DGA Monthly

A P R I L 2 0 2 6 I 1 7 See more detailed descriptions, additional photos and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. Special Projects Screenings Classic Film Series Screens William Wyler's Dead End On March 5, the Special Projects Committee hosted the latest installment of their Classic Film Series with William Wyler's 1937 crime drama, Dead End, in the Guild's Los Angeles Theater. The series screens iconic movies, followed by a discussion about their legacy. Dead End tells the story of the lives of a young man, a young woman, a notorious gangster and a group of street kids that converge one day in a volatile New York City slum. The film garnered Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Art Direction (Richard Day), Best Cinematography (Gregg Toland) and Best Supporting Actress (Claire Trevor) and launched the start of a series of movies with the youngsters from the film known as the "Dead End Kids," who later evolved into the "East Side Kids" and, later, the "Bowery Boys." Following a welcome from Classic Film Series Subcommittee member Luc OuYang, Special Projects Committee Co-Chair Director Michael Goi introduced the film and later served as the moderator of a discussion with special guests Directors Ernest Dickerson and John Hillcoat after the screening. Calling Wyler "one of the legendary members of the DGA," Goi noted that he was dedicated to authentic storytelling, even when that meant butting heads with the studio. "William Wyler fought studio head Sam Goldwyn all through the production of this movie because Goldwyn thought that the set looked shabby. So, Goldwyn would be going around and ordering that set dressers clean up the streets in the set, and then William Wyler would be right behind him throwing garbage everywhere to make it look realistic!" Dickerson, who began his career as a cinematographer, recalled, "I first saw this movie on television when I was much younger and I was always impressed with the look of it. It was one of those movies that I was always interested in 'why does it look that way?' This is before I even discovered what cinematography was. Later on, I got hipped to Gregg Toland and his amazing work. The set in this movie is absolutely amazing. What the Art Director gave him was like gold because Gregg was not only a master, but he was also a master of shadows and shadow placement. I think it even had an effect on the first film I directed, Juice, because we did a lot of shooting in Harlem alleyways. We didn't have harsh shadows like Mr. Toland was able to get because most of our days were overcast." Comparing Dead End to the emergence of the film noir genre in the '40s, Hillcoat noted, "This is a precursor to noir. The way it deals with class in America, that's something that in such a bold way the '30s films did delve into. There was the Depression. You can see how all the ingredients in this film, in terms of doomed characters that were like the Bogart character. The idea that he had plastic surgery — he tried to burn his fingers off three times. He comes back and his mother rejects him and then he's clearly deluded about time and what's happened. And then you get into those shadows, the way he walks under in the alleyways and the shadows. I actually read James Baldwin's review of the film, and I have to agree with him. I struggle with McCrae's turning on that neighborhood figure, turning on Bogart in that way still troubles me. There's a part of me that thinks, maybe he should have had 'the mark of the squealer.'" photos 1. L-R Special Projects Committee Co-Chair Director Michael Goi (moderator) discusses the legacy and impact of Dead End with Directors Ernest R. Dickerson and John Hillcoat. 2. Subcommittee member Luc OuYang welcomes the audience. 3-4. Director William Wyler (1902-1981) and a poster from the film. 1 2 event photos by Elisa Haber 3 4 The life and career of independent investigative journalist Amy Goodman and her work on the news program Democracy Now! is examined in Carl Deal and Tia Lessin's new documentary, Steal This Story, Please! Set against some of the most consequential stories of our time, the film follows Goodman as she becomes a leader in the movement for independent media that amplifies voices excluded from the mainstream and faces off against forces trying to silence her. Following the DGA Special Projects Committee's Documentary Series screening in Los Angeles, Deal and Lessin were joined onstage by Goodman for a discussion about the making of the film during a conversation moderated by Special Projects Documentary Series Subcommittee Chair Ondi Timoner. Asked how they encapsulated Goodman's full life and career, Deal explained, "It wasn't easy because Amy does a daily show, an hour every single day covering anything that's happening in the world of consequence so, it really is hard to whittle it down to a handful of stories. We had to find ways to reveal some about who this amazing woman is and how it is that she's able to do what she does. So that was the question we asked with every scene, 'how does this tell us something new about Amy that we didn't know before?'" Lessin added, "We also wanted to capture Amy's lightness of being. You know, it's not something you would see on-camera. In the morning show when she's delivering the news, she's matter of fact, serious, rigorous. Off-camera, she's just got this joy and, as Dave [Amy's brother] says, 'pure love and essence' and we really felt that. But we also wanted the audience to open up and laugh a little bit, so it was really nice to hear you guys take in the lighter moments." Documentary Series Screens Carl Deal & Tia Lessin's Steal This Story, Please! photo by Quintin Lundy Photo: Directors Ondi Timoner (moderator), Tia Lessin & Carl Deal and the subject of the film, independent investigative journalist Amy Goodman, discuss the making of Deal & Lessin's new documentary, Steal This Story, Please!

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