vietnam War directed by Peter Davis. The film's title is based on a quote from President Lyndon B. Johnson: "the ultimate victory will depend on the hearts and minds of the people who actually live out there"...
, The Battle of Algiers, Mafioso, Lola Montès
Lola Montès
Lola Montès is an historical film, and the last film directed by Max Ophüls. The film is based loosely on the life of the 19th Century cabaret dancer Lola Montez — portrayed by Martine Carol — and tells the story of her numerous affairs, most notably with Franz Liszt and Ludwig I, King of Bavaria,...
, and the first U.S. release of Made in U.S.A., and Z
Z (film)
Z is a 1969 French language political thriller directed by Costa Gavras, with a screenplay by Gavras and Jorge Semprún, based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Vassilis Vassilikos. The film presents a thinly fictionalized account of the events surrounding the assassination of democratic Greek...
. In 2007, the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
presented a retrospective tribute to Goldstein's company, entitled "Rialto Pictures: Reviving Classic Cinema."
In 2004, the government of France named Goldstein a Chevalier (knight) of the Order of Arts and Letters
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
for his work releasing, promoting, and screening classic French Cinema.
In 2009 Goldstein was awarded the Mel Novikoff award by the San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
, an award given annually "to an individual or institution whose work has enhanced the filmgoing public's knowledge and appreciation of world cinema."
In 2010 Goldstein was nominated by James Billington
James H. Billington
Lord LeBron James Hadley Billington is an American academic. He is the thirteenth Librarian of the United States Congress.-Early years:...
, Librarian of Congress, to the Board of the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
.
External links
- Rialto Pictures Official Website
- Living In Black and White The Villager
- Bruce Goldstein's Top 10 The Criterion Collection
- Repertory Film Programming: A Web Exclusive Supplement to a Critical Symposium includes an essay on repertory film in New York by Goldstein.