Robert Drew
Encyclopedia
Robert Lincoln Drew is an American documentary filmmaker known as a pioneer of cinéma vérité
, or direct cinema, in the United States.
One of his best known films is Primary
(1960), a documentary
about the Wisconsin Primary
election between Hubert Humphrey
and John F. Kennedy
. It is considered to be one of the first direct cinema
documentaries.
Drew formed Drew Associates in the early 1960s, working closely with many exemplary filmmakers who had and have continued to have documentary careers of their own, including Richard Leacock
, D. A. Pennebaker
, Albert Maysles
and Terence Macartney-Filgate (Canada). For Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment
(1963), Drew convinced President John F. Kennedy
to let his crews shoot candidly in the White House
, and Drew Associates filmmakers (including Gregory Shuker and Richard Leacock
) took cameras into the Oval Office
and into the home of Alabama
Governor George Wallace
who was resisting desegregation. The film includes candid presidential meetings over the crisis precipitated by Wallace when he planned to physically block the entry of two African-American students to the University of Alabama
. The program aired in October 1963 on ABC and triggered a storm of criticism over the admission of cameras into the White House.
Drew has made scores of documentaries in the past half century, winning major awards all over the world. His subjects have included civil rights, other social issues, politics, music, dance and more. His most recent was From Two Men and a War, which recounts his experience as a World War II
fighter pilot and his encounters with the Pulitzer Prize
-winning reporter Ernie Pyle
.
Cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics.There are subtle yet...
, or direct cinema, in the United States.
One of his best known films is Primary
Primary (film)
Primary is a 1960 Direct Cinema documentary film about the 1960 Wisconsin Primary election between John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey for the United States Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States....
(1960), a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the Wisconsin Primary
Wisconsin Primary
The Wisconsin primary was the first presidential primary, first taking place in 1908, and continuing for at least a century. Three presidents have lost it, and it has been pivotal during most of the 20th century....
election between Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
and 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....
. It is considered to be one of the first direct cinema
Direct Cinema
Direct Cinema is a documentary genre that originated between 1958 and 1962 in North America, principally in the Canadian province of Quebec and the United States...
documentaries.
Drew formed Drew Associates in the early 1960s, working closely with many exemplary filmmakers who had and have continued to have documentary careers of their own, including Richard Leacock
Richard Leacock
Richard Leacock was a British-born documentary film director and one of the pioneers of Direct Cinema and Cinéma vérité.-Early life and career:...
, D. A. Pennebaker
D. A. Pennebaker
Donn Alan Pennebaker is an American documentary filmmaker and one of the pioneers of Direct Cinema/Cinéma vérité. Performing arts and politics are his primary subjects.-Biography:...
, Albert Maysles
Albert and David Maysles
Albert and David Maysles were a documentary filmmaking team whose cinéma vérité works include Salesman , Gimme Shelter and Grey Gardens . Their 1964 film on The Beatles forms the backbone of the DVD, The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit...
and Terence Macartney-Filgate (Canada). For Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment
Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment
Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment is a 1963 cinéma vérité documentary film directed by Robert Drew. The film centers on the University of Alabama integration crisis of June 1963. Drew and the other filmmakers, such as D. A. Pennebaker and Richard Leacock, were given access to all the key...
(1963), Drew convinced 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....
to let his crews shoot candidly in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, and Drew Associates filmmakers (including Gregory Shuker and Richard Leacock
Richard Leacock
Richard Leacock was a British-born documentary film director and one of the pioneers of Direct Cinema and Cinéma vérité.-Early life and career:...
) took cameras into the Oval Office
Oval Office
The Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, is the official office of the President of the United States.The room features three large south-facing windows behind the president's desk, and a fireplace at the north end...
and into the home of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
Governor George Wallace
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S...
who was resisting desegregation. The film includes candid presidential meetings over the crisis precipitated by Wallace when he planned to physically block the entry of two African-American students to the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
. The program aired in October 1963 on ABC and triggered a storm of criticism over the admission of cameras into the White House.
Drew has made scores of documentaries in the past half century, winning major awards all over the world. His subjects have included civil rights, other social issues, politics, music, dance and more. His most recent was From Two Men and a War, which recounts his experience as a 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...
fighter pilot and his encounters with the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning reporter Ernie Pyle
Ernie Pyle
Ernest Taylor Pyle was an American journalist who wrote as a roving correspondent for the Scripps Howard newspaper chain from 1935 until his death in combat during World War II. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944...
.
Further reading
- Dave Saunders, Direct Cinema: Observational Documentary and the Politics of the Sixties, London, Wallflower Press 2007