Legendary Robert Drew, one of the pioneers of the style Cinema Verite, has passed away at the age of 90. Thatcher Drew, his son, reported that he died on July 30 at his home in Connecticut. This filmmaker taught a lot of successful directors such as Albert Maysles and D.A. Pennebaker.

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He has been working in the industry since 1960. He produced "Primary" and he also directed a couple of documentaries aired on T.V. regarding innovations and breakthroughs in film, generally. "Primary" is one of the most important political documentaries. This was included in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry in 1990. The documentary was about the Democrats specifically Sen. Hubert Humphrey and Sen. John F. Kennedy. They were followed while campaigning in Wisconsin.

Drew once talked about the documentary and he said that JFK asked a lot of questions about how the documentary would work. He assured JFK that the documentary won't take any side and that the editing would be done fairly. He also said that JFK should just trust him. He did and the documentary turned out well.

The documentary focused on the varying styles of JFK and Humphrey. Basically, JFK was more telegenic and Humphrey was plainer and chattier. This documentary showed the contrasts of the two senatorial candidates. Humphrey was seen giving a speech in front of a gathering of farmers. ON the other hand, JFK's speech was in front of a large and cheery crowd.

Cinema Verite has been helping filmmakers. Drew's techniques taught directors that they could film just like journalists. Basically, the technique is to follow their subject even if it is for hours or even days in order to capture the most important moments.

Some of the filmmakers said that because of Drew, it was possible for real stories to be told through films. Non-fiction movies were made possible because of Drew.

Some of his famous works are "The chair", a documentary produced back in 1963 which focused on a death penalty case which happened in Illinois, "784 Days That Changed America: From Watergate to Resignation", which won a Peabody Award in 1982.

Drew was able to make these documentaries be known by working with his wife, Anne Drew. Anne edited and co- produced the documentaries. She died back in 2012.

TagsRobert Drew, Cinema Verite, Filmaker, Legend, Primary, Documentary, Dead, 90