Robert Kramer (June 22, 1939 – November 10, 1999) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor who directed 19 films between 1965 and 1999, most of them political cinema made from a left-wing point of view.[1][2] Born in New York and educated at Swarthmore College and Stanford University, Kramer was a founding member of the filmmaking collective The Newsreel, established in New York City in 1968.[3] Kramer wrote, directed and starred in the 1970 thriller film Ice, and co-directed the 1975 film Milestones with John Douglas. After relocating to Europe in 1979,[4] Kramer directed the 1982 French film À toute allure, which was entered into the 1982 Cannes Film Festival.[5]
Robert Kramer | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 22, 1939 New York City, United States |
| Died | November 10, 1999 (aged 60) Haute-Normandie, France |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1965–1999 |
In 1999, Kramer died of complications from meningitis in a hospital in Rouen, France.[6][7] In a retrospective essay, academic David Fresko wrote that Kramer's "unwavering commitment to anti-imperialism, anti-capitalism, and anti-racism and antipathy for Hollywood (and corporate media more generally) dashed any hopes for his commercial integration into the culture industries", and noted that, in Europe, "he is considered second only to Jean-Luc Godard in the pantheon of political modernists."[4]
Filmography
edit- FALN (1965)[8]
- In the Country (1967)
- The Edge (1968)
- The People's War (1970)[9]
- Ice (1970)
- Milestones (1975)
- Scenes from the Class Struggle in Portugal (1977)[10]
- Guns (1980)[11]
- À toute allure (Full speed, 1982)[citation needed]
- Notre nazi (Our Nazi, 1985)[12]
- Diesel (1985)[13][14][15]
- Doc's Kingdom (1987) [16]
- X-Country (pronounced "cross-country") (1987) [17]
- Route One USA (1989)[18]
- Contre l'oubli (Against Oblivion, collective, 1991)[19]
- Point de départ (Starting Place, 1994)[20]
- Le manteau (The Coat, 1996)[21]
- Walk the Walk (1996)[22]
- The Ghosts of Electricity (1997)[23]
- Cités de la plaine (Flat Land Cities, 2001)[24]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Bergan, Ronald (November 16, 1999). "Robert Kramer". The Guardian. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ Robert Kramer and the Jewish-German Question – essay by Hironobu Baba at Rouge
- ^ Crais, Benjamin (January 27, 2023). "The Traveller". New Left Review. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Fresko, David. "Robert Kramer: Cinema/Politics/Community". Metrograph. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ "A Toute Allure - Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ III, Harris M. Lentz (July 1, 2000). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1999: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. ISBN 9780786452040. Retrieved June 21, 2018 – via Google Books.
- ^ Riding, Alan (November 13, 1999). "Robert Kramer, 60, a Director Of Films With a Political Edge". The New York Times. New York, New York. p. B-11. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ "Icarus Films: FALN". icarusfilms.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ People's War + Scenes from a Class Struggle in Portugal at Eastman Museum
- ^ "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Portugal". Metro Cinema. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ "Guns (1980)". Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ "Figures of Dissent: Thomas Harlan - Diagonal Thoughts". www.diagonalthoughts.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ Lk (April 8, 2014). "Serge Daney in English: Kramer v. Kramer". Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ "Diesel". Nanarland. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ "DIESEL - Vidéo dailymotion". Dailymotion. October 26, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ Review by Richard F. Shepard at NY Time, September 9, 1988
- ^ X-Country presentation, Turin Film Festival website
- ^ Route One USA, review by Caryn James at The NY Times, November 2, 1990
- ^ "Against Oblivion (1991)". en.unifrance.org. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ "Festival des 3 Continents - Point de départ". www.3continents.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ Le manteau at IMDb
- ^ "Walk the walk : Robert Kramer". Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ Ghosts of Electricity (Kramer's vision of the future of cinema)
- ^ "Les Films du Paradoxe". www.filmsduparadoxe.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
External links
edit- Robert Kramer (official webpage)
- Robert Kramer at IMDb
- Bio and filmography at Harvard Film Archive.