Paul Robeson

Studio: Tapeworm
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

A Great , Exceptional and Informative Documentary!
Excellent Documentary
Extraordinary documentary. A Must see for all persons of African Descent!
If I could beg you to see this film I would.

500 Years Later
Starring: Dr. Kimani Nehusi , Molefi Kete Asante , Amiri Baraka , Nelson George , and Dr. Francis Cress Welsing
Manufacturer: Halaqah Media Films
ProductGroup: DVD
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What We Want, What We Believe: The Black Panther Party Library
Nothing But a Man
Slavery and the Making of America
Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery
American Blackout

ASIN: B000BY99B6
Release Date: 2006-10-01

Product Description

Crime, poor education, poverty, self-hatred, prison system, broken homes plague people of African decent globally Why? Filmed in over twenty countries and on five continents, 500 Years Later is a compelling journey, infused with the spirit and music of liberation, that chronicles the struggle of a people from enslavement who continue to fight for the most essential human right - freedom.

Customer Reviews:

A Great , Exceptional and Informative Documentary!.......2007-04-08

This one of the Greatest, Most Exceptional and Informative Movies I ever seen. The Traumatic Maafa(a.k.a. Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade) and its today's consequences on Africans is seen through African eyes. I recommend this documenatry to every human being on this planet, whether you are from African descent or from any other descent. A friend of mine recommended this movie to me and I bought it and greatly thanked my friend for letting me know about this documenatry. I'm a teacher in high school in the Paris area in France and have worked on this documentary with my students, they Greatly liked it. The only regret I would have is that it is not subtitled in French. However, I gave this documentary 5 stars because it more than deserves it. GO GET IT!!!!!

Excellent Documentary.......2007-03-31

This is an excellent doucmentary of the issue of slavery and its reprecussions from a BLACK perspective, which is very important. Too often we allowed the descents of the very people that enslaved us to dictate to us how to view and look at our holocaust. This is a wonderful companion to the great movie SANKOFA, which is a thousand times more powerful than Roots.

Extraordinary documentary. A Must see for all persons of African Descent!.......2007-01-18

500 years later is, in my opinion, one of the most informative, captivating, and eyebrow raising films produced through the honest, but too often ignored lens of the Afrikan centered collective. It not only outlines in outstanding narration, the history of Afrikan peoples' early relationship with the Europeans (and Arabs to a certain extent) via. the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, as well as our experiences in the so called New World; but it breaks down with unshakeable precision, the damaging results such enslavement has had on Afrikans, not only in the Western world, but also back on the Motherland. Such modern-day manifestations are organized into specifc issues which formulates into the chapters of the DVD (i.e. Race, Class, Education, Culture, etc). Without revealing too much, I can say with absolute confidence that this documentary is deserving of all the accolades, awards, and honors received at this point. Truely a must-see!

Peace brothers & sisters!
Karamou

If I could beg you to see this film I would........2006-11-07

Finally, It's here on amazon in the U.S. I purchased mine from amazon uk, that's how desperate I was to see this film. By now I saw it three times, the last time I watched it was with my two teens, I broke it up one hour per week, they were almost moved to tears, even my son! The film documents why we as brown people are in such horrendous conditions. If you ever wondered why the people in New Orleans during Katrina didn't just leave, this film will bring you overstanding. Prepare your self, this film take you on a mental journey like nothing you have ever seen before. If you have any preconceived notions, that this will be the "same ol same" Masa slave story well, your wrong, and you will miss out a film that prehaps could change your life, or better yet your childrens lives. This film was made for the world NOT just brown people.

Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist (The Emperor Jones / Body and Soul / Borderline / Sanders of the River / Jericho / The Proud Valley / Native Land / Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist) - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

An excellent release

Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist (The Emperor Jones / Body and Soul / Borderline / Sanders of the River / Jericho / The Proud Valley / Native Land / Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist) - Criterion Collection
Starring: Paul Robeson , Henry Wilcoxon , Wallace Ford , Kouka , and John Laurie
Director: Thornton Freeland , Kenneth MacPherson , and Zoltan Korda
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000KRNGOA
Release Date: 2007-02-13

Amazon.com

Paul Robeson is today known for little more than singing "Ol' Man River" in Showboat, but this hefty and potent collection from Criterion (seven movies and a rich trove of documentary features and commentaries) should return Robeson to much-deserved cultural awareness. An imposing, charismatic black actor who demanded respect when most black actors were trapped in mammy and minstrel roles, and a singer whose deep, rolling voice won him acclaim on the concert stages of Europe, Robeson was among the most significant performers of the 20th Century--until the 1950s, when the U.S. government suspended his passport out of fear that Robeson's commitment to social progress and civil rights would project a negative view of America. But even before then, Robeson's career took place outside of the establishment channels of Hollywood. Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist includes two silent films (Body and Soul, a melodrama railing against the hypocrisies of the church, made by the pioneering black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux; and Borderline, a startlingly inventive story of an interracial love rectangle, made by film theorist Kenneth Macpherson), both given additional vitality by contemporary jazz scores; three movies from Robeson's rich period in England (Sanders of the Valley, Jericho, and The Proud Valley, which chart both Robeson's rising social conscience and his increasing clout in the industry); Robeson's most significant Hollywood film, The Emperor Jones, adapted from the Eugene O'Neill play that shot Robeson to stardom in the first place; and the movie that probably reflected Robeson's social beliefs more than any, the remarkable and riveting semi-documentary Native Land, which Robeson narrated.

Robeson is one of those rare actors, like Bette Davis or Humphrey Bogart, whose performances drive his movies as much as the director or the screenplay. Much is made of Robeson's powerful voice and intimidating physique, but just as impressive are his piercing eyes; in every role, a questing intelligence bursts through, looking at the world and cutting through charades and illusions. Criterion packages always have phenomenal extras, but Portraits of the Artist is unusually complex because Robeson's life is as important to his stature as his movies. These excellent features capture the world around Robeson, a world that both raised him up and tore him down. Far from a musty historical document, this is a film package that matters, which will reward and surprise viewers used to conventional notions of Hollywood and America. --Bret Fetzer

Description

All-American athlete, scholar, renowned baritone, stage actor, and social activist, Paul Robeson (1898-1976) was a towering figure and a trailblazer many times over. He made perhaps his biggest impact, however, in the medium of film. The son of an escaped slave, Robeson managed to become a top-billed movie star around the world during the time of Jim Crow America, always striving to use film to educate viewers about equality, democracy, and the rights of workers. Though he eventually left movies behind, using his international celebrity to speak on behalf of those denied their civil liberties and ultimately becoming a victim of ideological persecution himself, Robeson left a film legacy that continues to speak eloquently of the long and difficult journey of a courageous and outspoken African American.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent release.......2007-02-25

This Release of Paul Robeson films is a great release from Criterion. Released for Black History Month, this set includes 7 feature films and two documentaries.

Each disc contains two fims and select special features

"The Emperor Jones" is about a black man who escapes from a chain gang and flees to the West Indies.
"Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist" is a biographial documentary about Robeson narrated by Sidney Poiteir.
"Body and Soul" is about a corrupt preacher.
"Borderline" is about a group of interracial lovers
"Sanders of the River" is about an African tibesman
"Jericho" is about a black World War I soldier who deserts and heads to Africa,
"The Proud Valley" is about a coal miner in Wales
"Native Land" is socialist documentary film about labor unions.

Disc one contains commentary for "The Emperor Jones" by historian Jeffrey C. Stewart, "Our Paul: Remembering Paul Robeson" a retrospective containing interviews various black filmmakers and performers including James Earl Jones, and an interview with Robeson's son, Paul Robeson Jr.

Disc two contains commentary for "Body and Soul" by Micheaux historian Pearl Bowser. Also included are new scores for both films on the disc

Disc three contains "True Pioneer: The British Films of Paul Robeson" a progarm featuring interviews with Robeson Jr. and other persons

Disc four contains "The Story of Native Land," an interview with cinematographer Tom Hurwitz, and a1958 radio interview with Paul Robeson.

