Emile de Antonio
Encyclopedia
Emile de Antonio was a director and producer of documentary films, usually detailing political or social events circa 1960s–1980s. He has been referred to by scholars and critics alike, and arguably remains, “…the most important political filmmaker in the United States during the Cold War.” He was born in 1919 in in the coal-mining town of Scranton, Pennsylvania
. His father, Emilio de Antonio, an Italian immigrant, fostered the lifelong interests of Antonio by passing on his own love for philosophy, classical literature, history and the arts. Although his intelligence allowed him the privilege of attended Harvard University alongside then future-president John F. Kennedy
, he was also familiar with the working class experience, making his living at various points in his life as a peddler, a book editor, and the captain of a river barge (among other duties). He would later go on to make a film about Kennedy's assassination called Rush to Judgment
(1966), an early rebuttal of the Warren Report.
After serving in the military during World War II
as a bomber pilot, de Antonio returned to the United States where he frequented the art crowd, often associating with such Pop artists as Jasper Johns
, Robert Rauschenberg
, and Andy Warhol
, in whose film Drink de Antonio appears. Warhol was famously quoted praising de Antonio with the words, “Everything I learned about painting, I learned from De.”
In 1959 de Antonio developed G-String Productions in order to distribute the Beat Generation
film Pull My Daisy
. It was at this time that de Antonio discovered filmmaking. His first film, Point of Order
, a compilation film made in 1964, regards Joseph McCarthy
and the Army-McCarthy hearings.
In 1968, de Antonio signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
De Antonio chronicled this art scene in his documentary Painters Painting
(1972). De Antonio did not actually begin creating films until the age of 43, after making significant contributions to the modern art world through his uncensored promotion of the work of his contemporaries. In 1969, the Metropolitan Museum of Art held a water-stone exhibition titled New York Painting and Sculpture: 1940-1970, that included 408 works by 43 artists. Curator Henry Geldzahler
granted de Antonio the unique opportunity of exclusive access to the works included in the show, and exclusive rights to filming it. Until this point, de Antonio noted, “I disliked films on painting that I knew. They were either arty, narrated in a gush of reverence, as if painting were among angelic orders, or filmed with violent, brainless zooms on Apollo’s navel, a celebration of the camera over the god. They revealed nothing at all about how or why a painting was made.” The intimate opportunity of access to the show, and the similarly intimate relationships with many of the artists, led de Antonio to select thirteen painters to profile in his film, in addition to critics, curators, dealers, collectors, and other influential figures in the contemporary art world. Combining interviews with live footage of the artists at work in their studio, de Antonio and cinematographer Ed Emshwiller created a groundbreaking work that captured Abstract Expressionism and other major contemporary art movements in a way no film maker had ever before.
In an interview regarding his filmography, de Antonio spoke towards his relationship with the painters and his role in the creation of the film: “I was probably the only filmmaker in the world who could [have made Painters Painting] because I knew all those people, from the time that they were poor, and unsuccessful and had no money. I knew Warhol and Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns and Stella before they ever sold a painting, and so it was interesting to [do the film about them]."
De Antonio was the creator of many politically motivated films that attracted a substantial amount of controversy and was also known for aligning himself with Marxist thought. His films are critiques of various aspects of American culture or politics, on the whole reflecting a certain degree of political dissension.
and the documentary Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media
(1992) by Mark Achbar
and Peter Wintonick
are dedicated to Emile de Antonio.
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
. His father, Emilio de Antonio, an Italian immigrant, fostered the lifelong interests of Antonio by passing on his own love for philosophy, classical literature, history and the arts. Although his intelligence allowed him the privilege of attended Harvard University alongside then future-president John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, he was also familiar with the working class experience, making his living at various points in his life as a peddler, a book editor, and the captain of a river barge (among other duties). He would later go on to make a film about Kennedy's assassination called Rush to Judgment
Rush to Judgment
Rush to Judgment is a book by American lawyer Mark Lane. It is about the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and takes issue with the conclusions of the Warren Commission, suggesting there was a conspiracy to assassinate John F...
(1966), an early rebuttal of the Warren Report.
After serving in the military during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a bomber pilot, de Antonio returned to the United States where he frequented the art crowd, often associating with such Pop artists as Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns, Jr. is an American contemporary artist who works primarily in painting and printmaking.-Life:Born in Augusta, Georgia, Jasper Johns spent his early life in Allendale, South Carolina with his paternal grandparents after his parents' marriage failed...
, Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg was an American artist who came to prominence in the 1950s transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Rauschenberg is well-known for his "Combines" of the 1950s, in which non-traditional materials and objects were employed in innovative combinations...
, and Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, in whose film Drink de Antonio appears. Warhol was famously quoted praising de Antonio with the words, “Everything I learned about painting, I learned from De.”
In 1959 de Antonio developed G-String Productions in order to distribute the Beat Generation
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
film Pull My Daisy
Pull My Daisy
Pull My Daisy is a short film that typifies the Beat Generation. Directed by Robert Frank and Alfred Leslie, Daisy was adapted by Jack Kerouac from the third act of his play, Beat Generation; Kerouac also provided improvised narration...
