Pare Lorentz Papers, 1914-1994 [Bulk Dates: 1932-1960].

Series I: Ecce Homo, 1938-1942, undated

Ecce Homo was Lorentz’s first attempt at a feature-length fiction film. It began as a radio play, first broadcast on the CBS channel in 1938. The narrative centers around four unemployed workers from the four corners of the United States who met at a filling station in Kansas. One by one, each of the men delivers a monologue about conditions in his home state, while regional music plays in the background. The radio play was supposed to be the forerunner of a feature-length film. Lorentz and his staff conducted extensive research for the production. They studied production practices at Ford’s River Rouge factory, gathered information on jobless Americans and relief organizations. Filming began in 1939, but was hampered by a lack of funds. By 1941, with much of the industrial images captured, and the name changed to Name, Age and Occupation, production began again. The picture was never completed, but much of the footage proved useful to government propaganda efforts during World War II.

Subseries 1. Correspondence, Scripts, and Research, 1938-1942, undated

The correspondence concerns the process of fundraising and shooting, as well as the details of Lorentz’s long struggle to complete the film. The scripts include both drafts for the original radio play, as well as the full-length treatment for the feature film.

Subseries 2. Shooting Notes and Selected Takes, 1939-1942, undated

The shooting notes in this subseries document the shot-by-shot progress of production.

Subseries 3. Still Photographs, circa 1938-1942, undated

Some of the still photographs depict the actors and filmmakers at work. But the majority consists of 8x10-inch shots, mounted on cardboard, depicting scenes from across the Midwest during the Great Depression. The images, most of which were taken by Edwin Locke, focus on industrial production, cityscapes, streetscapes, and landscapes. They were used as research for the film.

Series II: The Fight For Life, 1921-1942, undated

Lorentz’s last major completed film, The Fight For Life is the story of the Chicago Maternity Clinic, a progressive but under-funded healthcare facility that achieved heroic results for Chicago’s working-class families. The movie features three professional actors, but the rest of the people who appear are patients and nurses of the center.

Subseries 1. Distribution, Publicity, Research, 1921-1942, undated

This subseries contains notes and records related to the film’s screenings in various cities. There are many press clippings, mainly movie reviews.

Subseries 2. Production, 1939-1940

These files contain extensive documentation of the production process. The production script notes were removed from their original binders.

Subseries 3. Stills, undated

Some of the still photographs filed here were taken on set, others come from the film itself, and a third group was used by Lorentz for research while he was writing the screenplay.

Series III: The Plow That Broke The Plains, 1935-1942, undated

The Plow That Broke The Plains was Pare Lorentz’s first effort as a director. A half-hour-long documentary with orchestral music and a portentous narration, the film dramatizes the plight of American farmers and extols the efforts of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. The film was made under the aegis of the Resettlement Administration – the name would soon change to the better-known Farm Security Administration – an ambitious agency that hoped to encourage farmers to move from dust bowl areas to ecologically stable land. The film premiered in March 1936, in a special presentation before Roosevelt in the White House.

Subseries 1. Publicity and Clippings, 1936-1941, undated

After initially struggling to generate enthusiasm for his film, Lorentz eventually packed his picture into suitcases and traveled the nation, appealing directly to reporters and theater owners. These reviews and feature stories, clipped from newspapers and magazines, are the result of that effort.

Subseries 2. Production and Distribution, 1935-1942

These folders contain booking forms and records, notes on distribution.

Subseries 3. Stills, 1935, undated

The stills in this subseries include photos of the crew working on location.

Series IV: The River, 1935-1943, undated

In June 1936, Lorentz pitched the idea for his second film, The River. In his original conception, the documentary would follow a single drop of water as it flowed from the source of the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, the words and images would depict the social, ecological, and economic life of the Mississippi Valley, which at the time was home to more than half of the nation’s population. Later, he scrapped the original idea of tracing the river’s length and instead based the action around the tributaries flowing into the main stream. One of the main themes of the film is humanity’s careless stewardship of the river, which had led to serious erosion and flooding. The first screening was held in New Orleans in October 1937.

Subseries 1. Printed Materials and Publicity 1936-1940, undated

This subseries contains press reviews, distribution materials, shooting record from production and screening.

Subseries 2. Subject Files, 1935-1943

These folders contain research materials used by Lorentz to write the screenplay and choose locations.

Subseries 3. Still Photographs, 1935-1940, undated

Some of these are stills from the movie, while others were used for research.

Series V: Other Films, 1938-1969, undated

This series contains materials related to some of Lorentz’s other film projects.

