Pie in the Sky (1934) by Elia Kazan & Ralph Steiner
Sunday, January 17, 1982, 8:00 pm
Workers Film and Photo League: Early Left Wing Documentaries
Pie in the Sky (1934) I6 min. by Elia Kazan & Ralph Steiner – Nykino was intended as an American counterpart of the Soviet Kino~Pravda. The Ny stood for New York. Nykino members, Elia Kazan, Ralph Steiner & Irving Lerner made this short spoof of the materialistic way of life & its probable consequences accompany agit prop features, Kazan appears as the film’s “hero.”
Taking Back Detroit (1980) 55 min. by Lighthill & Samuelson – Detroit is the only major American city with an active socialist organization that has elected officials to city government. In Taking Back Detroit, San Francisco filmmakers Stephen Lighthill (producer/director) and Kris Samuelson (assoc. producer/editor) present a portrait of these people against the backdrop of a city in extreme economic crisis… “I’ve never seen a film which so captured the feel of Detroit… Using both the endless winter haze and the rich light of the warmer months as backdrops for his themes. You can sense both the desperation and the determined strength of the city in those shots. ” —Detroit News