Bert Schneider (film producer)

Bert Schneider , born as Berton J. Schneider (born May 5, 1933 in New York City , † December 12, 2011 in Los Angeles ) was an American film producer .

Live and act

Bert Schneider was born in New York in 1933, the middle of the three sons of Ida and Abraham Schneider. His father was the president of the film production company Columbia Pictures . Bert Schneider grew up in New Rochelle in Westchester County . He began studying at Cornell University but was expelled from the university for gambling, affairs and poor grades. Schneider, who is often described as a rebellious and rule-breaking character, was also rejected by the Army . In 1953, he began working for Screen Gems , a television production subsidiary of Columbia Pictures. The following year he married Judy Feinberg, with whom he had two children. In 1964 they moved to Los Angeles.

In 1965 Schneider left Screen Gems and founded Raybert Productions with Bob Rafelson . Their first production was the comedy series The Monkees , at the center of which was the specially formed band The Monkees . The television series was bought by Screen Gems and ran on NBC from 1966 to 1968 . She was awarded two Emmys . Then Schneider and Rafelson shot the feature film Head with the band , but it flopped.

After appearing together in The Trip , Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda developed the idea for the road movie Easy Rider . For the implementation, they turned to Rafelson, who in turn brought in Schneider as executive producer . Schneider, who had made a lot of money from the television series The Monkees , financed the film from his private assets. After its release in 1969, Easy Rider recorded many times over, received multiple awards and developed into a cult film that paved the way for New Hollywood cinema. The film also marked the breakthrough for Jack Nicholson , whom Schneider had insisted on casting against Hopper's original intentions.

After Easy Rider , Schneider and Rafelson founded the new production company BBS Productions together with Stephen Blauner (* 1939). Schneider's younger brother Harold also joined the company as a co-producer. During his entire career as a producer, Schneider mainly worked with a small group of friends and acquaintances. Blauner and Henry Jaglom , with whom he made two films, had been friends with Schneider since childhood. Rafelson, in turn, was a neighbor of Dennis Hopper and a friend of Peter Davis .

In the following years, Schneider was involved in other major New Hollywood films. This includes his third work as an executive producer, the drama Five Easy Pieces (1970). The film was directed by Raferson and was a box office success, including four Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe award.

In 1971 Schneider produced three films, two of which were independent low-budget productions: Nichelson's directorial debut Drive, He Said and Henry Jaglom's drama A Magician by My Side . This was followed by the award-winning film The Last Performance by Peter Bogdanovich , another highlight of the New Hollywood movement.

In the 1970s, Schneider turned increasingly to political activities. He was an avowed leftist, criticized the USA's entry into the Vietnam War and had dealings with activists such as Huey Newton and Abbie Hoffman . He helped Newton, who was facing murder charges in the USA, to escape to Cuba in 1974.

In 1973 Schneider separated from his wife. After that he was married three more times.

In 1974 the Schneider-produced documentary Hearts and Minds premiered in Cannes. It was one of the few American films of the time that dealt critically with the Vietnam War. The film was very controversial and because Columbia Pictures refused to distribute it, it was delayed and only shown for a short time in the US. Schneider and director and co-producer Peter Davis received an Oscar for Hearts and Minds . At the Academy Awards, Schneider caused a scandal with his acceptance speech when he read out a congratulatory telegram from the head of the Viet Cong delegation taking part in the peace negotiations in Paris . At the instigation of Bob Hope , Frank Sinatra then delivered a text according to which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences distanced itself from the political statements.

After that, Schneider produced some films independently of BBS Productions, initially a documentary that tells the life story of Charlie Chaplin . In 1977 he worked as an executive producer on the Jaglom-directed low-budget drama Tracks , in which Dennis Hopper played the lead role of a soldier returning from Vietnam. The following year, Schneider and his brother Harold Terrence produced Malick's award-winning film In der Embers des Südens .

Schneider's last work as a producer was the drama Broken English (1981), in which Chaplin's widow Oona has her only appearance as an actress. However, the film was never released. After this production, Schneider, who was struggling with his drug addiction, withdrew from the film business.

Schneider died at 78 after a long illness at a pneumonia .

Awards (selection)

1967: Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series for The Monkees
1975 : Oscar for Best Documentary for Hearts and Minds

Filmography

1966–1968: The Monkees ( The Monkees , TV series, 58 episodes)
1968: Head
1969: Easy Rider
1970: Five Easy Pieces - A man seeks himself (Five Easy Pieces)
1971: Drive, He Said
1971: a magician by my side ( A Safe Place )
1971: The Last Picture Show ( The Last Picture Show )
1974: Hearts and Minds (documentary)
1976: Charlie Chaplin - The Story of My Life ( The Gentleman Tramp , documentary)
1977: Tracks
1978: Days of Heaven ( Days of Heaven )
1981: Broken English

Web links

Literature by and about Bert Schneider (film producer) in the bibliographic database WorldCat
Bert Schneider in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Obituary in The Guardian
Obituary in The Daily Telegraph
Biography in The Independent

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c John Riley: Bert Schneider: Film producer at the epicenter of the New Hollywood In: The Independent January 2, 2012, accessed January 12, 2014.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Ronald Bergan: Bert Schneider obituary in The Guardian December 14, 2011, accessed January 9, 2014.
^ Obituary in The Daily Telegraph December 14, 2011, accessed January 9, 2014.
^ Elaine Woo: Bert Schneider dies at 78; 'Easy Rider' producer. in Los Angeles Times December 14th 2011, p.1, accessed on January 9, 2014.
↑ Peter Tonguette: Bert Schneider, 1933-2011 bfi.org.uk, accessed on January 9, 2014.
^ Elaine Woo: Bert Schneider dies at 78; 'Easy Rider' producer. in Los Angeles Times December 14th 2011, page 2, accessed on January 9, 2014.
^ Peter Biskind: Remembering Producer Bert Schneider: Father of the New Hollywood Movement. In: Vanity Fair , December 16, 2011, accessed January 9, 2014.

personal data
SURNAME	Schneider, Bert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Schneider, Berton J. (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American film producer
DATE OF BIRTH	May 5, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH	New York City , New York, United States
DATE OF DEATH	December 12, 2011
Place of death	Los Angeles , California, United States

[indep-1] John Riley: Bert Schneider: Film producer at the epicenter of the New Hollywood In: The Independent January 2, 2012, accessed January 12, 2014.

[guard-2] Ronald Bergan: Bert Schneider obituary in The Guardian December 14, 2011, accessed January 9, 2014.

[3] Obituary in The Daily Telegraph December 14, 2011, accessed January 9, 2014.

[4] Elaine Woo: Bert Schneider dies at 78; 'Easy Rider' producer. in Los Angeles Times December 14th 2011, p.1, accessed on January 9, 2014.

[5] Peter Tonguette: Bert Schneider, 1933-2011 bfi.org.uk, accessed on January 9, 2014.

[6] Elaine Woo: Bert Schneider dies at 78; 'Easy Rider' producer. in Los Angeles Times December 14th 2011, page 2, accessed on January 9, 2014.

[7] Peter Biskind: Remembering Producer Bert Schneider: Father of the New Hollywood Movement. In: Vanity Fair , December 16, 2011, accessed January 9, 2014.