James Baldwin’s 1976 discussion of movies bears little resemblance to a conventional movie review. Narrator Dion Graham easily adapts to Baldwin’s wide-ranging analysis of race as presented in films and their literary sources, including a dispiriting experience adapting THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X into a screenplay. Graham’s hard-edged tone captures the author’s anger at the unreal portrayals of blacks in movies of the period—GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER and LADY SINGS THE BLUES, in particular. There are lighter moments, too. Graham’s tone lifts for Baldwin’s fond reminiscence of seeing Joan Crawford in the first movie he can remember—they shared bulging eyes! A surprise choice for scrutiny is THE EXORCIST. Baldwin loathes it, and his disdain drips at the stark contrast between black and white conceptions of evil and the devil. A.B. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Baldwin's personal reflections on movies gathered here in a book-length essay are also a probing appraisal of American racial politics.
Offering an incisive look at racism in American movies and a vision of America's self-delusions and deceptions, Baldwin challenges the underlying assumptions in such films as In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and The Exorcist.
Here are our loves and hates, biases and cruelties, fears and ignorance reflected by the films that have entertained us and shaped our consciousness. And here too is the stunning prose of a writer whose passion never diminished his struggle for equality, justice, and social change.
Baldwin's personal reflections on movies gathered here in a book-length essay are also a probing appraisal of American racial politics.
Offering an incisive look at racism in American movies and a vision of America's self-delusions and deceptions, Baldwin challenges the underlying assumptions in such films as In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and The Exorcist.
Here are our loves and hates, biases and cruelties, fears and ignorance reflected by the films that have entertained us and shaped our consciousness. And here too is the stunning prose of a writer whose passion never diminished his struggle for equality, justice, and social change.
The Devil Finds Work: An Essay
The Devil Finds Work: An Essay
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940169837926 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Blackstone Audio, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 08/08/2017 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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