Also included is a booklet with various other materials

Average customer rating:

An amazing life
Captures all of the major issues
An Excellent Introduction to the Man
americas shame
Fascinating and Compelling

Paul Robeson - Here I Stand
Starring: Ossie Davis , Uta Hagen , Paul Robeson , and Stephen Bourne
Director: St. Claire Bourne
Manufacturer: Winstar
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00000JLTO
Release Date: 1999-08-24

Amazon.com

If Paul Robeson (1898-1976) is remembered at all these days, it's most likely as the booming baritone on the definitive version of "Ol' Man River." But Robeson, as this serious, nearly two-hour 1999 documentary makes plain, was a great deal more than that. A world-renowned singer and actor, athlete, orator, activist, socialist, and patriot, he was most likely the most famous black man in the world in the mid-20th century. Robeson's conscience was indefatigable; he wasn't always right, but he never backed down from his enemies, principally imperialism and "conservative capitalism." He paid a heavy price, from ostracism to outright persecution, for maintaining his principles. Here I Stand details all of it, with the usual interviews and film clips highlighted by a great deal of footage (performances, interviews, speeches) of Robeson himself. This fascinating story of a great man's life and work also includes a discography, filmography, and complete chronology. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

An amazing life.......2006-04-01

This is an incredible documentary about the life and career of the legendary Paul Robeson, and covers the good along with the bad. Less than positive aspects of his life, such as how he cheated on his wife, are dealt with openly and honestly instead of being excused or glossed over. His life really typified all that is both good and bad about America. He was a poor African-American boy whose father urged him to make a better life for himself, and he became an all-star football player at college and did exceptionally well in school. He could have gone on to be a very successful lawyer after graduation, but was forced to find another occupation because of the institutionalised racism of the time, even up in the North. Robeson found success in everything he did after this stinging rejection, whether he were singing, acting onstage, acting onscreen, fundraising, or giving public speeches. He truly went from strength to strength, and because he was so devoted and committed to standing by his beliefs and principles, his career was temporarily halted and his reputation (in America at least) tarnished during the McCarthyist witch hunts of the late Forties and most of the Fifties. People who had not long ago been huge fans and supporters of his suddenly turned on him because of his Leftist beliefs and how he refused to back down from what he stood for. However, not everyone let the terrifying political climate of the time deter them from continuing to support him and attend his concerts and lectures, and he was able to find great continued success in Europe. And even while he was being persecuted in his country, he made it clear that he did not intend to permanently settle in Europe, because he'd been born in America and was committed to working to reform and change it. After the climate of fear and persecution lifted, he was able to continue his career as a singer and speaker in America.

Watching this documentary really made Robeson one of my new heroes. Not only was he a great actor and a fantastic singer, he was also a tireless champion of civil rights and civil liberties, an activist against the Vietnam War, all other wars, and the bomb, a proponent of peace, and a great believer that we are all one, that people of all races and nationalities are brothers and sisters. When many others were scared into hiding their Leftist beliefs, Robeson stayed strong and spoke out against the gross violations of civil liberties and the First Amendment during the McCarthyist witch hunts, stating loud and clear that it was against the law to persecute people for belonging to a certain political party and for trying to deny them their freedom of association and expression. Scarily enough, we're heading back towards that same climate today. He really practised what he preached, and wasn't afraid to speak out politically even when he was in the Soviet Union during the last years of Stalin's reign. At a concert he gave, he said he had recently spoken with a man who was supposed to have officially disappeared (and who soon was killed, one of the victims of the so-called "Doctors' Plot"), and to express his solidarity with the Jewish community, he sang "Zog Nit Keyn Mol," the song sung by the ghetto fighters and partisans during the Shoah. He really went above and beyond the call of duty in reaching out to all groups of oppressed people and feeling that regardless of differing races, religions, and nationalities, all oppressed peoples' struggles for freedom, equality, and civil rights were one and the same and that all people, whomever they might be, were indeed one big family. Anyone can do the easy thing, but it takes a person of morals, character, and conviction to do the right thing, even though it might be the harder thing to do and one might be persecuted on account of it. Staying true to himself meant more to him than denying his beliefs for the sake of an easier life.

