Alan Greenberg (film director)
Encyclopedia
Alan Greenberg is an American
film director, screenwriter, photographer and author.
Greenberg visited Jamaica
from a young age, and was a friend of Bob Marley
. Following Marley's death, Marley's family asked Greenberg to make a film about Marley. In 1981, Greenberg filmed Land of Look Behind
(1982), a documentary film that includes footage of Marley's funeral as well as scenes filmed in Jamaica's remote Cockpit Country and the capital city of Kingston
. The film ended up being more of a visionary portrait of the Jamaica of that period (focusing on the Rastafari movement
and reggae
culture) than a film primarily about Marley. The film has won considerable critical acclaim, as well as winning the Gold Hugo Award for Best Documentary in the Chicago International Film Festival
, the U.S.'s largest film competition. Land of Look Behind has also been honored as the best American documentary film of its era, and the legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog
says "'Land of Look Behind' has achieved things never seen before in cinema."
Greenberg has worked closely with Werner Herzog on many projects. He served as a special unit photographer on the films Mandingo
(1975) and 1900
, by Bernardo Bertolucci
(1976). He has also written twenty screenplays and three books. His book Heart of Glass, about the making of the 1976 Werner Herzog masterwork of the same name
, was called "The best book on the making of a film ever written" by Rolling Stone
magazine. A new revised edition of the book, entitled, "EVERY NIGHT THE TREES DISAPPEAR: Werner Herzog and the Making of 'Heart of Glass'" will be published in early 2012 in hard cover by the Chicago Review Press. It will feature Greenberg's yet-unpublished photographs, which Herzog calls "strange and beautiful."
In 2012 Greenberg will write and produce a film based on his acclaimed screenplay "Love in Vain", a poetic account of the mysterious blues genius Robert Johnson. "Love in Vain" was also the first screenplay ever published by a major house (Doubleday) as literature.
Greenberg's latest screenplay, "Tutankhamun - Lord of Two Lands", a radically researched vision of the Boy King's murder intertwined with the intrigue surrounding his tomb's discovery in 1922, will be produced in 2012 by Robert A. Katz.
Greenberg lives in Portland
, Oregon
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film director, screenwriter, photographer and author.
Greenberg visited Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
from a young age, and was a friend of Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
. Following Marley's death, Marley's family asked Greenberg to make a film about Marley. In 1981, Greenberg filmed Land of Look Behind
Land of Look Behind
Land of Look Behind is a 1982 documentary film about Jamaica. It was filmed in May and June of 1981 by Alan Greenberg, and was the director's first film. The film's cinematographer was Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein, an associate of Werner Herzog. The musical score is by K. Leimer.The film begins with...
(1982), a documentary film that includes footage of Marley's funeral as well as scenes filmed in Jamaica's remote Cockpit Country and the capital city of Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
. The film ended up being more of a visionary portrait of the Jamaica of that period (focusing on the Rastafari movement
Rastafari movement
The Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
culture) than a film primarily about Marley. The film has won considerable critical acclaim, as well as winning the Gold Hugo Award for Best Documentary in the Chicago International Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
, the U.S.'s largest film competition. Land of Look Behind has also been honored as the best American documentary film of its era, and the legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
says "'Land of Look Behind' has achieved things never seen before in cinema."
Greenberg has worked closely with Werner Herzog on many projects. He served as a special unit photographer on the films Mandingo
Mandingo (film)
Mandingo is a 1975 film, based on the novel Mandingo by Kyle Onstott and upon the play based thereon by Jack Kirkland. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and featured James Mason, Susan George, Perry King, Lillian Hayman, boxer-turned-actor Ken Norton, and bodybuilder and pro...
(1975) and 1900
1900 (film)
1900 is a 1976 Italian epic film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Robert De Niro, Gérard Depardieu, Dominique Sanda, Donald Sutherland, Alida Valli, and Burt Lancaster. Set in Bertolucci's ancestral region of Emilia, the film chronicles the lives of two men during the political turmoils...
, by Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci is an Italian film director and screenwriter, whose films include The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, 1900, The Last Emperor and The Dreamers...
(1976). He has also written twenty screenplays and three books. His book Heart of Glass, about the making of the 1976 Werner Herzog masterwork of the same name
Heart of Glass (film)
Heart of Glass is a 1976 film written, directed, and produced by Werner Herzog, set in 18th century Bavaria. The main character is "Hias," based on the legendary Bavarian prophet Mühlhiasl.-Plot synopsis:...
, was called "The best book on the making of a film ever written" by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine. A new revised edition of the book, entitled, "EVERY NIGHT THE TREES DISAPPEAR: Werner Herzog and the Making of 'Heart of Glass'" will be published in early 2012 in hard cover by the Chicago Review Press. It will feature Greenberg's yet-unpublished photographs, which Herzog calls "strange and beautiful."
In 2012 Greenberg will write and produce a film based on his acclaimed screenplay "Love in Vain", a poetic account of the mysterious blues genius Robert Johnson. "Love in Vain" was also the first screenplay ever published by a major house (Doubleday) as literature.
Greenberg's latest screenplay, "Tutankhamun - Lord of Two Lands", a radically researched vision of the Boy King's murder intertwined with the intrigue surrounding his tomb's discovery in 1922, will be produced in 2012 by Robert A. Katz.
Greenberg lives in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
Books
- Greenberg, Alan (1976). Heart of Glass. Text and photos by A. Greenberg, scenario by W. Herzog, based on H. Achternbusch's Die Stunde des Todes. Munich: Skellig.
- Greenberg, Alan (1994). Love in Vain: A Vision of Robert Johnson. 1st Da Capo Press ed. New foreword by Martin Scorsese; introduction by Stanley Crouch. Screenplay of an unproduced motion picture. New York: Da Capo Press. (Originally published: Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1983.) ISBN 0-306-80557-X.
- Greenberg, Alan (1983). Love in Vain: The Life and Legend of Robert Johnson. 1st ed. A Dolphin book. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-15679-0.
- Greenberg, Alan (2012). "Every Night the Trees Disappear: Werner Herzog and the Making of 'Heart of Glass'". Chicago: Chicago Review Press.