. It was at this time that de Antonio discovered filmmaking. His first film, Point of Order
Point of order
A point of order is a matter raised during consideration of a motion concerning the rules of parliamentary procedure.-Explanation and uses:A point of order may be raised if the rules appear to have been broken. This may interrupt a speaker during debate, or anything else if the breach of the rules...
, a compilation film made in 1964, regards Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
and the Army-McCarthy hearings.
In 1968, de Antonio signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
De Antonio chronicled this art scene in his documentary Painters Painting
Painters Painting
Painters Painting: The New York Art Scene 1940-1970 is a 1972 documentary directed by Emile de Antonio. It covers American art movements from abstract expressionism to pop art through conversations with artists in their studios...
(1972). De Antonio did not actually begin creating films until the age of 43, after making significant contributions to the modern art world through his uncensored promotion of the work of his contemporaries. In 1969, the Metropolitan Museum of Art held a water-stone exhibition titled New York Painting and Sculpture: 1940-1970, that included 408 works by 43 artists. Curator Henry Geldzahler
Henry Geldzahler
Henry Geldzahler was a curator of contemporary art in the late 20th century, as well as a modern art art historian and art critic...
granted de Antonio the unique opportunity of exclusive access to the works included in the show, and exclusive rights to filming it. Until this point, de Antonio noted, “I disliked films on painting that I knew. They were either arty, narrated in a gush of reverence, as if painting were among angelic orders, or filmed with violent, brainless zooms on Apollo’s navel, a celebration of the camera over the god. They revealed nothing at all about how or why a painting was made.” The intimate opportunity of access to the show, and the similarly intimate relationships with many of the artists, led de Antonio to select thirteen painters to profile in his film, in addition to critics, curators, dealers, collectors, and other influential figures in the contemporary art world. Combining interviews with live footage of the artists at work in their studio, de Antonio and cinematographer Ed Emshwiller created a groundbreaking work that captured Abstract Expressionism and other major contemporary art movements in a way no film maker had ever before.
In an interview regarding his filmography, de Antonio spoke towards his relationship with the painters and his role in the creation of the film: “I was probably the only filmmaker in the world who could [have made Painters Painting] because I knew all those people, from the time that they were poor, and unsuccessful and had no money. I knew Warhol and Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns and Stella before they ever sold a painting, and so it was interesting to [do the film about them]."
De Antonio was the creator of many politically motivated films that attracted a substantial amount of controversy and was also known for aligning himself with Marxist thought. His films are critiques of various aspects of American culture or politics, on the whole reflecting a certain degree of political dissension.
Filmography
- Point of OrderPoint of Order (film)Point of Order! is a 1964 documentary film about the Senate Army-McCarthy Hearings of 1954. The hearings were broadcast live on television in their entirety and also recorded via kinescope...
(1964) - McCarthy: Death of a Witch Hunter (1964)
- Rush to JudgmentRush to JudgmentRush to Judgment is a book by American lawyer Mark Lane. It is about the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and takes issue with the conclusions of the Warren Commission, suggesting there was a conspiracy to assassinate John F...
(1967) - America Is Hard to See (1968)
- In the Year of the PigIn the Year of the PigIn the Year of the Pig is a 1968 American documentary film about the origins of the Vietnam War, directed by Emile de Antonio. It was nominated for an Academy award for best documentary....
(1968) - Charge and Countercharge (1969)
- Millhouse: A White ComedyMillhouse (film)Millhouse: A White Comedy is a 1971 documentary by Emile de Antonio following Richard Nixon's political career from his election to the House of Representatives in 1946 to his election as President of the United States in 1968...
(1971) - Painters PaintingPainters PaintingPainters Painting: The New York Art Scene 1940-1970 is a 1972 documentary directed by Emile de Antonio. It covers American art movements from abstract expressionism to pop art through conversations with artists in their studios...
(1972) - Underground (1976)
- In The King of Prussia (1982)
- Mr. Hoover and I (1989)
Discography
- Underground (1976) with Mary Lampson, and Haskell WexlerHaskell WexlerHaskell Wexler, A.S.C. is an American cinematographer, film producer, and director. Wexler was judged to be one of film history's ten most influential cinematographers in a survey of the members of the International Cinematographers Guild.-Early life and education:Wexler was born to a Jewish...
with the Weather Underground on Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:... - Millhouse (Original Soundtrack of Film on Richard NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
) (1979) on Folkways Records
Further notes
The book Necessary Illusions (1989) by Noam ChomskyNoam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
and the documentary Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media is a documentary film that explores the political life and ideas of Noam Chomsky, a linguist, intellectual, and political activist...
(1992) by Mark Achbar
Mark Achbar
Mark Achbar is a Canadian filmmaker, best known for directing The Corporation and Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media.- Biography :Achbar is a graduate of Syracuse University's Fine Arts Film Program...
and Peter Wintonick
Peter Wintonick
Peter Wintonick is an independent documentary filmmaker based in Montreal. A winner of the 2006 Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts, former Thinker in Residence for the Premier of South Australia, prolific award winning filmmaker, he is one of Canada's best known international...
are dedicated to Emile de Antonio.
Further reading
- Kellner, Douglas and Dan Streible, eds., Emile de Antonio: A Reader (Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press, 2000).
- Lewis, Randolph. Emile de Antonio: Radical Filmmaker in Cold War America (Madison, WI and London: University of Wisconsin Press, 2000).