Ben Barzman, a renowned Anglo-Canadian screenwriter, was born on October 12, 1910, in Toronto. He later relocated to the United States, where he established himself as a prominent screenwriter during World War II. Barzman's most notable work is probably "The Boy with Green Hair" (1948),an allegory against intolerance that critiques the post-war American attitude of demanding conformity.
Directed by Joseph Losey, who would also be blacklisted, the movie is a testament to the duo's future collaborations. Barzman and his wife, Norma, became members of the Communist Party in Hollywood, a affiliation they maintained in exile. After working on a project in England in 1949, Barzman decided to stay in Europe, where he and Norma relocated to Paris.
In Paris, they enjoyed the freedom to associate with Communists, left-wingers, and like-minded individuals. However, Ben grew disillusioned with the environment and moved the family to the south of France in the 1950s. The couple eventually broke with the Party in 1968 due to the French Communist Party's failure to support a general strike called by labor unions in solidarity with the students.
Norma Barzman claims that Ben rewrote the screenplay for the Oscar-winning film "Z" (1969),directed by Costa-Gavras, but did not receive credit. Additionally, Barzman helped arrange for the filming of the movie in Algeria. In addition to his screenwriting work, Barzman wrote the science-fiction novel "Out of This World" in 1960.
Ben Barzman passed away on December 15, 1989, at the age of 79, in Santa Monica, California.
