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Ben Barzman

Ben Barzman

Biography

Ben Barzman (October 12, 1910 – December 15, 1989) was a Canadian journalist, screenwriter, and novelist, blacklisted during the McCarthy Era and best known for his screenplays for the films Back to Bataan (1945), El Cid (1961), and The Blue Max (1966). He was born in Toronto, Ontario to a Jewish family. He was the screenwriter or co-writer of more than 20 films, from You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith (1943) to The Head of Normande St. Onge (1975). Like many of his colleagues in the movie business, Barzman was blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee. His wife, Norma Barzman, was a Communist Party USA member from 1943 to 1949. In 2014, she told the Los Angeles Times, "one should be proud to have been a member of the American Communist Party during those years. Hitler was invading the Soviet Union, so there was no reason to be anti-Russian, they were our allies." The couple moved to England so Barzman could work on the film Give Us This Day (aka, Christ in Concrete, 1949). Following his return to the United States after directing Give Us This Day, Edward Dmytryk, one of the Hollywood Ten, testified about the Barzmans to HUAC in 1951. "To get out of prison he named us and a lot of other people," said Norma Barzman in 2014. In the 1950s, the family moved to Paris, where friends included Pablo Picasso, Yves Montand, and Simone Signoret, and later southern France. Barzman did not receive credit for some films because of the Hollywood Blacklist. His U.S. citizenship was revoked from 1954 to 1963. His wife Norma had her passport revoked from 1951 for seven years. The family remained abroad in London, Paris and Mougins until 1976, during which time he wrote his novels and screenplays for French and Italian films. Barzman died in Santa Monica, California, United States. Surviving him was his wife, Norma Barzman, and seven children (including director Paolo Barzman, screenwriter Aaron Barzman, visual artist Luli Barzman, and French university professor John Barzman) and five grandchildren. Source: Article "Ben Barzman" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Personal Info

Gender

Male

Birthday

1910-10-12

Place of Birth

Toronto, Canada

Images

image

Cast


    Crew

    Incognito

    Incognito

    19583.2 / 10

    El Cid

    El Cid

    19616.8 / 10

    The Boy with Green Hair

    The Boy with Green Hair

    19486.2 / 10

    Back to Bataan

    Back to Bataan

    19456.1 / 10

    Stranger on the Prowl

    Stranger on the Prowl

    19526.4 / 10

    Oasis

    Oasis

    19550.0 / 10

    Normande

    Normande

    19756.1 / 10

    Time Without Pity

    Time Without Pity

    19576.6 / 10

    He Who Must Die

    He Who Must Die

    19576.1 / 10

    You Are Free, Dr. Korczak

    You Are Free, Dr. Korczak

    19750.0 / 10

    True to Life

    True to Life

    19436.0 / 10

    The Visit

    The Visit

    19647.0 / 10

    The Ceremony

    The Ceremony

    19635.1 / 10

    Give Us This Day

    Give Us This Day

    19495.9 / 10

    It Happened in Paris

    It Happened in Paris

    19520.0 / 10

    The Faithful City

    The Faithful City

    19520.0 / 10

    The Heroes of Telemark

    The Heroes of Telemark

    19656.9 / 10

    The Assassination

    The Assassination

    19726.7 / 10

    Never Say Goodbye

    Never Say Goodbye

    19466.3 / 10

    Young Man with Ideas

    Young Man with Ideas

    19524.7 / 10

    The Fall of the Roman Empire

    The Fall of the Roman Empire

    19646.5 / 10

    Blind Date

    Blind Date

    19596.0 / 10

    You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith

    You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith

    19433.5 / 10