Brilliant 1960s Film Uses Real Drunks As Actors To Train Police

This presents clips from an amazing documentary made in 1965 by pioneer documentary filmmaker, George Stoney. Stoney began his documentary career in the 1940s. Over six decades, he produced, directed, and/or wrote more than 50 films, addressing a wide variety of subjects, from public health to social justice. In the early 1990s, I was honored when he invited me to discuss documentaries with him in from of his class at NYU’s Tisch School of Communication. We discussed that we both did not believe that Cinéma Verite was any more truthful than the kind of directed documentaries with real people that we were making. This Stoney documentary is called “The Mask”. Not only is it amazing to me because these real people actors, the alcoholics and the psychotic and the police, are real people in involved with the Cleveland Police Department. What also is amazing is that this documentary was funded by the Louisiana Association for Mental Illness who felt that they could not record this reality in their desire to help police and other professionals dealing with issues like this, in Louisiana. So they asked the Cleveland Police Department to allow George Stoney and his team to make the film. During the mid-1960s societal and police department views on alcoholism were different than today. In many jurisdictions in the U.S., public intoxication or public drunkenness was a criminal offense. Individuals found inebriated in public were often arrested and spent the night in a “drunk tank“ in jail. When in jail the primary approach was punitive rather than rehabilitative. There was less understanding of alcoholism as a medical disease. The emphasis was on law enforcement and less on social services or health care interventions. Over time, many states decriminalized public intoxication and began to see it as a disease, shifting the focus from punishment to treatment. Instead of arresting individuals for being publicly intoxicated, officers might take them to detoxification centers or shelters. Some police departments have introduced CITs to help officers deal more effectively with individuals experiencing mental health or addiction crises. This philosophy, which became more prominent from the 1980s onwards, emphasized building trust within communities. It also encouraged officers to find community-based solutions, which can include partnerships with local health providers to address issues like alcoholism. George Stoney’s entire career was marked by a deep belief in the power of media as a tool for education, social change, and civic engagement. His works transcended the line between documentary filmmaking and activism. Through his films, teaching, and writings, he sought to ensure that media remained accessible and relevant to all people, not just an elite few. Although this was not my style, to produce documentaries that provoked “activism“ is work impressed me time and again. George Stoney’s legacy is multifaceted. While he was a filmmaker by trade, his influence reached far beyond just the world of film. He was a tireless advocate for public media, a dedicated educator, and a voice for social justice. I admire his creativi Thisty and I thank him. If this film had meaning for you, I ask you to support my efforts to continue to present filled for my archive by clicking the thanks button below the video screen or by becoming a patron at David Hoffman Filmmaker