Milton Moses Ginsberg
Encyclopedia
Milton Moses Ginsberg is a film director and editor most famous for writing and directing Coming Apart, a 1969 film starring Rip Torn
and Sally Kirkland
, and The Werewolf of Washington
starring Dean Stockwell
. Born in 1943, Ginsberg is based in New York City. He married painter Nina Posnansky in 1983.
as a mentally disturbed psychologist who secretly films his sexual encounters with women. Sally Kirkland
, who was simultaneously filming Futz! at the time, also stars. The film was shot in a one-room, 15'x17' apartment in Kips Bay Plaza, on a budget of 60,000 dollars. Shooting lasted three weeks.
Ginsberg filmed the entire movie with one static camera setup, in a manner simulating a non-constructed "fake documentary" style, influenced by Jim McBride's
David Holzman's Diary
.
Critical reception was mixed. Life
reviewer Richard Schickel
praised Torn's performance, Ginsberg's inventive use of camera and sound, and the "illuminating" portrayal of a schizophrenic breakdown. But critic Andrew Sarris
gave it a less-favorable review, and the film was a commercial failure.
The film has since attained a cult following among critics and filmmakers.
starring Dean Stockwell
. Eschewing the minimalism of his previous feature, Ginsberg demonstrated a more technically complex film style.
After a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 1975, Ginsberg became depressed and withdrew from filmmaking. He returned to directing in 1999 and 2001, with the short films The City Below the Line and The Haloed Bird.
Since his last feature film, Ginsberg has primarily made a living as a film editor, working on two Academy Award-winning documentaries, Down and Out in America
and The Personals, among others. More recently, he edited the miniseries Fidel
for director David Attwood
.
Rip Torn
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
and Sally Kirkland
Sally Kirkland
Sally Kirkland is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Kirkland was named after her mother, fashion editor Sally Kirkland, who was a fashion editor at Vogue and LIFE magazines, and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father, Frederic McMichael Kirkland, worked in the scrap...
, and The Werewolf of Washington
The Werewolf of Washington
The Werewolf of Washington is a 1973 horror comedy film written and directed by Milton Moses Ginsberg, produced by Nina Schulman and starring Dean Stockwell. It satirises several individuals in the Richard Nixon Presidency.-Plot summary:...
starring Dean Stockwell
Dean Stockwell
Dean Stockwell is an American actor of film and television, with a career spanning over 65 years. As a child actor under contract to MGM he first came to the public's attention in films such as Anchors Aweigh and The Green Years; as a young adult he played a lead role in the 1957 Broadway and...
. Born in 1943, Ginsberg is based in New York City. He married painter Nina Posnansky in 1983.
Coming Apart
In 1969, Ginsberg directed his first feature film. Coming Apart starred Rip TornRip Torn
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
as a mentally disturbed psychologist who secretly films his sexual encounters with women. Sally Kirkland
Sally Kirkland
Sally Kirkland is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Kirkland was named after her mother, fashion editor Sally Kirkland, who was a fashion editor at Vogue and LIFE magazines, and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father, Frederic McMichael Kirkland, worked in the scrap...
, who was simultaneously filming Futz! at the time, also stars. The film was shot in a one-room, 15'x17' apartment in Kips Bay Plaza, on a budget of 60,000 dollars. Shooting lasted three weeks.
Ginsberg filmed the entire movie with one static camera setup, in a manner simulating a non-constructed "fake documentary" style, influenced by Jim McBride's
Jim McBride
Jim McBride is an American television and film director, film producer and screenwriter.-Filmography:* David Holzman's Diary * My Girlfriend's Wedding...
David Holzman's Diary
David Holzman's Diary
David Holzman's Diary is a 1967 American film, directed by Jim McBride, which spoofs the art of documentary-making.It tells the story of a young man making a documentary of his life, who discovers something important about himself while making the movie....
.
Critical reception was mixed. Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
reviewer Richard Schickel
Richard Schickel
Richard Warren Schickel is an American author, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. He is a film critic for Time magazine, having also written for Life magazine and the Los Angeles Times Book Review....
praised Torn's performance, Ginsberg's inventive use of camera and sound, and the "illuminating" portrayal of a schizophrenic breakdown. But critic Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris is an American film critic and a leading proponent of the auteur theory of criticism.-Career:Sarris is generally credited with popularizing the auteur theory in the U.S...
gave it a less-favorable review, and the film was a commercial failure.
The film has since attained a cult following among critics and filmmakers.
Subsequent work
In 1973, Ginsberg wrote and directed the satirical horror film The Werewolf of WashingtonThe Werewolf of Washington
The Werewolf of Washington is a 1973 horror comedy film written and directed by Milton Moses Ginsberg, produced by Nina Schulman and starring Dean Stockwell. It satirises several individuals in the Richard Nixon Presidency.-Plot summary:...
starring Dean Stockwell
Dean Stockwell
Dean Stockwell is an American actor of film and television, with a career spanning over 65 years. As a child actor under contract to MGM he first came to the public's attention in films such as Anchors Aweigh and The Green Years; as a young adult he played a lead role in the 1957 Broadway and...
. Eschewing the minimalism of his previous feature, Ginsberg demonstrated a more technically complex film style.
After a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 1975, Ginsberg became depressed and withdrew from filmmaking. He returned to directing in 1999 and 2001, with the short films The City Below the Line and The Haloed Bird.
Since his last feature film, Ginsberg has primarily made a living as a film editor, working on two Academy Award-winning documentaries, Down and Out in America
Down and Out in America
Down and Out in America is a 1986 Academy Award-winning documentary film that critiques Reaganomics by showing examples of poverty in the United States. It won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, tying with Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got....
and The Personals, among others. More recently, he edited the miniseries Fidel
Fidel (film)
Fidel is the name of a mini-series by David Attwood that describes the Cuban revolution and political career of Fidel Castro. The total duration of the series is about 3 hours and 20 minutes, but the video-version is shorter.-Plot:...
for director David Attwood
David Attwood
David Attwood is an English filmmaker.- Filmography :*1989 Killing Time*1990-1993 The Bill, 12 eps*1994 Saigon Baby*1995 The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders*1997 Shot Through the Heart...
.