See "The Savages, the legendary portrait of black life in west venice, california" (video, 1967)

By RM
wednesday, february 4, 2026 at 3:45:00 p.m. est

See "The Savages, the legendary portrait of black life in west venice, california" (1967)

A short documentary up for sale on ebay:

"here's a chance to own a nice-looking print of The Savages, the legendary portrait of black life in west venice, california. this is a 16mm film, a positive, sound print on a metal reel.

"a poignant and empathetic statement against racial prejudice, Alan Gorg’s short film The Savages documents the sights, sounds and voices of the impoverished african-american community of west venice, los angeles in 1967. The Savages (1967) is an ironically titled cinema vérité short film by Alan Gorg that documents the lives of residents in an impoverished african american community in west venice, california. [N.S.: The seller said the same thing twice.] preserved by the ucla film & television archive, it challenges racist narratives by showing that the true 'savagery' lies in the systemic inequalities, poverty, and segregation the community faced.

[N.S.: "systemic inequalities, poverty, and segregation" entails saying the same thing three times: "racism, racism, and racism."]

"you can read more about this film at this link: https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/blog/the-savages-a-restored-time-capsule-of-west-venice-los-angeles "

RM: Never heard of the filmmaker, so I looked him up-married a black woman he met at a civil rights march in 1963, amazingly they stayed together till his death-had children, lived in Hawaii (maybe he was bisexual- Richard Boone, rumored to be likewise, also moved to Hawaii so his son would grow up free of American "prejudice.").

With everything that's happened since 1963-rape, mass murder, CHILDREN committing violent acts, destruction of cities, drug epidemic, dissolution of the culture--do you think any of those (supposedly) well-meaning radicals EVER for a moment thought they were wrong?

Are you kidding?

-RM


3,686 views Feb 28, 2019
The Savages (1967)

“dubbed 'ghost town' in 1967, the area of west venice was then an impoverished african american community. los angeles native and ucla film student, Alan Gorg set out to capture the lives of its inhabitants in their own words. without adding his own commentary, he allowed the subjects to express themselves, from the hardworking man with his young family, to the jobless youth who seek temporary release from their circumstances through drink and parties.

“Gorg aimed to give representation to african americans, who due to housing and employment segregation, were rarely seen by White los angeles. the short begins with the voice-over of a White man discussing the savagery of african americans. but we find it is not the people that are savage, but the harsh urban conditions. opportunities are denied through systemic injustice and inequalities.

“The Savages can be seen as a companion piece to Gorg’s earlier film, Felicia (1965), which was named to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2014.—Jillian Borders

“35mm b/w, 25 min. Producer: Alan Gorg. Director: Alan Gorg. Cinematographer: Alan Gorg, Kit Grey, Ivan Craig, Joe Hanwright. With: the Youth of West Venice. Narrator: Robert Castle. In cooperation with Project Action Venice, California.

“Preserved by UCLA Film & Television Archive from the 16mm original camera negative, 16mm A/B positive rolls and 16mm track positive. Funding provided by the National Film Preservation Foundation. Laboratory services by The Stanford Theatre Film Laboratory, Audio Mechanics, Simon Daniel Sound, DJ Audio, Inc. Special thanks to Alan Gorg, Marsha Gordon, Mark Quigley.”

The Savages (1967) | UCLA restoration
UCLA Film & Television Archive