Captures all of the major issues.......2004-01-07

The content of this film has already been discussed, but fans will be pleased that most of the major issues dealing with Robeson, his career, and the controversy are all handled well in the allotted time. It also does not shy from some of the less flattering aspects of his career (such as his actual knowledge of Stalin's crimes, but his refusal to openly speak on this because he felt his bigger enemies were at home), but this is handled well and you come away with a good idea of what the man was about in his outspokenness on issues of oppressed people. Only monor complaint is the lack of special features on this DVD, but overall, it's worth the money.

An Excellent Introduction to the Man.......2003-12-10

This "American Masters" volume directed by St. Clair Bourne is an excellent centennial introduction to the life and times of Paul Robeson, one of the greatest Americans of the twentieth century. The video's content has already been discussed by other reviewers and I have nothing to add on that score, other than to recommend three other fine books that people interested in finding out more might enjoy.

First is Martin Bauml Duberman's biography of Robeson, published in 1989. This is the best single source.

Second is Philip Foner's excellent "Paul Robeson Speaks" which contains a collection of Robeson's writings and speeches, as well as an excellent chronology. Particularly noteworthy is the transcript of Robeson's testimony before the House Unamerican Activities Committtee.

Third is Robeson's own book "Here I Stand," a small but very valuable volume with enduring insights about America and the world.

O.K., there's also a fourth. Paul Robeson Jr. has written an excellent new book about his father that is worth checking out.

You should be able to find these books (Foner's book may be out of print) on Amazon.

americas shame.......2003-08-29

this dvd shows how robeson was caught up in international politics and paid with his life. he was years ahead of his time, a one man civil rights movement careering into the mccarthyite era, a dangerous place to be, but he did not shirk: " i have made my choice, i have no alternative." his mission?" all men are brothers because of thier music." still misunderstood by the american conciousness, this dvd goes some way to explaining robeson's political manoevers and also demonstrates the huge american support he had during his opposition to the prevailing policies of the day, many of which are now discredited and redundant. what a hero.

Fascinating and Compelling.......2003-08-25

This documentary is probably one of the best biopics I've seen in a long time--it's incredibly moving, it told a compelling story I wanted to keep listening to, and it devoted enough time and attention to its subject so that by the end you really felt you knew something about the man.

The reviewer on this page did an excellent job of summarizing the content of the documentary, though I disagree with her about the Robeson films shown. That section of the movie dragged for me. It's true that in role after role, Robeson was forced to play characters unworthy of him, allowed only the narrow, stereotyped range that moviegoers expected to see African-Americans portray, and undermined by directors and editors even when he attempts to give his work a deeper significance and a more challenging political message. But the filmmakers seemed determined to show extended footage of each and every one of these movies, and it's painful to watch such a talented man being objectified in film after film. I finally had to fast-forward.

In the ample footage of Robeson performing on his own, on the other hand, whether singing, speaking to crowds, or describing his life in television appearances, Robeson isn't forced to compromise with someone else's vision. Here, he can say what he really thinks. I was astonished at how unrelentingly outspoken Robeson was at such an early date--at least from the Second World War if not earlier. In fact, when Robeson returns from an extended trip abroad in the early 1960s, he's greeted at the airport by a gaggle of interviewers, one of whom wants to know whether he'll be particating in the Civil Rights Movement. Given everything we've seen thus far, it's an astonishing question and I was torn between outrage and laughter, but Robeson just gives the guy a mildly condescending stare and says, "I consider myself to have been doing so my entire life." Likewise, a segment that shows how, over the years, Robeson transformed the song 'Ol' Man River' from a testament to racism to an ode to struggle and endurance is powerful. I was also entranced by Robeson's television appearances. In these, you can see something that doesn't come through in his singing speaking, or acting: that he was a natural storyteller, with a gift for timing and humor, and an actual physical involvement in each anecdote that seems to reflect his youthful training as an athlete.

