William Greaves facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Greaves
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Greaves making his 1968 film Symbiopsychotaxiplasm
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| Born | October 8, 1926 Harlem, New York City, US
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| Died | August 25, 2014 (aged 87) Manhattan, US
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Documentary filmmaker |
| Years active | 1953-2001 |
| Children | 3 |
William Greaves (October 8, 1926 – August 25, 2014) was an American documentary filmmaker. He was a pioneer in making films. He produced over 200 documentaries. He also wrote and directed more than half of them. Greaves won many awards for his work. He was nominated for four Emmy Awards.
Contents
Early Life and Dreams
William Greaves was born in Harlem, New York City. This was on October 8, 1926. He was one of seven children. His father, Garfield Greaves, was a taxi driver and minister. His mother was Emily Muir.
From Science to Stage
After finishing Stuyvesant High School at 18, Greaves went to City College of New York. He planned to study science and engineering. But he soon left college. He wanted to work in theater instead. He started as a dancer. Then he became an actor. He worked with the American Negro Theater.
Becoming a Filmmaker
Acting and Learning Film
In 1948, Greaves joined the Actors Studio. He studied acting with famous people. These included Marlon Brando and Julie Harris. He acted in many plays and films. One film was Miracle in Harlem (1948).
However, Greaves felt unhappy with the roles he got. He noticed that many parts for Black actors were stereotypes. This was due to racism in American culture. He realized his acting chances were limited in America. So, he decided to try filmmaking. He moved to Canada. There, he studied at the National Film Board of Canada.
First Steps Behind the Camera
Greaves spent six years learning all about film production. He worked in many roles. He learned about directing and editing. Finally, he directed and edited his own film. It was called Emergency Ward. This film showed what happened in a hospital emergency room.
Making Documentaries and TV Shows
In the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement grew stronger. Greaves returned to the United States. He wanted to join the discussions about African Americans. Because of his work on Emergency Ward, he got new jobs. The United Nations and the United States Information Agency hired him. He made several documentaries for them.
Two of his most famous films from this time were Wealth of a Nation and The First World Festival of Negro Arts. Wealth of a Nation explored how personal freedom made America strong. The First World Festival of Negro Arts (1968) showed the 1966 World Festival of Black Arts. This event celebrated African and African-American culture.
Leading Black Journal
In 1969, a TV show called Black Journal started. It was on National Educational Television (now PBS). The show aimed to share news by, for, and about African Americans. Greaves became the executive producer of the show. He led Black Journal until 1970. In 1969, he and the show won an Emmy Award.
After Black Journal
After three years, Greaves left Black Journal in 1970. He wanted to focus on making films. In 1971, he released Ali, the Fighter. This film was about Muhammad Ali's first try to win back his heavyweight boxing title. Greaves then made films for groups like NASA and the Civil Service Commission.
He created many other important works. These included From These Roots and Nationtime: Gary. He also made Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice. This film was narrated by Nobel Prize in Literature winner Toni Morrison. His 1972 film Nationtime was about the National Black Political Convention. Sidney Poitier narrated it. A restored version of Nationtime was released in 2020.
A Long Project: Ralph Bunche
In 2001, Greaves released Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey. This film took him ten years to make. He had to find money and research many old papers and photos. The final film was two hours long. It was shown on PBS. Sidney Poitier narrated it. Greaves wanted to remind people about Ralph Bunche. He felt Bunche was an important, but forgotten, political figure.
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: A Unique Film
While working on Black Journal, Greaves also made films through his own company. He started William Greaves Productions in 1964. One film he made was very special. It mixed his love for acting with documentary filmmaking. He called it Symbiopsychotaxiplasm. This was an experimental movie. He filmed it in 1968 using a style called cinéma vérité.
What is Symbiopsychotaxiplasm About?
The 1971 film takes place in Central Park in New York City. It shows a fake documentary called Over the Cliff. This documentary is supposedly directed by Greaves. It focuses on actors auditioning for a play.
