Oral Histories

Interview of Peter Belsito

Subtitle:
Peter Belsito: An Oral History
Series:
Los Angeles Newsreel Collective
Topic:
Film and Television
Interviewer:
Collings, Jane
Interviewee:
Belsito, Peter
Persons Present:
Collings and Belsito.
Place Conducted:
Belsito's office in West Hollywood, California.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Interviewer Background and Preparation:
The interview was conducted by Jane Collings, Senior Editor, UCLA Oral History Program. B.A., Communications, Antioch College; M.A., Communications, University of Iowa; Ph.D. Critical Studies in Film and Television, UCLA.Collings prepared for the interview by reading David E. James article "AnImpossible Cinema? The Proletarian Avant-Garde in Los Angeles" published inFilm International, vol. 2, 2003, through discussions with James, and throughconsultation with Professor Bill Nichols of San Francisco State University, anauthority on the subject of the Newsreel collectives nationwide.
Processing of Interview:
The interviewer compiled the table of contents and interview history and suppliedthe spellings of proper nouns and the complete names entered in brackets in the text.Belsito reviewed the transcript. He verified proper names, made a minor numberof corrections and additions, and provided the resume at the front of the transcript.Michelle Weis, editorial assistant, prepared the guide to proper names.
Length:
2.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Series Statement:
This series includes interviews with several members of the Los Angeles Newsreel Collective, a group active between 1968 and 1971 that was modeled on the Workers’ Film and Photo League. The group's aim was to exhibit films with a radical leftist point of view to a wide range of audiences.