Product Description

Louis Gossett Jr. takes viewers through a special documentary celebration of the groundbreaking achievements of African-American performers and their contributions to Hollywood filmmaking. Spectacular film clips, rare behind-the-scenes footage, archival photographs and fascinating interviews chronicle nearly a century of tribulation and triumph. Gazing at the outstanding range of African-American stars on today's movie screens, it is hard to imagine a time when there were no black leading men or women, a time when all of the roles available for people of color were considerably less heroic than they are now. Social progress came in small steps on the silver screen, film by film, for equal visibility and dignity on the silver screen; now it is possible to honor their struggles, their talent and their sacrifices. From the jaw-dropping athleticism of dancers like Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and the Nicholas Brothers to the amazing singing of Lena Horne, Ethel Waters and Dorothy Dandridge; from the early comedy routines of the legendary Stepin Fetchit to gripping dramatic moments featuring Paul Robeson and James Earl Jones, this tribute to some of America's greatest entertainers draws from dozens of classic films. Highlights include Pinky, No Way Out, Stormy Weather, Carmen Jones, The Great White Hope -- and many more groundbreaking films. Rare footage from studio archives helps tell the inspiring story of performers whose talent and determination would help them surmount all obstacles along the road to success. Featuring exclusive interviews with the Nicholas Brothers, Gregory Hines, Diahann Carroll, Ruby Dee, Bobby Short and Donald Bole, Small Steps, Big Strides tells the moving story of African-American entertainers and their accomplishments in Hollywood.

System Requirements:

Running Time 58 Mins.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

A very good documentary to depict the black person's struggle for true quality in Hollywood movies.......2007-04-05

Small Step Big Strides: The Black Experience In Hollywood provides you with an accurate and moving retrospective of the history of blacks in the movies. Although this documentary is only a brief 58 minutes you learn a great deal about the ways black people were portrayed in movies since the early 1900s. This DVD uses rare footage and great interviews with stars of the day to flesh out the theme of racial prejudice against blacks in Hollywood as well as what black people had to do to overcome it.

Because of wide spread and deep seated racial prejudice, black people initially had to be content watching white actors in blackface depict them on the screen. The black characters were always reduced to the lowly positions of being a "mammy" or a rather ignorant, uneducated man.

However, black people took steps forward in early black films including MGM's Hallelujah and Hearts in Dixie by Fox in 1929. The documentary uses footage to show that blacks still had to stick to strict racial stereotypes even within these early all black cast movies.

This DVD then chronicles how things began to gradually improve for black actors. For example, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was the first black actor who could befriend a person of the opposite race when he danced with Shirley Temple; and Paul Robeson finally enjoyed a lead character role in The Emperor Jones.

Moreover, this DVD discusses in depth the two movies Stormy Weather and Cabin In The Sky. Stormy Weather was one of the first big budget musicals to feature an elegant all black cast. Black people were finally showcased as great entertainments with meaningful intellect and talent; the movie featured Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, the dancing Nicholas Brothers, Lena Horne and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. At the same time, MGM's Cabin In The Sky also starred Lena Horne and Duke Ellington. The DVD uses footage from these two films to demonstrate how, for the first time ever, blacks were taken very seriously in Hollywood. One of the surviving Nicholas brothers comments on this during his interview and what he has to say sheds extra light on this situation.

The DVD also uses footage to give examples of how, by the early 1950s, a black actor like Sidney Poitier was able to embody the true complexity of life in black America--as long as he was clean cut. Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte were soon the first black "hot" couple; and by the late 1960s there was the then rather daring Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. This movie took on the challenge of dealing with interracial marriage; but the DVD also shows how Guess Who's Coming To Dinner was done so as to offend as few people as possible.

By the late 1960s the DVD lets us see that Hollywood wanted to portray the more militant blacks who wanted action much, much sooner than later as in films like The Incident and The Great White Hope. The producers of the DVD choose excellent clips from both movies to make their points very well.

Despite the fact that this DVD was made in 1998, the commentary and footage end with films from the year 1970. I must take off one star for this because the constantly evolving black experience from 1970 until today receives no attention from this documentary.

All in all, Small Step Big Strides: The Black Experience In Hollywood tells the story of how blacks gradually made headway in Hollywood. They went from being completely passive observers of white actors in blackface to portraying human beings with complex characters, real human quirks and very heroic qualities. I highly recommend this documentary DVD for people who want to study the black experience in Hollywood. People who want to study the American black experience in general will also benefit from watching this documentary.

A Learning Experience........2000-11-29

This Movie provide my entire class with a look at the struggles and triumphs of African American performers. A lot of unknown facts were shows and I really enjoyed it.

