Paul Saltzman

Last updated

Paul Saltzman (born 1943) is a Canadian film and television producer and director. A two-time Emmy Award-recipient, he has been credited on more than 300 films, both dramas and documentaries.

Contents

The 2008 documentary feature, Prom Night in Mississippi , featuring actor Morgan Freeman, premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. [1] His feature documentary, The Last White Knight—Is Reconciliation Possible? [2] premiered at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2012. It features Morgan Freeman, Harry Belafonte, Delay de la Beckwith (son of Byron De La Beckwith) as well as Saltzman himself. His most recent film is the feature documentary Meeting the Beatles in India [3] filmed in India, Canada, USA and England is his most personal film tracing his life-changing journey to India, learning meditation and spending a week with the Beatles at an ashram in Rishikesh. He is also founder, CEO and president of the charitable, non-profit organization Moving Beyond Prejudice, which works with police forces, students, educators, youth-at-risk and community groups.[ citation needed ]

Early life

He was born in 1943 the son of Percy Saltzman, Canada's first English-speaking TV weatherman, and Rose Cohen. [4] After briefly studying mathematics and science, he did congressional civil rights lobbying in Washington, D.C., and in the summer of 1965 he did voter registration work in Mississippi as part of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which would later lead him to go back to the area to explore the concept of prejudice and racism with his first documentary feature film, Prom Night in Mississippi. He lives in the Toronto area, and has one daughter, Devyani Saltzman, a writer and literary curator, with his ex-wife, director and screenwriter Deepa Mehta. His partner is Anne Peace, a writer and joyologist.

The Beatles

In 1968, at the age of 23, he traveled to India for the first time as sound engineer on the National Film Board of Canada's Juggernaut documentary. He studied meditation to recover after his girlfriend had broken up with him, by mail. He learned meditation at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in the holy city of Rishikesh, India, [5] The Beatles were coincidentally also visiting the ashram. He saw them sitting at a table and asked to join them. Paul McCartney drew up a chair. [6] While there, he spent time with and photographed the Beatles, Donovan, Mia and Prudence Farrow and Mike Love. His photos have been judged "some of the best intimate shots" ever taken of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and have been seen in galleries worldwide. [7] A permanent exhibition of his The Beatles in India photographs can be seen above the retail units in the departure lounge of Liverpool John Lennon Airport. [8]

In 2000, Saltzman released a book of his photographs, The Beatles in Rishikesh, with Penguin-Putnam; and in 2006 he self-published a deluxe limited edition box set, The Beatles in India. [9] In 2018, the 50th anniversary of the Beatles time at the ashram, Insight Editions published a hardcover trade edition of 'The Beatles in India'.

One of the most memorable things Saltzman absorbed during his conversations and life-changing stay with The Beatles was George Harrison's words: "Like we're The Beatles, after all, aren't we? We have all the money you could ever dream of. We have all the fame you could ever wish for. But it isn't love. It isn't health. It isn't peace inside, is it?" [10]

Saltzman has been to India over 60 times. He led special tours of India in 2013 and 2014, and again in 2016 and 2018. Called "India with Paul Saltzman: A Fusion of Colour, Music & Soul", it shares his love of and favourite places in India. Included is how India impacted The Beatles, and led to the group's most creative musical period. [11]

Film and TV career

Saltzman began his film and television career at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a researcher, interviewer and on-air host, and then moved to the National Film Board of Canada. He assisted in the launch of a new film format as second-unit director and production manager of the first IMAX film, produced for the Osaka Expo '70. In 1972, he produced and directed his first film, a half-hour documentary on Bo Diddley.

In 1967 and again in 1972, Saltzman interviewed Buckminster Fuller on film. On this second occasion, Fuller told Saltzman "You changed my idea of the 60's generation. Before I met you, I thought it was a lost generation."

In 1973, Saltzman founded Sunrise Films Limited. He produced and directed documentaries for the next decade, including the award-winning series Spread Your Wings. His work included producing, directing, writing, editing, cinematography and sound recording. In 1983, he turned to drama, producing and directing the premiere of HBO's Family Playhouse and a special for American Playhouse . That year, he co-created and produced the family action-adventure television series Danger Bay ; the hit CBC–Disney Channel series ran for six years and 123 episodes.

Since then he has produced television series such as My Secret Identity , Matrix and Max Glick, as well as miniseries and movies of the week. He co-produced the feature film Map of the Human Heart , an international epic directed by Vincent Ward, starring Jason Scott Lee, Anne Parillaud, Patrick Bergin, John Cusack and Jeanne Moreau. He also executive produced Martha, Ruth & Edie as well as Sam & Me, which received an Honorable Mention in competition for the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2020, his feature documentary based on his experiences with the Beatles in India, 'Meeting the Beatles in India' was released.

