A Decade of Left-leaning Non-Fiction, 1938–1948

Nachdem Leyda und Si-lan Chen 1969 nach zwölf Jahren Exil in die USA zurückkehrten, wurde Leyda zum Mentor einer neuen Generation von Filmwissenschaftler*innen, die ihre Disziplin zu einer kritisch-historischen Gesellschaftswissenschaft entwickelten. Einer seiner ersten Schüler war Charles Musser, der hier unter dem Titel A Decade of Left-leaning Non-Fiction, 1938-1948 vier Filme ausgewählt hat, die an Leydas engagierte Rolle in der aktivistischen und gewerkschaftlichen Filmarbeit der 30er und 40er Jahre erinnern.

"Jay Leyda was substantially involved in radical filmmaking in the decade following the release of Frontier Films'THE PEOPLE OF THE CUMBERLAND. After screening that film to enthusiastic audiences who were inspired to join their union, the United Auto Workers began to produce ambitious union-focused documentaries, with Michael Martini as their filmmaker. Their films, made between 1938-41, were mostly silent, but Martini took his film about the 1938–39 Tool and Die Makers strike at General Motors, to Frontier Films in New York City and they added an effective sound track. UNITED ACTION MEANS VICTORYwas the result. After World War II, Leyda was connected to the Union Films collective and its producer Carl Marzani through shared politics and friendship. Although Union Films had virtually disappeared from the historical record, Leyda had arranged for a donation of a print of THE PEOPLE’S CONGRESSMAN, narrated by Paul Robeson, to the Museum of Modern Art (NYC). The “people’s congressman” was Vito Marcantonio, whom Leyda had supported as an alternate delegate for the American Labor Party. This archival treasure would ultimately lead to a new visibility and appreciation for the production company. Union Films made about two dozen nonfiction films in 16mm, most of which were funded by the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (often referred to as the UE).  The organization’s third film, OUR UNION was about the UE, which had emerged as one of the largest unions affiliated with the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) in the later 1930s." (Charles Musser)

Das Programm wird gerahmt durch eine Online-Einführung von Charles Musser und ein anschließendes Filmgespräch.

(PDF) Charles Musser, Carl Marzani & Union Films: Making Left-wing Documentaries during the Cold War, 1946-53, in: The Moving Image, 9:1 (Spring 2009)

Filme:
The People of the Cumberland Sidney Meyers, Jay Leyda USA 1938 16 mm engl. OF 18 Min.
United Action Means Victory Michael Martini USA 1939 Digital file engl. OF 36 Min.
Our Union Union Films, Carl Aldo Marzani USA 1949 16 mm engl. OF 21 Min.
The People’s Congressman Union Films, Carl Aldo Marzani USA 1948 Digital file engl. OF 12 Min.

Kopiengeber der Filme sind das Museum of Modern Art, New York (THE PEOPLE OF THE CUMBERLAND), die Library of Congresss (UNITED ACTION MEANS VICTORY), Yale University (OUR UNION) und New York University (THE PEOPLE‘S CONGRESSMAN).