Average customer rating:

ten worst movies of all time
The Emperor Jones a Lost Treasure
An Interesting Failure
Dated but Powerful
Well Worthy Of Praise.

Emperor Jones
Starring: Paul Robeson , Dudley Digges , Frank H. Wilson , Fredi Washington , and Ruby Elzy
Director: Dudley Murphy
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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ASIN: B0000CG8I2
Release Date: 2003-11-25

Customer Reviews:

ten worst movies of all time.......2005-03-15

This movie is absurd and unrealistic in its presentation of African American human beings. It simply shows the thinking and beliefs of the sick racist mind of white americans during their own aparthied years of racist subjugation of African American citizens. No one but a white person could enjoy this fantasy representation of African Americans, this (sic) movie is an insult to all free people....

The Emperor Jones a Lost Treasure.......2003-05-24

The film creaks with age. It's a low-budget project that probably had a small audience in its day, but here is a treasure. Letting the sound track and the fuzzy images get in your way will only rob the viewer of a great theatrical experience. And, to witness Paul Robson sing and perform at the height of his career only enriches the experience. Too bad a serious restoration of this film has not been undertaken.

An Interesting Failure.......2003-04-11

Playwright Eugene O'Neill's early work often combined memorable characters and stories with social commentary and innovative theatrical concepts--and among his first great successes was THE EMPEROR JONES, which starred perhaps the single finest black actor of the 1920s and 1930s, the legendary Paul Robeson. When United Artists purchased the screen rights, Robeson went with the package, and this 1933 film was the result.

The story concerns a black man of the depression era who lacks the moral stamina to resist the various temptations set before him, and who ultimately finds himself on a remote island where he uses his superior intellect and physically intimidating presence to set himself up as "Emperor." But his own past troubles have hardened him. Instead of ruling in justice, he uses his position to bleed the population--and they revolt against him.

But regretfully, this film isn't half as good as it could have been or a quarter as good as it should have been. On the stage, THE EMPEROR JONES had tremendous irony, for in so crushing his subjects Brutus Jones has essentially recreated the white American society that crushed him. Moreover, the staging was uniquely powerful, with the vast majority of the story played out as Jones runs through the jungle in an effort to escape his revolting subjects, all the while recalling the various events of his life that led him to the present moment. But the film version pretty much throws all of this out the window, preferring to downplay O'Neill's social commentary and reducing Jone's race through the jungle to a few scenes at the film's conclusion.

Robeson is a memorable actor, but he was still very new to the screen when this film was made, and although he is powerful his performance here is rather stagey in comparison with his later screen work. And while the film is occasionally interesting in a visual way, it simply doesn't have the courage to go all the way with O'Neil's origial vision. Fans of Robeson, O'Neil, and early 1930s film will find it an interesting failure, but most others should give it a miss.

GFT, Amazon.com Reviewer

Dated but Powerful.......2002-07-18

Unfortunately, we are left with a relative paucity of Robeson's powerful talent. This early film will give you some indication of the majesty he must have conveyed live. No other figure in the first half of the 20th century conveyed the collective black consciousness as did Robeson. We have a few markers left us, amongst them the recordings and these few celluloid records. If you want to see one of the giants of the 20th century on film, buy this edition. It also represents a cinemataographic record of one of O'Neill's most famous, but least successful plays. True, the plot has its tensions and the play had its merits, but, in comparison to his monumental "Morning Becomes Electra" and "Desire Under the Elms," this play is decidedly secondary, in league with "The Hairy Ape."

Well Worthy Of Praise........2002-02-28

Having regard to the fact that "Emperor Jones" is Robeson's first major film role, the quality of both picture and sound is outstanding and far above copies of later films, which I purchased at the same time. The "Tribute" is extremely moving and informative and an absolute MUST for any Robeson fan. I have nothing but the highest praise for its quality. Home Vision are to be commended.

