RIP St. Clair Bourne

16 Dec

Posted by Agnes Varnum as Miscellaneous

I regret to inform those who haven’t heard that veteran documentary filmmaker St. Clair Bourne has passed on. Besides his blog and films that remain as his legacy, I’d venture to say that St. Clair hadn’t received quite as much recognition in his lifetime as he deserved. His passing is untimely and I predict more delving into his work and significance to the documentary and black communities he served so intently. To hear his own words, The New York Times produced a short video with Bourne discussing the evolution of his work.

More about Bourne from MediaRights from their Shortlist series:

Who is St. Clair Bourne?

Over the past 35 years, St. Clair Bourne has been the producer, director and writer of some forty-five film productions, including documentaries for HBO, PBS, NBC, BBC and National Geographic in addition to his own independent work. He has produced the feature-length documentary Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks for HBO. With actor Wesley Snipes as narrator and executive producer, Bourne directed John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk and also directed Paul Robeson: Here I Stand!, a two-hour documentary for the “American Masters” PBS series. He was also a co-producer on the HBO dramatic feature Rebound, the true story of playground basketball legend Earl “The Goat” Manigault as well as Woodie King’s independent theatrical feature The Long Night. Bourne is the executive producer for Visitors, Melis Birder’s documentary about the family and friends of the incarcerated and Filiberto: Dead or Alive about the Puerto Rican nationalist Filiberto Ojeda Rios. Bourne is currently shooting a film about veteran photographer Ernest Withers and a documentary series about the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party for PBS. Read the entire article>>

Tags: Fellows, st. clair bourne

7 Responses

Chuck

December 16th, 2007 at 11:47 am
1

This is indeed sad news. I actually knew Bourne best from his beautiful documentary on the making-of Do the Right Thing. It’s easy to see “making-ofs” as mere supplements to the original film, but Bourne’s film actually stands on its own as a reflection on making movies and on living in Brooklyn, as well as the movie itself.
The Chutry Experiment » St. Claire Bourne, RIP

December 16th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
2

[…] documentary cinema, St. Claire Bourne (blog), has passed away.Â As I mentioned in the comments to Agnes’s post, I knew Bourne originally from his outstanding documentary on the making of Spike Lee’s Do […]
Meira Blaustein

December 17th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
3

This is really so sad. We had the honor of having St. Clair Bourne at the Woodstock Film Festival a few years ago when he participated in the panel MOVIES THAT MATTER along with Gillian Caldwell (Witness), Caroline Baron (FilmAid International), Godfrey Cheshire (film critic, filmmaker) and Peter Saraf (producer). It was an amazing panel, discussing films and social responsibility with great honesty, only days after September 11, and St. Clair Bourne spoke with such elegance and intelligence. He will truly be missed.
D Stevens

December 17th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
4

Correction:

This is truly a sad day for me personally and a tragic lost to filmmakers worldwide. I have known Saint for many decades. He has helped mentor me as a filmmaker, as student of life and most importantly as a very good friend. His advise, his wisdom and body of work has had a profound effect on not only the community, but also the world at large.

He was uncompromising when dealing with his subjects and his art. He will be sorely missed but his influence will continue - his life was a celebration of the art of documentary filmmaking. He was and still will remain one of the great influences of film. His integrity, his honesty, his statue will leave a beacon for many to follow.

My brother it is with sadness I will not hear the sound of your voice or the joy of your laugh but in my heart it will always remain. We shall have the spirit of a prince that will never be extinguished
Andrew and Cheri Withers

December 17th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
5

Hello, this is very shocking and sad for the Ernest C. Withers family, St. Clair was at our family home on August 7, 2007 to film more of his documentary on the life of (Daddy) Ernest C. Withers(D. 10-15-2007) We don’t have words to express our sadness at the lost of this great and funny man St Claire Bourne. I remember him filming me making a Mrs. Dorothry Withers(Mudear) cake from a recipe dated over 49 years. He followed the family to the last birthday celebration of(Daddy) Mr. Withers and we took some very candid photos of him especially with a real sharp brim he was sporting. His smile and sincerity will always be remembered by us. In Sorrow, Andrew and Cheri Withers
pat johnson

December 17th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
6

We have lost a remarkable voice in flm. He told great stories in a way that always engaged us. He was also a magnetic personality.
Jackie G.

December 19th, 2007 at 4:31 am
7

Although St. Claire is my cousin, and I’ve known him all my life, I didn’t really develop a relationship with him until about 5 years ago when he moved to LA. I’m the only one in the family who ventured out to the West Coast (from the East) and liked it enough to stay. Everyone else that came, eventually preferred the East Coast culture over LA and quickly returned to that environment. So when St. said he was moving out here, my hope was that he’d stay for at least a little while. After all, it was family. St. Claire and I actually became very close. We’d hang out together, share confidences, talk about his work, talk about mine, discuss the political climate of the day as well as a host of many other things. We’d check in with one another when he was in LA and touch base even when he was out and about on one of his many journeys his projects took him on. We became tight. I enjoyed having my “cuz” out here living near me and unlike the rest of the family, he actually enjoyed being in LA. Oh we talked about the differences in culture between LA and NY all the time and while we both agreed that our hearts were in the East, the West sure had its props to offer. I grew to love and respect my cousin. He became a big brother, friend and confidante. I called him “cuz”. He called me “his adventerous cuz”. We had great times together. He was one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met. I will miss him so much. I’ve experienced the death of people I’ve felt close to before but not many have ever affected me like this one has. My heart is truly broken. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the time for my cuz to move back to L.A. We were talking about the possibility of getting a place together for a variety of reasons that would have benefitted us both. I was so looking forward to that. I’m gonna miss my cuz. My heart is broken and for now, my tears continue to stain my face. Our parents made us cousins but hearts made us friends. I love you cuz and I miss you. But when did we ever talk since you’re last visit to L.A. that I didn’t tell you this. RIP my friend, RIP, Your adventerous cuz, Jackie