Ben Barzman

Forfatter

12. oktober 1910 — 15. december 1989 (79 år)
Ben Barzman (October 12, 1910 – December 15, 1989) was a Canadian journalist, screenwriter, and novelist, blacklisted during the McCarthy Era and best known for his screenplays for the films Back to Bataan (1945), El Cid (1961), and The Blue Max (1966).

He was born in Toronto, Ontario to a Jewish family. He was the screenwriter or co-writer of more than 20 films, from You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith (1943) to The Head of Normande St. Onge (1975).

Like many of his colleagues in the movie business, Barzman was blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee.

His wife, Norma Barzman, was a Communist Party USA member from 1943 to 1949. In 2014, she told the Los Angeles Times, "one should be proud to have been a member of the American Communist Party during those years. Hitler was invading the Soviet Union, so there was no reason to be anti-Russian, they were our allies."

The couple moved to England so Barzman could work on the film Give Us This Day (aka, Christ in Concrete, 1949). Following his return to the United States after directing Give Us This Day, Edward Dmytryk, one of the Hollywood Ten, testified about the Barzmans to HUAC in 1951. "To get out of prison he named us and a lot of other people," said Norma Barzman in 2014. In the 1950s, the family moved to Paris, where friends included Pablo Picasso, Yves Montand, and Simone Signoret, and later southern France. Barzman did not receive credit for some films because of the Hollywood Blacklist.

His U.S. citizenship was revoked from 1954 to 1963. His wife Norma had her passport revoked from 1951 for seven years. The family remained abroad in London, Paris and Mougins until 1976, during which time he wrote his novels and screenplays for French and Italian films.

Barzman died in Santa Monica, California, United States.

Surviving him was his wife, Norma Barzman, and seven children (including director Paolo Barzman, screenwriter Aaron Barzman, visual artist Luli Barzman, and French university professor John Barzman) and five grandchildren.

Source: Article "Ben Barzman" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Kendt for

  • Z
    Z1969
  • El Cid
    El Cid1961
  • Romerrigets fald
    Romerrigets fald1964
  • Telemarkens helte
    Telemarkens helte1965
  • For mod og tapperhed
    For mod og tapperhed1966
  • Drengen med det grønne hår
    Drengen med det grønne hår1948
  • Angstens timer
    Angstens timer1957
  • 55 dage i Peking
    55 dage i Peking1963
  • De fordømte
    De fordømte1962
  • Urskovens partisaner
    Urskovens partisaner1945
  • Attentatet
    Attentatet1972
  • Never Say Goodbye
    Never Say Goodbye1946
  • Motivet til mord
    Motivet til mord1959
  • Han som skal dø
    Han som skal dø1957
  • Dødsdømt i Tanger
    Dødsdømt i Tanger1963
  • Normande
    Normande1975
  • Eddie overgår sig selv
    Eddie overgår sig selv1958
  • Sie sind frei, Doktor Korczak
    Sie sind frei, Doktor Korczak1975
  • It Happened in Paris
    It Happened in Paris1952

Filmografi

1975
1974
1972
The French Conspiracy · as Screenplay
1969
1965
The Heroes of Telemark · as Screenplay
1964
The Visit · as Screenplay
1964
1963
The Ceremony · as Screenplay
1963
1961
El Cid · as Screenplay
1959
Chance Meeting · as Screenplay
1957
Time Without Pity · as Screenplay
1957
1952
1952
Stranger on the Prowl · as Screenplay
1949
Give Us This Day · as Screenplay
1948
1945
Back to Bataan · as Screenplay