Richard Brick and Geri Ashur collection, 1968-2014, bulk 1975-2005
Summary Information
Abstract
At a Glance
- Call No.:
- MS#1962
- Bib ID:
- 13628216 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Brick, Richard; Ashur, Geri, 1947-1984
- Repository:
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Physical Description:
- 43 Linear Feet (32 record cartons, 3 manuscript boxes, 5 flat boxes, 1 index card box); 67.5 Gigabytes
- Language(s):
- English .
- Access:
- You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
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This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
Folder-level restrictions are marked in the container list if apply.
Description
Scope and Contents
The Richard Brick and Geri Ashur collection documents the activities of Richard Brick (film maker, producer, filming professor, and the first commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting) and Geri Ashur (film editor, screenwriter, foreign language dubbing specialist, and filmmaker) , dating from 1968 to 2014, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1975 to 2005. The collection primarily contains production files, screenplays, as well as video and sound recordings from the motion picture films that Richard Brick and Geri Ashur worked on. The papers primarily include course materials, correspondence, photographs, memoranda, screenplays, production files, contracts, reports, news clippings, printed materials, production board, memorabilia, awards, and sound and video recordings.
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Series I: Columbia University and Seminar, 1989-1993, 2009
Series comprises course materials for the Pre-production of a motion picture class at Columbia University's School of Arts, which Brick taught since 1989. Materials include course syllabi, assignments, sample production files, as well as course materials from a production seminar given at Independent Feature Project (IFP).
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Series II: Mayor's Office of Films, Theatre and Broadcasting, 1992-1994
Series comprises of chronological files, correspondence, and publicity materials related to Brick's tenure as the Commissioner at the Mayor's Office of Films, Theatre and Broadcasting, dating from 1992 to 1994.
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Series III: Screenplays, 1977-2013, undated
Series contains produced and unproduced screenplays that Richard Brick collected, dating from 1977 to 2013.
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Series IV: Production Files, 1968-2013
Series consists of files related to productions that Richard Brick was involved in, dating from 1968 to 2013. The production files include chronological files, correspondence, cost reports, contracts, budgets, production brochures, screen breakdown, call sheets, production board copies, reports, locations, cost reports, deal memos, casts, clearance records, schedules, crew lists, etc. Also included in the materials are some files related to the films Geri Ashur worked on.
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Series V: Photographs, 1975-1995
Series contains one folder of ten photographs depicting the cast and the production team at the filming locations, dating from 1975 to 1995.
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Series VI: Awards and Memorabilia, 1976-2004
Series consists of awards and memorabilia Richard Brick collected, dating from 1976 to 2004.
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Series VII: Production Stripboards, 1982-1985, 2002
Series contains the five production stripboards for Silkwood, Texas Picture (Places in the Heart), Man Running, and The Squid and the Whale, dating from 1982 to 1985, and 2002.
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Series VIII: Audio-Visual, 1970-2014
Series consists of films, sound, and video recordings of productions that Richard Brick and Geri Ashur worked on during their career, dating from 1970 to 2014. The bulk of the audiovisual recordings in the collection are on film reels and sound reels, other formats include videotapes, VHS, DVDs, BetaMax, and external hard drive.
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Series IX: Archived Web Site, 2018
This series contains a web site capture of the https://www.richardbrick.com. The archived site is here:http://www.richardbrick.com/
Arrangement
Materials are arranged by material type and semi-chronologically within each series. Collection is arranged in eight series.
- Series I: Columbia University and Seminar, 1989-1993, 2009
- Series II: Mayor's Office of Films, Theatre and Broadcasting, 1992-1994
- Series III: Screenplays, 1977-2013, undated
- Series IV: Production Files, 1968-2013
- Series V: Photographs, 1975-1995
- Series VI: Awards and Memorabilia, 1976-2004
- Series VII: Production Stripboards, 1982-1985, 2002
- Series VIII: Audio-Visual, 1970-2014
- Series IX: Archived Web Site, 2018
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
Folder-level restrictions are marked in the container list if apply.
Conditions Governing Use
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Richard Brick and Geri Ashur collection; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Related Materials
Richard Brick/Last Stand Farmer Collection at the Vermont Folklife Center Digital Archive. Link
Accruals
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Sara Bershtel, 2019.
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Processing Information
Processed by Yingwen Huang, January 2020.
The following materials were deaccessioned and removed during processing: One record carton of publicity duplicates; one volume of Kemps film, TV and video handbook (1997); 3 empty production boards; 1 empty film can labeled "Janie's Janie" and "Last Stand Farmer".
Revision Description
2023-07-25 Added Series IX to finding aid. CCR.
Biographical / Historical
Richard Brick was born in New York, September 20, 1945. Richard Brick began as a documentary film maker, having attended the Robert Flaherty Seminar. He received his BA in 1968 from New York University, and MFA in film from Columbia's Film Department in 1971, and then served on the Columbia faculty in the School of the Arts as chair and taught film production for the rest of his career. Brick had a long involvement with the graduate film program at Columbia, serving as chairman and as co-chairman of the Film Division at Columbia in 1988 and 1989, and was an adjunct professor of producing from 1989 until his death. He had been featured and published in Film Culture and Film Comment. During his tenure, Brick created the first Columbia University Film Festival, which is still continuing.
As the Production Manager, Brick worked on Places in the Heart (1984), Silkwood (1983), Little Gloria...Happy at Last (1982), Part of the Family (1994), Six American Families (1976), Hangin' with the Homeboys (1991), The Trials of Alger Hiss (1980), and as the Location manager for Ragtime (1981), and many more. As the Associate producer, he worked on Andrea Doria: The Final Chapter (1982) and The Body Human: The Vital Connection (1978). He produced the English-language versions of From the Lives of Marionettes (1980), Autumn Sonata (1978), the award winning documentary Last Stand Farmer (1976), and the television spots for Bob Fosse's Pippin' and Dancin'. He also worked as the co-producer for Arizona Dream (1992). Brick is also known for producing three pictures directed by Woody Allen, Deconstructing Harry (1996), Celebrity (1997) and Sweet and Lowdown (1998). He received the American Film Institute Grant, 1972; Vermont Council on the Arts Grant, 1974; Blue Ribbon and John Grierson awards (American Film Festival); and the Gold Ducat (Mannheim Filmwoche) for Last Stand Farmer (1976), as the producer-director.
Brick served as New York City's first commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting (MOFTB) from 1992 through 1994, appointed by Mayor Dinkins, and following the studio boycott of New York City during 1990 to 1991. In addition, Brick was involved with the labor side of the film industry as a member of the Directors Guild of America. He was also a Chairman and a member of the board of directors for the Independent Feature Project (IFP), the Chairman of the Advisory Board and Founder of the Geri Ashur Screenwriting Award of New York Foundation for the Arts from 1984 until his death. Richard Brick died in New York, 2014 at the age of 68.
Geri (Geraldine) Ashur was born in New Jersey, 1947. She attended the Barnard College and graduated in 1968. She was a screenwriter, film editor, foreign language dubbing specialist, and documentary film director. Geri specialized as a dubbing editor, worked on Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata, Bernardo Bertolucci's 1900, Francois Truffaut's The Last Metro and Lina Wertmuller's Seven Beauties. Geri began making films with the New York Newsreel, a political collective where she directed Janie's Janie, and Me and Stella, a portrait of Elizabeth Cotten. She married Richard Brick in 1979 and had one child together. She died in 1984 at the age of 37.
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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