Film as a Subversive Art: Amos Vogel and Cinema 16 (2003)

Director:

Paul Cronin

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

An hour-long filmed profile of Amos Vogel, 82-year old New York resident and Austrian emigre, founder of the New York Film Festival and America's most important film society, Cinema 16. |

Plot Keywords:

Film Buff | Art | Cinema | Retrospective | Film Clip

Cast

Amos Vogel	...	Himself
Marcia Vogel	...	Herself
Scott McDonald	...	Himself
Jack Goelman	...	Himself

Runtime:

UK:56 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (archive clips)

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Company:

Sticking Place Films

Movie Connections:

Features Ewige Jude, Der (1940)

Would any of us be able to see avant garde films if it weren't for Amos Vogel (and his wife)?

Amos Vogel is one of those pioneers who usually gets forgotten over time so this documentary is an apt reminder to cinephiles everywhere that someone started the arthouse and film club circuit that we all take for granted. Just goes to show you that even way back when (before TV) Hollywood movies dominated the cinemas and there were no outlets for foreign and 'avant-garde' films (even in New York City). That's where Amos Vogel steps in with his Cinema 16 film society which premiered the films that no other theaters would show and helped New York audiences to discover directors like Maya Deren, Roman Polanski, and John Cassavettes. If you are wondering just how successful Vogel's operation was, due to public demand he was eventually forced to move from his first theater to a 1600 seat auditorium which he filled twice daily! He also started his own distribution network and cataloged many of seminal works of film art that are revered by cinephiles and film critics today. The only weakness in this profile is it's preference to just let Amos ramble instead of supporting his words with images from the many films her discovered. Only a few film clips are used which causes some sections of the film to drag. Still, this is a MUST-SEE for cinephiles and those that need to be introduced to one of the great progenitors of Avant-garde cinema in the USA.