'Reading James Baldwin in class last week made me want to re-watch a film that has been a true 'coup de coeur' this year, I Am Not Your Negro. Although the film is classified as a documentary, to me it is much more some kind of an alien-hybrid. The film by Raoul Peck is a true wonder of cinema, as it uses an unfinished manuscript of James Baldwin titled Remember This House. Therefore, James Baldwin was billed as the film's screenwriter, and his words are used as narration for the film. The film, like the manuscript, consists of a series of letters and notes that Baldwin wrote in the 70s concerning the friendship he had with civil rights leaders Malcolm X, Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the lives and deaths of the three men.
With the concourse of a great coincidence, I saw the film at the beginning of the year on the exact day of Malcolm X's assassination, February 21st, 65 years later.
I wanted to share that because to me - and this is what ties this in so beautifully with the class - is that Baldwin's words really resonate in a powerful way when heard out loud, as was mentioned last week. I was not really aware of Baldwin's work before seeing the film, however, seeing I Am Not Your Negro was a truly great way to be introduced to his work, hearing his words said out loud in the cinema. I don't want to say too much because I can't do much more than to encourage each and every one of you to see that film, it is a true marvel.
(I Am Not Your Negro, directed by Raoul Peck, written by James Baldwin, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, 2017, 93min. // Based on James Baldwin's memoir Remember This House)
With the concourse of a great coincidence, I saw the film at the beginning of the year on the exact day of Malcolm X's assassination, February 21st, 65 years later.
I wanted to share that because to me - and this is what ties this in so beautifully with the class - is that Baldwin's words really resonate in a powerful way when heard out loud, as was mentioned last week. I was not really aware of Baldwin's work before seeing the film, however, seeing I Am Not Your Negro was a truly great way to be introduced to his work, hearing his words said out loud in the cinema. I don't want to say too much because I can't do much more than to encourage each and every one of you to see that film, it is a true marvel.
(I Am Not Your Negro, directed by Raoul Peck, written by James Baldwin, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, 2017, 93min. // Based on James Baldwin's memoir Remember This House)
Thank you for the reminder. I just watched it. Hearing the words spoken is indeed powerful.
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