FOR A BETTER AMERICA: THE NEW DEAL ON FILM
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Son of a West Virginia publisher, Lorentz had already established himself as a writer and film critic when The Roosevelt Year: 1933, his photographic book documenting the social dislocations of the Depression, won him an assignment from the Resettlement Administration to make a movie about the Dust Bowl. To the RA’s surprise, The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936, 29 minutes) became a modest hit, and Lorentz’s follow-up, The River (1938, 32 minutes), was hailed by audiences and critics alike. The next year Roosevelt named Lorentz director of the new U.S. Film Service, which would coordinate all filmmaking activities of the federal government. Lorentz had big ideas for the service: he wanted to produce features that could compete on their merits in the commercial marketplace. But his ambitions spooked the Hollywood moguls, who resented competition from the government, and angered congressional conservatives, who called Lorentz the president’s propagandist.
Though Lorentz had wanted his movie shown in theaters, he was distrusted by the Hollywood studios, which at that time controlled the large theater chains. As a critic in 1930, Lorentz had collaborated with a colleague to publish Censored: The Private Life of the Movies, which investigated the studios’ self-censorship. Later, when Lorentz was looking for stock footage to use in The Plow That Broke the Plains, he found himself turned away by the major studios and had to rely on his friend King Vidor to intervene. Vidor mustered support for the finished movie among such directors as Rouben Mamoulian and Lewis Milestone, and it enjoyed a triumphant premiere in Washington. But distributors weren’t interested; one told the New York Times, “When the government makes it, it automatically becomes a propaganda film.” Lorentz arranged for independent screenings in a number of cities, and the film was eventually shown in about 3,000 theaters.
For more on movies, see our blog On Film at chicagoreader.com.
Wed 4/16 at Columbia College Ludington Bldg., 1104 S. Wabash. “Urban Life and Culture,” 9 AM; “The Projects,” 1 PM; “The Land and Environment,” 4:30 PM. 312-344-7296, colum.edu/Academics/Liberal_Education/Events.php.F .
