Lewis Jacobs
Encyclopedia
Lewis Jacobs was an American
author, director
and publisher. Jacobs attended art school in Philadelphia and soon moved from an interest in photography to a deep interest in cinema
. Jacobs directed several experimental short films modeled after the Soviet social and political cinema and he was fond of and drew inspirations from the likes of Dziga Vertov
and Hans Richter
.
In 1930 he founded the magazine Experimental Cinema which was one of the first publications to view film as art. He spent time with noted early pioneers such as Sergei Eisenstein
. He lived in Hollywood gaining acclaim as a film scholar taking jobs such as advising Orson Welles
on his first feature film Citizen Kane
and directing Elizabeth Taylor
in her first screen tests for the film National Velvet
.
After spending many years in Hollywood as a contract studio writer, he moved to New York
during the period of the blacklist
and joined the Film and Photo League in 1931 as well as doing work for film trailers. In 1933 he compiled all the footage he had made during his lunch breaks and compiled it into the film Footnote to Fact which was intended to be part one in a four-part documentary titled As I Walk, a look into the depths of poverty during the Great Depression
in NYC. The final three parts were never completed and the original negative was believed lost until it was rediscovered by the Anthology Film Archives
in 1990. The film is now available in the Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant Garde Film 1894-1941
DVD box-set, under the volume entitled "Picturing a Metropolis."
Jacobs also authored numerous book on cinema, taught film courses at universities, juried many film festivals and wrote the screenplay for the film Sweet Love, Bitter
which went on to become the inspiration for Clint Eastwood
's Bird.
His later years were spend focusing on mixed media collages for which he won numerous awards.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and publisher. Jacobs attended art school in Philadelphia and soon moved from an interest in photography to a deep interest in cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. Jacobs directed several experimental short films modeled after the Soviet social and political cinema and he was fond of and drew inspirations from the likes of Dziga Vertov
Dziga Vertov
David Abelevich Kaufman , better known by his pseudonym Dziga Vertov , was a Soviet pioneer documentary film, newsreel director and cinema theorist...
and Hans Richter
Hans Richter
Hans Richter may refer to:*Hans Richter , Austrian conductor*Hans Richter , designer of the Volksbühne in Berlin and villa Heller in Ústí nad Labem...
.
In 1930 he founded the magazine Experimental Cinema which was one of the first publications to view film as art. He spent time with noted early pioneers such as Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein , né Eizenshtein, was a pioneering Soviet Russian film director and film theorist, often considered to be the "Father of Montage"...
. He lived in Hollywood gaining acclaim as a film scholar taking jobs such as advising Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
on his first feature film Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
and directing Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
in her first screen tests for the film National Velvet
National Velvet (film)
National Velvet is a 1944 drama film, in Technicolor, based on the novel by Enid Bagnold, published in 1935. It stars Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp and a young Elizabeth Taylor....
.
After spending many years in Hollywood as a contract studio writer, he moved to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
during the period of the blacklist
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
and joined the Film and Photo League in 1931 as well as doing work for film trailers. In 1933 he compiled all the footage he had made during his lunch breaks and compiled it into the film Footnote to Fact which was intended to be part one in a four-part documentary titled As I Walk, a look into the depths of poverty during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in NYC. The final three parts were never completed and the original negative was believed lost until it was rediscovered by the Anthology Film Archives
Anthology Film Archives
__notoc__Anthology Film Archives is a film archive and theater located at 32 Second Avenue on the corner of East Second Street in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City devoted to the preservation and exhibition of experimental film. It is the only non-profit organization of its...
in 1990. The film is now available in the Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant Garde Film 1894-1941
Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant Garde Film 1894-1941
Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant Garde Film 1894-1941 is a 7-disc and 19-hour DVD retrospective released by Image Entertainment in October 2005, and which includes some of the earliest American experimental film. It includes the work of:...
DVD box-set, under the volume entitled "Picturing a Metropolis."
Jacobs also authored numerous book on cinema, taught film courses at universities, juried many film festivals and wrote the screenplay for the film Sweet Love, Bitter
Sweet Love, Bitter
Sweet Love, Bitter is a soundtrack album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in 1967 for the film of the same name written by Lewis Jacobs and directed by Herbert Danska and released on the Impulse! label.-Reception:...
which went on to become the inspiration for Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
's Bird.
His later years were spend focusing on mixed media collages for which he won numerous awards.