Saltzman is a member of the Directors Guild of Canada and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dear Prudence</span> 1968 song by the Beatles

"Dear Prudence" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles. The song was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. Written in Rishikesh during the group's trip to India in early 1968, it was inspired by actress Mia Farrow's sister, Prudence Farrow, who became obsessive about meditating while practising with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Her designated partners on the meditation course, Lennon and George Harrison, attempted to coax Farrow out of her seclusion, which led to Lennon writing the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill</span> 1968 song by the Beatles

"The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" is a song written by John Lennon, and released by the English rock band the Beatles on their 1968 double album The Beatles. The song was recorded at EMI Studios on 8 October 1968 and was completed the same day. The group also started and completed the Lennon-composed "I'm So Tired" during the same recording session. Along with Lennon, the song also contains co-lead vocals by Yoko Ono, the only song recorded by the group to feature lead vocals by a non-member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm So Tired</span> 1968 song by the Beatles

"I'm So Tired" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles. It was written and sung by John Lennon, though credited to Lennon–McCartney. Lennon wrote the song during the Beatles' stay in India about insomnia he was having due to constant meditation and because he missed Yoko Ono. The song was recorded in the same session as another White Album song, "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Raccoon</span> 1968 song by the Beatles

"Rocky Raccoon" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles. It was primarily written by Paul McCartney, although credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. McCartney began writing the song in Rishikesh, India, where the Beatles were studying Transcendental Meditation in the early months of 1968. John Lennon and Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan, who joined the Beatles on their retreat, also made contributions to the song. A cover version by Richie Havens reached number 76 in Canada in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Inner Light (song)</span> 1968 single by the Beatles

"The Inner Light" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by George Harrison. It was released on a non-album single in March 1968, as the B-side to "Lady Madonna". The song was the first Harrison composition to be issued on a Beatles single and reflects the band's embrace of Transcendental Meditation, which they were studying in India under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at the time of the single's release. After "Love You To" and "Within You Without You", it was the last of Harrison's three songs from the Beatles era that demonstrate an overt Indian classical influence and are styled as Indian pieces. The lyrics are a rendering of chapter 47 from the Taoist Tao Te Ching, which he set to music on the recommendation of Juan Mascaró, a Sanskrit scholar who had translated the passage in his 1958 book Lamps of Fire.

"Not Guilty" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison from his 1979 album George Harrison. He wrote the song in 1968 following the Beatles' Transcendental Meditation course in India with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an activity that he had led the group into undertaking. The lyrics serve as a response to the recrimination Harrison received from his bandmates John Lennon and Paul McCartney in the aftermath to the group's public falling out with the Maharishi, and as the Beatles launched their multimedia company Apple Corps. The band recorded the song amid the tensions that characterised the sessions for their 1968 double LP The Beatles. The track was completed in August 1968 but not included on the release.

Prudence Anne Villiers Farrow Bruns is an American author, meditation teacher, and film producer. She is a daughter of film director John Farrow and actress Maureen O'Sullivan and younger sister of actress Mia Farrow. Farrow is the subject of the Beatles song "Dear Prudence," which references her time studying Transcendental Meditation in Rishikesh with the Beatles in early 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muni Ki Reti</span> Town in Uttarakhand, India

Muni Ki Reti is a town and a municipal council in Tehri Garhwal district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It lies close to the pilgrimage town of Rishikesh and is known for its ashrams, including the Divine Life Society of Sivananda Saraswati.

Percy Philip Saltzman, was a meteorologist and television personality best remembered for being the first weatherman in English-speaking Canadian television history.

The Beatles Anthology is a documentary television series on the career of the Beatles. It was broadcast on UK television in eight parts on ITV between 26 November and 31 December 1995, while in the United States it was seen as three feature-length episodes on ABC between 19 and 23 November 1995. It was released in greatly expanded form as an eight-volume VHS set and an eight-disc LaserDisc set on 5 September 1996. The series was re-released on DVD in 2003, with an 81-minute special-features disc.

In February 1968, the English rock band the Beatles travelled to Rishikesh in northern India to take part in a Transcendental Meditation (TM) training course at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The visit followed the group's denunciation of drugs in favour of TM and received widespread media attention. The band's interest in the Maharishi's teachings was led by George Harrison's commitment, and it changed Western attitudes about Indian spirituality and encouraged the study of Transcendental Meditation. The visit was also the most productive period for the Beatles' songwriting.

<i>Prom Night in Mississippi</i> 2009 American film

Prom Night in Mississippi is a 2009 Canadian-American documentary film written and directed by Paul Saltzman. The documentary follows a group of 2008 Charleston High School high school seniors in Charleston, Mississippi as they prepare for their senior prom, the first racially integrated prom in Charleston history.

The religious views of the English rock band the Beatles evolved over time and differed among members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Beatles in Bangor</span> Stay by the Beatles in Bangor, Wales to attend a Transcendental Meditation seminar

In late August 1967, the English rock band the Beatles attended a seminar on Transcendental Meditation (TM) held by Indian teacher Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at a training college in Bangor in north-west Wales. The visit attracted international publicity for Transcendental Meditation and presented the 1960s youth movement with an alternative to psychedelic drugs as a means to attaining higher consciousness. The Beatles' endorsement of the technique followed the band's incorporation of Indian musical and philosophical influences in their work, and was initiated by George Harrison's disillusionment with Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco, which he visited in early August.