Subseries 1. The City, 1938-1941

Stills and correspondence related to The City (1939). Lorentz wrote the screenplay, but the picture was directed by Ralph Steiner and Willard Van Dyke, both of whom had previously worked with Lorentz as cinematographers. The film was commissioned by the American Institute of Planners and first aired at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. Like earlier efforts, The City had a message. In this case, it was the perils of city life. It stressed the purity of rural and village living and stressed the beneficial effects of increased suburban housing.

Subseries 2. Nuremberg Trials Film, 1947-1969

In 1946, the Allied Control Council agreed to produce a documentary film on the Nuremberg Trials. Two million feet of captured German film were scattered through the United States. Lorentz took responsibility for compiling the footage into a coherent whole. He created a 75-minute film, entitled “Nuremberg – Its Lesson Today.” Shown in commercial theaters in the U.S. Zone in Berlin, to great acclaim, it was pulled from circulation when the Cold War changed the focus of American foreign policy. Materials include correspondence, clippings, and a “brief explanation” of the project.

Subseries 3. Good Neighbors, 1939-1941

Lorentz envisioned this as “a gentle comedy” about the relations between North and South America. He hoped to work with Cantinflas, whom he described as “the greatest star in Latin-America.” Materials include correspondence, clippings, and distribution plans.

Subseries 4. Polio, 1948-1951

A screenplay Lorentz wrote on the behest of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. The files consist of correspondence and research, as well as screenplay drafts.

Subseries 5. Other Films, 1930s-1963

Some materials related to other film projects, including The Land, My Brother’s Keeper, and The Face of the Earth, an environmental documentary.

Subseries 6. John Vachon Stills, 1930s-1940s

A large collection of still photographs taken by John Vachon, an acclaimed New Deal era shooter. Most of the pictures depict the American Northwest.

Series VI: Office Files, 1935-1979, undated

This series contains Pare Lorentz’s office files, as well as files from organizations and businesses with which he was associated, including RKO Pictures and the Resettlement Administration. These records consist mainly of expense reports and general correspondence. They are arranged alphabetically. The date ranges may not always be exact. They are taken from labels on Lorentz’s file drawers, rather than from the content of individual folders.

Subseries 1. RKO Files, 1941-1942, undated

After Congress ceased funding the U.S. Film Service, Lorentz signed a two-picture deal with RKO. Here is correspondence and files related to that experience.

Subseries 2. General Office Files, 1936-1941

These files contain some records from New Deal agencies, including the Resettlement Administration and the Farm Security Administration, as well as personal records from Lorentz’s business transactions.

Subseries 3. U.S. Film Service, 1935-1949

The files from the U.S. Film Service contain office records, as well as correspondence with contributors to the government effort to document American conditions during the Great Depression. U.S. Film Service files are located here, but researchers should note that they are also scattered throughout this series.

Subseries 4. Personal Files, 1935-1947

. This subseries contains clippings, correspondence, and expense reports.

Subseries 5. General Files, 1930s-1948

Most of these records deal with the various federal agencies with which Lorentz collaborated.

Subseries 6. Pare Lorentz Associates, 1935-1978

These folders contain expense accounts, ledgers, billing, and other records relating to Lorentz’s personal production company.

Subseries 7. Subject Files, 1938-1979

Correspondence and research on assorted subjects, including an inquiry into the state of the Latin American film industry, as well as correspondence with Hubert Humphrey, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Eugene McCarthy.

Series VII: U.S. Army Air Forces, 1941-1947

During World War II, Lorentz directed the Overseas Technical Unit, which was detailed to gather footage to help American pilots spot landmarks and airstrips around the world. This series has maps, correspondence, journals, and photographs. It also contains scripts from several of the briefing films that were produced as guides for different routes. Large format Air Corps photos depict Africa, Iran, Arabia, India, Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Iceland, Labrador, England, and Scotland. Others are in France or unidentified.

Series VIII: Atomic Power and Nuclear War, 1945-1982

This series contains files related to films and other work concerned with the issues of nuclear weaponry and atomic warfare.

Subseries 1. The Fight For Survival, 1949-1959

Research, drafts, and correspondence for an article Lorentz wrote for McCall’s in 1957 are contained in these folders.

Subseries 2. No Place To Hide, 1945-1950

Lorentz pictured this as a film about the dangers of the Hydrogen Bomb. “This is a motion picture,” he explained, “that presents in dramatic form everything of importance concerning the atomic bomb and atomic energy that can be told the general public. It is not a scare movie, nor is it a propaganda film.” After years spent trying to find funding, he had to abandon the project. The files contain correspondence, research, and screenplay drafts.

Subseries 3. Nuclear Energy Research, 1946-1982, undated

These papers contain correspondence, congressional reports, publications, conference notes, and government studies of nuclear fallout in Hiroshima and Nagisaki.