Amos Vogel
Encyclopedia
Amos Vogel was one of the most influential cineasts in New York. He is best known for his bestselling book Film as a Subversive Art
(1974) and as the founder of the New York City avantgarde ciné-club Cinema 16
(1947–1963), where he was the first programmer to present films by Roman Polanski
, John Cassavetes
, Nagisa Oshima
, Jacques Rivette
and Alain Resnais
as well as early and important screenings by American avant-gardists of the time like Stan Brakhage
, Maya Deren
, James Broughton
, Kenneth Anger
, Sidney Peterson
, Bruce Conner
, Carmen D'Avino
and many others. In 1963, together with Richard Roud
, he founded the New York Film Festival
, and served as its program director until 1968. In 1973, Vogel started the Annenberg Cinematheque at the University of Pennsylvania
and was eventually given a Chair for film studies at the Annenberg School for Communication
, where he taught and lectured for two decades.
Vogel fled Austria with his parents after the Nazi Anschluß in 1938 and at first studied animal husbandry at the University of Georgia. In the American South, he noted, the racism was as bad as the anti-Semitism
he witnessed in Europe. Later he received a bachelor's degree from the New School for Social Research in New York.
He is also the author of a book for children, How Little Lori Visited Times Square, published in 1963 with illustrations by Maurice Sendak
.
Vogel participated in the 2003 documentary In the Mirror of Maya Deren
by Martina Kudlácek.
Film as a Subversive Art
Film as a Subversive Art is a 1974 film history book by Amos Vogel with mini-essays on over 600 films. The book was re-printed with a new foreword and introduction in 2005....
(1974) and as the founder of the New York City avantgarde ciné-club Cinema 16
Cinema 16
Cinema 16 was a New York city based film society founded by Amos Vogel. From 1947 until 1963, he and his wife Marcia ran the most successful and influential membership film society in North American history, at its height boasting 7000 members....
(1947–1963), where he was the first programmer to present films by Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
, John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
, Nagisa Oshima
Nagisa Oshima
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. After graduating from Kyoto University he was hired by Shochiku Ltd. and quickly progressed to directing his own movies, making his debut feature A Town of Love and Hope in 1959....
, Jacques Rivette
Jacques Rivette
Jacques Rivette is a French film director. His most well known films include Celine and Julie Go Boating, La Belle Noiseuse and the cult film Out 1....
and Alain Resnais
Alain Resnais
Alain Resnais is a French film director whose career has extended over more than six decades. After training as a film editor in the mid-1940s, he went on to direct a number of short films which included Nuit et Brouillard , an influential documentary about the Nazi concentration camps.He began...
as well as early and important screenings by American avant-gardists of the time like Stan Brakhage
Stan Brakhage
James Stanley Brakhage , better known as Stan Brakhage, was an American non-narrative filmmaker who is considered to be one of the most important figures in 20th century experimental film....
, Maya Deren
Maya Deren
Maya Deren , born Eleanora Derenkowsky, was an American avant-garde filmmaker and film theorist of the 1940s and 1950s...
, James Broughton
James Broughton
James Broughton was an American poet, and poetic filmmaker. He was part of the San Francisco Renaissance...
, Kenneth Anger
Kenneth Anger
Kenneth Anger is an American underground experimental filmmaker, occasional actor and author...
, Sidney Peterson
Sidney Peterson
Sidney Peterson was an American author, artist, and avant-garde filmmaker. He attended UC Berkeley, worked as a newspaper reporter in Monterey, and spent time as a practicing painter and sculptor in France in the 1920s and 1930s...
, Bruce Conner
Bruce Conner
Bruce Conner was an American artist renowned for his work in assemblage, film, drawing, sculpture, painting, collage, and photography, among other disciplines.-Early life:...
, Carmen D'Avino
Carmen D'Avino
Carmen D'Avino was a pioneer in animated short film. As one of the leading figures in the avant-garde film movement of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, his films were regularly seen at Cinema 16, the most successful and influential membership film society in North American history...
and many others. In 1963, together with Richard Roud
Richard Roud
Richard Roud was an American writer on film and co-founder, with Amos Vogel, and a former program director and latterly director of the New York Film Festival from 1963 to 1987....
, he founded the New York Film Festival
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center...
, and served as its program director until 1968. In 1973, Vogel started the Annenberg Cinematheque at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and was eventually given a Chair for film studies at the Annenberg School for Communication
Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania
The Annenberg School for Communication is the communications school at the University of Pennsylvania. The school was established in 1958 by Wharton School's alum Walter Annenberg as "The Annenberg School of Communications." The name was changed to its current title in the late 1980's.Walter...
, where he taught and lectured for two decades.
Vogel fled Austria with his parents after the Nazi Anschluß in 1938 and at first studied animal husbandry at the University of Georgia. In the American South, he noted, the racism was as bad as the anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
he witnessed in Europe. Later he received a bachelor's degree from the New School for Social Research in New York.
He is also the author of a book for children, How Little Lori Visited Times Square, published in 1963 with illustrations by Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
.
Vogel participated in the 2003 documentary In the Mirror of Maya Deren
Maya Deren
Maya Deren , born Eleanora Derenkowsky, was an American avant-garde filmmaker and film theorist of the 1940s and 1950s...
by Martina Kudlácek.
Films about Vogel
- Film as a Subversive Art: Amos Vogel and Cinema 16, Paul Cronin, UK, 2003; 56m