1970, in Europe. This black author was trying to make a statement that wasn’t self-serving, but the director wanted to treat him like an exotic animal.
The way the director spoke to Baldwin and his friends sounded eerily similar to how Muhammad Ali was interrogated on his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War. All things considered, I now also realize that Avery Brooks’ cadence/speech pattern is rooted in the same hallmarks of the Black church from the Civil Rights era.
Should be required viewing for all African-American high school students.
First screening November 8, 2021 on MUBi.
