Hornoring George Stoney-Barnouw

8/13/2019 Hornoring George Stoney-Barnouw

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Fig. 1. George Stoney and Erik Barnouw, 1994 Robert Flaherty Film Seminar.

Photo courtesy International Film Seminars.


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Honoring

George Stoney

by Erik Barnouw

When George Stoney was a youngster growing up in North Carolina, he already

knew about midwives. In early morning or at dusk he sometimes saw a mid-

wifein crisp white uniform and swinging a black baghurrying somewhere

to perform her services. A figure of mystery, she stirred the imagination, and

he planned some day to write a novel about a midwife. But he did something

better: when still in his thirties he produced, wrote, and directed a documentary

classic,All My Babies: A Midwifes Own Story.

It was commissioned by the State of Georgia, but it wasnt really the kind of

film they expected. It was to be a training filmone that would (as the spon-

sors explained) improve the work done by the midwives, but would not neces-

sarily approve or promote this kind of service. As the phrasing suggests, the

establishment didnt really like its dependence on black midwives, who were

Erik Barnouw was the author of Documentary, Tube of Plenty, et al; and producer of

Hiroshima/Nagasaki, August 1945.

IN1998 GEORGESTONEYRECEIVEDTHEFILMSCHOLARSHIPAND

PRESERVATIONAWARDGIVENANNUALLYBYTHEINTERNATIONAL

DOCUMENTARYASSOCIATION(IDA). THEAWARDWASMADE

ATTHEIDASANNUALBANQUET, HELDINHOLLYWOODDURING

THETHIRDINTERNATIONALDOCUMENTARYCONGRESS. THE

PRESENTATIONWASBYERIKBARNOUW, WHOHADBEENTHE

FIRSTRECIPIENTOFTHISAWARDWHENITWASINSTITUTEDIN

1984. INPRESENTINGTHETROPHYTOSTONEY, BARNOUW

MADETHEFOLLOWINGCOMMENTS.

WIDE ANGLE NO. 2 (MARCH 1999), pp. 122-125.V O L . 2 1

OHIOUNIVERSITYSCHOOLOFFILM


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delivering most black babies in southern states. Many people assumed that

before long, the midwife would be a thing of the past, and all babies would

enter the world via antiseptic hospitals, ushered in by doctors and nurses.

Meanwhile, they had to make the best of what they hadthe midwife.

George Stoney, preparing for his film, chose as his central figure a midwife

called Mary Coley, or Miss Mary. For days he joined Miss Mary on her

rounds, and observed her extraordinary influence in the homes they visited.

Because she came at a time of much hope and fear, her every word counted.

Stoney came to admire Miss Mary, and in his film she emerges as one of the

towering figures of the documentary tradition. Strongly influenced by the

Italian neorealist movement, the film has an epic quality, and one would not

readily think of it as a training film, but it certainly trainedunforgettably.

All My Babiesturned out to be the springboard for an extraordinary career for

Stoneyas producer, teacher, and statesman of the media world. Travels

sponsored by the State Department have taken Stoney and his films to some

twenty countries. Most of his films have dealt with social change; many, like

All My Babies, were made in emotionally charged environments. Stoneys abilityto work in such situations, always with tact and empathy for all concerned, has

been remarkable. This won him, in 1968, an invitation from Canada to become

the first executive producer of the film boards Challenge for Change program.

Here again he had to work amid social crosswinds, especially those involving

native Americans. One of the results was the deeply moving You Are on Indian

Land. It was typical of George that he arranged for a young Indian to direct

the film. Again and again he has used his position as producer to bring others

into the limelight. Thus TheUprising of 34, a look back at a painfully remem-

bered textile strike, was co-directed by his student Judith Helfand. And the

joyous The Weavers: Wasnt That a Time!, a retrospective, directed by his student,Jim Brown. Joyousness is something of a habit with George Stoney. He deals

in social change, which may sound grim, but in Stoneys hands can mean a

grand adventure. Watch out for his next,Paolo Freire in Action, a celebration of

the Brazilian educator and his famous work, The Pedagogy of the Oppressed. And

be prepared for joy.


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At New York University, where he has been based for many years, Stoney was

co-founder of the Alternate Media Center, where he pioneered the use of

video for public access cable systems. He has been a tireless promoter of the

principle of public access. When a cable system has run into censorship over

this principle, testimony by George Stoney has often turned the tide.

I amI hardly need tell youa great admirer of George Stoney, a filmmaker

and scholar of rich insights and a boundless range of interests. It is a joy to

present to him this years IDA scholarship and preservation award.

Documents

Hornoring George Stoney-Barnouw