Scandalize My Name: Stories From the Blacklist

Average customer rating:

Talk about "the Black and the Red"
A Must See Film

Scandalize My Name: Stories From the Blacklist
Starring: Gregory Abbott , Adam Clayton Powell III , Dick Campbell (IV) , Harry Belafonte , and Canada Lee
Director: Alexandra Isles
Manufacturer: Urban Works
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000EMYBR
Release Date: 2004-01-13

Description

Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist examines the way Red Scare politics was used to impede the emergence of African-Americans as full participants in the political, social and cultural aspects of post-war American life. Because television was born in this era, and adopted the political attitudes of the time, the story is told through the confrontation of African-American performers with blacklists, loyalty oaths and discrimination in casting. Hosted by three-time Academy Award® nominee Morgan Freeman, Scandalize My Name is brought to life by African-American directors, actors and scholars who used their talents to advocate for social and cultural equality.

Customer Reviews:

Talk about "the Black and the Red".......2005-06-08

This documentary shows that McCarthy and his House Unamerican Activities Committee went after Black artists, just as it did to whites.

The documentary starts with Morgan Freeman, imitating many other PBS narrators, pretending like he's reading a book and then speaking to the camera. This introduction had me rolling on the floor. This documentary features Harry Belafonte and the elderly actress from the TV series "Amen." It also includes Ossie Davis (surprisingly, sans Ruby Dee) before he passed. This may bring a tear to the eyes of his fans. This work does an effective job of showing how any progressive Black artist interested in Civil Rights could be misconstrued and punished as a supposed Communist. Urban Works, which usually produces pop cultural modern pieces, did a great job in venturing out into this historic, serious endeavor.

There are many scenes of Black actors during the early days of TV and films. Perhaps viewers should watch this documentary alongside the many documentaries on the history of Black Hollywood.

A Must See Film.......2005-05-25

I have not yet recieved it but I just stumbled across it on television. If you are interested in this Era or you are an artist or interested in the arts this is a great piece. It's essential to know the struggles artists as a whole went through during the Blacklist and often you never hear about the African American experience during that time period. This film includes accounts from famous African American artist, several of which are still alive. This piece opened my eyes. The only downfall I could say was that the film was a little short and like with many things you don't get to see the names more than once. But otherwise I think it's great resource. Buy this film!

Average customer rating:

Into the mines
The only good movie version of this book
Poor!
Quality Complaint

King Solomon's Mines
Starring: Paul Robeson , Cedric Hardwicke , Roland Young , Anna Lee , and John Loder
Director: Robert Stevenson
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005LOL9
Release Date: 2001-09-18

Amazon.com

Though modern audiences may find the performances in this prototypical darkest-Africa adventure yarn somewhat creaky, vintage-film fans will relish this rousing adaptation of H. Rider Haggard's novel. Sir Cedric Hardwicke stars as Allan Quartermain, a Great White Hunter who aids a young woman (Anna Lee, who was married to the film's director, Robert Stevenson) in locating her father, who has gone missing in his search for the fabled diamond mines of King Solomon. With the assistance of the regal Umbopa (Paul Robeson), Quartermain and his party locate the mines, but quickly find themselves in the midst of two warring tribes. The use of African locations and indigenous tribesmen help to give the film a gritty authenticity, and the presence of the legendary Robeson (who sings three songs) adds a degree of historical importance to this engaging action-drama. --Paul Gaita

Description

Based on H. Rider Haggard's celebrated novel, this "fast-moving" (Screen International) action safari is "a very wicked jungle brew" (Chicago Tribune)! Starring Richard Chamberlain ("The Thorn Birds") and OscarÂ(r) nominee* Sharon Stone (Casino), King Solomon's Mines is truly "stirring entertainment" (Variety)!Commissioned by the stunning Jessie Huston (Stone) to find her explorer father in Africa, rugged adventurer Allan Quatermain (Chamberlain) must contend with Nazis, cannibals, a jungle full of dangerous animals and the wiles of the woman who hired him! But as Allan and Jessie near the spot where her father was last seenthe legendary King Solomon's Minesthey encounter more danger and breathtaking excitement'than even they hadbargained for!*1995: Actress, Casino

Customer Reviews:

Into the mines.......2007-03-04

There have been plenty of adaptations of "King Solomon's Mines," the first of H. Rider Haggard's adventure novels. And the 1937 version is a solid if uninspired adaptation, with some good-to-excellent acting and a fairly faithful script, although I'm not sure where the Irish pair came from.

A strange wagon arrives at the camp of hunter Allan Quartermaine (Cedric Hardw