Greaves used three camera crews to film these auditions.
- The first crew filmed the actors.
- The second crew filmed the first crew.
- The third crew filmed the second crew.
As the movie goes on, the film crews get annoyed. They think Greaves is not a good director. They wonder if this whole situation is a trick by Greaves. The crews become divided. They even plan to rebel against him. All their doubts and complaints are filmed. When the project is done, they give all their footage to Greaves. He uses their footage in his final movie.
Greaves created a giant "meta-documentary." It's a documentary about a documentary, and a documentary about that documentary! He did this to show reality on film. The film is also edited in a very unusual way. The shots from the different cameras are shown at the same time. This is done using split screens. So, you see the same scene from three different views.
Finding an Audience
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm did not get a wide release at first. It was shown at festivals and museums. It became a "cult classic" among filmmakers. Famous actor Steve Buscemi saw it at the Sundance Film Festival in 1992. Ten years later, Buscemi and director Steven Soderbergh helped the film get released widely. They also helped fund a sequel.
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm was finally released in theaters in 2003. It was called Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One. Its sequel, Symbiopsychotaxipasm: Take 2½, was released at the same time. The sequel showed two actors from the first film. It continued the story 35 years later.
Personal Life and Teaching
On August 23, 1959, Greaves married Louise Archambault. She often worked with him on his projects. She even produced his documentary about Ralph Bunche. They had three children.
From 1969 to 1982, Greaves taught acting for film and TV. He taught at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York. When he wasn't working, Greaves traveled a lot. He showed his films at universities and cultural centers. He also gave workshops and talked about making independent films.
Greaves passed away at his home in Manhattan on August 25, 2014. He was 87 years old.
Awards and Honors
Greaves won an Emmy for his work on Black Journal in 1969. He was also nominated for an Emmy for his film Still a Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class. This film also won the Blue Ribbon Award at the American Film Festival. Many of his films won awards at festivals. Some films, like Ida B. Wells, won over twenty awards.
In 1980, Greaves received the first Dusa Award from the Actors Studio in New York. He was honored alongside many famous actors. These included Robert De Niro and Jane Fonda. In the same year, he joined the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. He also received a special honor at a film festival in Paris. In 2008, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival gave him a Career Award.
In 2015, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm was added to the National Film Registry. This means it is considered an important film. In 2020, a group called Firelight Media started the William Greaves Fund. This fund helps support filmmakers of color.
Filmography
- Putting It Straight (1957)
- Smoke and Weather (1958)
- Emergency Ward (1959)
- Four Religions (1960)
- Wealth of a Nation (1964)
- The First World Festival of Negro Arts (1966)
- Still a Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class (1968)
- In the Company of Men (1969)
- Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968)
- The Voice of La Raza (1972)
- Struggle for Los Trabajos (1972)
- On Merit (1972)
- Nationtime, Gary (1973)
- From These Roots (1974)
- The Fighters (1974)
- Power Versus the People (1974)
- EEOC Story (1974)
- Just Doin' It: A Tale of Two Barbershops (1976)
- Opportunities in Criminal Justice (1978)
- Where Dreams Come True (1979)
- To Free Their Minds (1980)
- Space for Women (1981)
- Booker T. Washington, the Life and the Legacy (1982)
- A Plan for All Seasons (1983)
- Frederick Douglass: An American Life (1985)
- Beyond the Forest (1985)
- Fighter for Freedom (1985)
- Black Power in America: Myth or Reality? (1988)
- The Best of Black Journal (1988)
- Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice (1989)
- That's Black Entertainment (1990)
- The Deep North (1990)
- Resurrections: Paul Robeson (1990)
- A Tribute to Jackie Robinson (1990)
- Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey (2001)
- Ralph Bunche: The Odyssey Continues... (2003)
- Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take 2 ½ (2005)
