"Assembled from footage shot in 1972 by several 16mm cameras under the direction of the late, great Harlem-born filmmaker William Greaves, it depicts a reunion of key artists and significant figures in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. They had been invited to a gathering in Duke Ellington's Harlem townhouse by Greaves himself for the purpose of making a film about the Harlem Renaissance. These cultural luminaries, though elderly by 1972, had lost none of their fire, and their exchanges are scintillating."
"Greaves' son, David Greaves, who was camera crew on the shoot and many others with his father, now shares co-directing credit. If you don't know what the Harlem Renaissance was, you need to see this film. If you do know what the Harlem Renaissance was, you need to see this film. I think Once Upon a Time in Harlem will be hailed as essential viewing for anyone interested in modern American cultural history."
Park City is unusually dry while Main Street overflows with festival attendees enjoying sunny conditions. The premiere of Once Upon a Time in Harlem held its first public screening and earned two standing ovations. The film compiles 1972 16mm footage shot under William Greaves that captures a reunion of key Harlem Renaissance artists at Duke Ellington's Harlem townhouse. Many participants retained sharpness and produced scintillating exchanges, though the footage remained incompletely edited for years. David Greaves, who served on camera crew during the shoot, now shares co-directing credit. Audience reaction included effusive praise from a prominent filmmaker.
Read at Filmmaker Magazine
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]