Les Blank

Documentarian, Producer

About

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Birth Place

Tampa, Florida, USA

Born

November 27, 1935

Biography

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Highly acclaimed, maverick auteur of off-beat documentaries ranging from "Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers" (1980, a cultural-folk history of the magic herb), to "In Heaven There Is no Beer?" (1984, on Polish polka dancing), to "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe" (1980, the result of the eponymous German director's losing a bet with his former assistant, Errol Morris). Blank's best known work ...

Filmography

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All in This Tea (2008)

The Maestro: King of the Cowboy Artists (1995)

Two Films by Les Blank (1995)

Sworn to the Drum: A Tribute to Francisco Aguabella (1995)

Innocents Abroad (1992)

Marc and Ann (1991)

Photos & Videos

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A Well-Spent Life (1971) -- (Movie Clip) Doorbell Blues

A Well-Spent Life (1971) -- (Movie Clip) Open, This Is Mance Lipscomb

Family & Companions

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Gail Blank

Wife

Erotic ceramics maker. Divorced c. 1971; born c. 1941.

Biography

Highly acclaimed, maverick auteur of off-beat documentaries ranging from "Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers" (1980, a cultural-folk history of the magic herb), to "In Heaven There Is no Beer?" (1984, on Polish polka dancing), to "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe" (1980, the result of the eponymous German director's losing a bet with his former assistant, Errol Morris).

Blank's best known work is the feature-length "Burden of Dreams" (1982), an extraordinary account of the production of Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo" (1982). His career has been the subject of major retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (1979), the National Film Theatre in London (1982) and the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris (1986). In 1990 the American Film Institute honored Blank with the Maya Deren award for outstanding lifetime achievement by an independent filmmaker.

Combining obsessions with music and food, Blank gives his movies a taste and feel that few commercial filmmakers can match. He's not above cooking up a mess of red beans and rice behind the screen to enhance the experience. He reminds us that movies can be used to celebrate life.

Filmography

Director (Feature Film)

All in This Tea (2008)

The Maestro: King of the Cowboy Artists (1995)

Two Films by Les Blank (1995)

Sworn to the Drum: A Tribute to Francisco Aguabella (1995)

Innocents Abroad (1992)

Marc and Ann (1991)

Julie: Old Time Tales of the Blue Ridge (1991)

Yum, Yum, Yum! A Taste of Cajun & Creole Cooking (1990)

J'ai ete au bal (1989)

Ziveli: Medicine for the Heart (1987)

Gap-Toothed Women (1987)

In Heaven There Is No Beer? (1984)

Sprout Wings and Fly (1983)

Burden of Dreams (1982)

Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)

Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (1980)

Chicken Real (1980)

Del Mero Corazon (1979)

Always for Pleasure (1978)

A Poem Is a Naked Person (1977)

Chulas Fronteras (1976)

Dry Wood (1973)

Hot Pepper (1973)

Spend It All (1972)

A Well Spent Life (1971)

God Respects Us When We Work But Loves Us When We Dance (1968)

Dizzy Gillespie (1965)

Cast (Feature Film)

Oh My God, It's Harrod Blank (2009)

Cinematography (Feature Film)

All in This Tea (2008)

Cinematographer

Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997)

Cinematographer

A Hole in the Soul (1995)

The Maestro: King of the Cowboy Artists (1995)

Cinematographer

Sworn to the Drum: A Tribute to Francisco Aguabella (1995)

Cinematographer

Wild Wheels (1992)

Cinematographer

Innocents Abroad (1992)

Cinematographer

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)

Camera Operator

J'ai ete au bal (1989)

Cinematographer

Gap-Toothed Women (1987)

Cinematographer

In Heaven There Is No Beer? (1984)

Cinematographer

Sprout Wings and Fly (1983)

Cinematographer

Burden of Dreams (1982)

Director Of Photography

Poto and Cabengo (1980)

Director Of Photography

Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)

Cinematographer

Stoney Knows How (1980)

Director Of Photography

Always for Pleasure (1978)

Cinematographer

A Poem Is a Naked Person (1977)

Cinematographer

Spend It All (1972)

Cinematographer

Writer (Feature Film)

J'ai ete au bal (1989)

A Poem Is a Naked Person (1977)

Producer (Feature Film)

All in This Tea (2008)

The Maestro: King of the Cowboy Artists (1995)

Sworn to the Drum: A Tribute to Francisco Aguabella (1995)

Yum, Yum, Yum! A Taste of Cajun & Creole Cooking (1990)

J'ai ete au bal (1989)

In the Land of the Owl Turds (1987)

Gap-Toothed Women (1987)

In Heaven There Is No Beer? (1984)

Burden of Dreams (1982)

Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)

Del Mero Corazon (1979)

Always for Pleasure (1978)

Dry Wood (1973)

Hot Pepper (1973)

Spend It All (1972)

A Well Spent Life (1971)

God Respects Us When We Work But Loves Us When We Dance (1968)

