A look at the confluence of the Red Scare, McCarthyism, and blacklists with the post-war activism by African Americans seeking more and better roles on radio, television, and stage. It begins in Harlem, measures the impact of Paul Robeson and the campaign to bring him down, looks at the role of HUAC, J. Edgar Hoover and of journalists such as Ed Sullivan, and ends with a tribute to Canada Lee. Throughout are interviews with men and women who were there, including Dick Campbell of the Rose McLendon Players and Fredrick O’Neal of the American Negro Theatre. In the 1940s and 1950s, anti-Communism was one more tool to maintain Jim Crow and to keep down African-Americans.
Category: Documentary
Documentary
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Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
Known for his personification of the Western Hero, it was Montana-born Gary Cooper’s horse-riding skills that first brought him bit parts in movies. And he never lost his love of the great American outdoors. Though he rarely played a villain and was an adept comedian, Cooper is best remembered for his strong, silent heroes. With his lanky country boy looks and shy hesitancy he created a unique screen presence, though his real life was one of sophisticated elegance.
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Travis
Seven-year-old Travis has AIDS. Filmmaker Richard Kotuk invites us to witness Travis’s struggle. With his intense yearning for life and understanding of death, Travis describes the disease as a “monster inside of me: I’m gonna fight it. I will fight.” Supported by his grandmother and his community of cousins, Travis fights AIDS for an opportunity to be a boy with normal childhood dreams. An unsentimental portrait, Travis questions our own understanding of death and passion for life.
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Hostage Officer Survival: How to Escape Your Worst Nightmare Alive
From the creators of Surviving Edged Weapons comes a new instructional film for police officers dealing with office hostage situations.
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Inside The X-Files
Inside the X-Files for a behind-the-scenes look at the show. Also included are interviews with the cast and creator Chris Carter, never before seen segments from the show, outtakes and a sneak preview of the upcoming feature film.
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Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
A profile of writer-director Billy Wilder
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Tale of the Tides
In Africa there is a fable that explains the creation of the tides. When a hyaena challenged a mudskipper to a drinking contest to decide who should own the shore, the god Mungu tilted the earth so the sea flowed inland, and neither could win.
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Full Tilt Boogie
A documentary about the production of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and the people who made it.
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Girls of the ‘B’ Movies
Documentary on female B movie stars.
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September 12: From Cyprus to Frontline
Turkish democracy got over the 27th of May and the 12th of March and set off again, but the storm did not subside and the mutual reckoning was not over. On the contrary, new fronts were opened in the country and blood began to flow like a gutter. Finally, on September 12, there was a knock on the door again. Those who came that day changed everything, everything. Nothing would ever be the same again, nothing would be the same as before.