Beatles Ashram, also known as Chaurasi Kutia, is an ashram close to the north Indian city of Rishikesh in the state of Uttarakhand. It is located on the eastern bank of the Ganges river, opposite the Muni Ki Reti area of Rishikesh, in the foothills of the Himalayas. During the 1960s and 1970s, as the International Academy of Meditation, it was the training centre for students of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who devised the Transcendental Meditation technique. The ashram gained international attention between February and April 1968 when the English rock band the Beatles studied meditation there, along with celebrities such as Donovan, Mia Farrow and Mike Love. It was the setting for the band's most productive period as songwriters, where they composed most of the songs for their self-titled double album, also known as the "White Album".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Beach Boys' 1968 US tour with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi</span> 1968 concert tour by the Beach Boys

In May 1968, the American rock band the Beach Boys undertook a concert tour of the United States with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, their Indian meditation guru. The tour preceded the release of the Beach Boys' Friends album, which similarly reflected the influence of the Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique on the band, and was a commercial and critical failure. The program comprised a set of songs by the Beach Boys, followed by a lecture from the Maharishi on the benefits of meditation. Twenty-nine concerts were originally scheduled, many of them in college venues, but the venture was abandoned after three days of low ticket sales and hostile audience reaction to the Maharishi's segment. The guru's commitment to making a documentary film about himself, for Four Star Television, was cited as a further impediment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Postural yoga in India</span> History of how yoga returned to India

Postural yoga began in India as a variant of traditional yoga, which was a mainly meditational practice; it has spread across the world and returned to the Indian subcontinent in different forms. The ancient Yoga Sutras of Patanjali mention yoga postures, asanas, only briefly, as meditation seats. Medieval Haṭha yoga made use of a small number of asanas alongside other techniques such as pranayama, shatkarmas, and mudras, but it was despised and almost extinct by the start of the 20th century. At that time, the revival of postural yoga was at first driven by Indian nationalism. Advocates such as Yogendra and Kuvalayananda made yoga acceptable in the 1920s, treating it as a medical subject. From the 1930s, the "father of modern yoga" Krishnamacharya developed a vigorous postural yoga, influenced by gymnastics, with transitions (vinyasas) that allowed one pose to flow into the next.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoga tourism</span> Travel with the purpose of experiencing yoga

Yoga tourism is travel with the specific purpose of experiencing some form of yoga, whether spiritual or postural. The former is a type of spiritual tourism; the latter is related both to spiritual and to wellness tourism. Yoga tourists often visit ashrams in India to study yoga or to be trained and certified as yoga teachers. Major centres for yoga tourism include Rishikesh and Mysore.

<i>The Beatles and India</i> Documentary film directed by Ajoy Bose

The Beatles and India is a 2021 documentary film directed by Indian author and political journalist Ajoy Bose. It covers the Beatles' immersion in Indian culture and philosophy during the 1960s and the band's influence on India.

The Last White Knight is a documentary by Canadian filmmaker Paul Saltzman about his meetings with Delay de la Beckwith, son of Byron de la Beckwith, who assassinated Medgar Evers. In the film, Saltzman also interviewed Harry Belafonte, Morgan Freeman and others active in the civil rights movement. Belafonte's line, “People tell me that things have changed. And yet, I don’t trust Mississippi", is a key line from the film.

References

  1. ↑ "Prom Night in Mississippi". www.promnightinmississippi.com. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  2. ↑ The Last White Knight at IMDb OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. ↑ "Review: When a young man went on a spiritual pilgrimage and met the Beatles". Los Angeles Times. 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  4. ↑ CBC News, Jan 17 2007
  5. ↑ Paul, Satarupa (12 July 2015). "Beatles ashram in Rishikesh to be turned into a museum soon". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015. I took a train to Rishikesh and arrived at the ashram. … I learnt meditation in five minutes
  6. ↑ BBC.com, "When a 'heartbroken' backpacker met The Beatles in India," September 13, 2020
  7. ↑ BBC News story on London gallery show.
  8. ↑ "Iconic Art Joins Arrivals at John Lennon Airport". Liverpool Daily Post. 20 November 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  9. ↑ Calcutta Telegraph Archived 2011-09-11 at the Wayback Machine , "Long and Winding Road to Rishikesh," March 27, 2005
  10. ↑ Calcutta Telegraph, Calcutta, India, March 27, 2005.
  11. ↑ http://www.bestway.com/itineraries/beatles_india.php Archived 2012-07-24 at archive.today The Beatles In India Tour, Bestway Tours and Safaris website.
  12. ↑ "Prom Night in Mississippi". www.promnightinmississippi.com. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.