Dizzy Gillespie (1965)

Editing (Feature Film)

Always for Pleasure (1978)

A Poem Is a Naked Person (1977)

Spend It All (1972)

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Wild Wheels (1992)

Burden of Dreams (1982)

Chicken Real (1980)

Stoney Knows How (1980)

Dp/Cinematographer

Del Mero Corazon (1979)

Chulas Fronteras (1976)

Dry Wood (1973)

Hot Pepper (1973)

Spend It All (1972)

A Well Spent Life (1971)

Director (Special)

Routes of Rhythm With Harry Belafonte (1990)

Segment Director

Producer (Special)

Be-Fore! (1986)

Film Production - Main (Special)

Routes of Rhythm With Harry Belafonte (1990)

Misc. Crew (Special)

The 66th Annual Academy Awards Presentation (1994)

Archival Footage

Director (Short)

Running Around Like a Chicken with Its Head Cut Off (1960)

Life Events

1962

Made industrials for Holly Farms Poultry, Archway Cookies, National Wildlife Federation, educational films and TV films

1964

Made first film, "Dizzy Gillespie" (for TV)

1967

First independently produced film, "God Respects Us When We Work but Loves Us When We Dance" (20 mins; on first Los Angeles "love-in")

1967

Founded Flower Films

1974

First feature-length film, "A Poem is a Naked Person" (72 mins; unreleased; on country-rock performer Leon Russell)

1976

Received Guggenheim Fellowship

1979

Subject of retrospective at Museum of Modern Art, New York

1982

Subject of retrospective at National Film Theatre, London

1984

Subject of retrospective at Cineteca Nacional, Mexico City

1984

Louis B Mayer filmmaker-in-residence, Dartmouth; directing fellow, Sundance Institute

1986

Subject of retrospective at Cinematheque-Francaise, Paris

1990

Subject of retrospective at Independent Film Week, Augsberg, West Germany

1991

Began teaching film at University of California, Berkeley

Videos

A Well-Spent Life (1971) -- (Movie Clip) Doorbell Blues Texas blues artist Mance Lipscomb around his hometown of Navasota, about 70 miles northwest of Houston, with comments for director Les Blank and sound man Skip Gerson, then his song Doorbell Blues, from one of Blank's most celebrated documentaries, A Well Spent Life, 1971.

A Well-Spent Life (1971) -- (Movie Clip) Open, This Is Mance Lipscomb Opening from cameraman and director-producer-editor Les Blank and sound man Skip Gerson with Texas sharecropper and country blues institution Mance Lipscomb (1895-1976), with his original song Asked My Captain, opening the acclaimed A Well Spent Life, 1971.

Burden Of Dreams (1982) -- (Movie Clip) One Of The Leading Characters After another delay of months, director Les Blank's documentary on the shooting of director Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo resumes with the introduction of the fiery Klaus Kinski taking over the lead role, and the procurement of the boat to be carried over a Peruvian mountain, in Burden Of Dreams, 1982.

Burden Of Dreams (1982) -- (Movie Clip) The Story Of Fitzcarraldo After lengthy jungle and river aerial shots under the credits, Werner Herzog, director of the ambitious historical adventure Fitzcarraldo, describes the origins of his project, in director Les Blank’s documentary Burden Of Dreams, 1982.

Burden Of Dreams (1982) -- (Movie Clip) We Want The Opera burdenofdreams82_wewanttheopera_FC

Always For Pleasure (1978) -- (Movie Clip) Open, Sea Cruise Les Blank’s New Orleans music documentary begins with local star Huey “Piano” Smith’s song, but the version with Huey’s vocal replaced by Frankie Ford, who came from across the river in Gretna, MS, which was the national hit, in Always For Pleasure, 1978.

Always For Pleasure (1978) -- (Movie Clip) That's How You Lay The Dead Away Documentary maker Les Blank, who never discouraged people from mugging for his camera, joins the later stages of a New Orleans jazz funeral, with comments from Allen Toussaint and singer Blu Lu Barker, in Always For Pleasure, 1978.

Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers (1980) -- (Movie Clip) Foundations Of Civilization First a Spanish garlic aficionado and Flamenco singer, then documentarian Les Blank finds experts and commentators participating in a 1977 garlic festival in California, in the feature Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers, 1980.

Hot Pepper (1973) -- (Movie Clip) Filmed In Lafayette, Louisiana The opening of Les Blank’s highly-regarded Hot Pepper, 1973, which documented his experience with Clifton Chenier and the family of the legendary Zydeco musician.

Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers (1980) -- (Movie Clip) Medical Science Will Tell You The opening of Les Blank’s single-vegetable documentary, beginning with Bay Area garlic users, in Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mother, 1980.

Family

Harrod Blank

Son

Filmmaker. Born c. 1965; directed the documentary "Wild Wheels".

Companions

Gail Blank

Wife

Erotic ceramics maker. Divorced c. 1971; born c. 1941.

Bibliography

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