African American Featured Lists

A three-year documentary odyssey through the bloody social upheaval of 1960s Africa, this film from the directors of Mondo Cane is just as unflinching as its predecessor in its visual catalogue of atrocities. Topics include the violent civil war in the Congo, the final days of colonial rule in Kenya, revolutions in Zanzibar and Angola, racial strife in Dar es Salaam, the Bahuti slaughter of the Rwandan Watusi, and the mass extermination of thousands of animals in game enclaves. The considerable political content was greatly reduced when exploitation maven Jerry Gross released the film in America in 1970 as Africa, Blood and Guts, a version running 37 minutes shorter than the original and emphasizing gore over historical perspective. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Forest Whitaker stars as the brilliant jazz saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker in this elegiac biopic. Director Clint Eastwood pays full homage to Parker's musical genius, but also devotes ample time to the musician's twin demons--drugs and alcohol-which accelerated his death at the age of 34. In his struggles to gain widespread acceptance for his music, "Bird" is forever stymied by his own self-destructiveness, and forever bailed out by the love of his life, Chan Richardson Parker (Diane Venora). The film bemoans the decline of the brand of jazz fathered by Parker, which came to be replaced by more conventional material -- as illustrated by the "descent" into the mainstream of Parker's mentor Buster Franklin. Also starring in Bird is Samuel E. Wright as Dizzy Gillespie. That's the real Charlie "Bird" Parker on the film's soundtrack, though most of the background music has been re-orchestrated. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Stelvio Massi directed this Italian-made action film, a copy of George Cosmatos' Cobra with Fred Williamson in the Stallone role. As a tough NYPD detective, Williamson protects photographer Eva Grimaldi, who witnessed a murder by the leader of the vicious Black Cobras biker gang. Fans of Italian genre movies will recognize Sabrina Siani as the kidnapped daughter of the police commissioner. Antonio Margheriti's Black Cobra 2 was next. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

A musical presentation featuring Danny Barker and the Dukes of Dixieland. Tunes include "Wolverine Blues," "Buddy Bolden Blues," and "New Orleans Joys," and many others. ~ All Movie Guide

Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada was but a distant irritation to everyone but his own countrymen and the British Empire until his perfidy became headline material in the early '70s. The first director to provide an in-depth study of this gregarious madman was director Barbet Schroeder, with his General Idi Amin Dada. In this documentary, Schroeder and his crew travel to Uganda to spend several days with the despot, one-on-one. The uncomfortable truths revealed in the film are all the most amazing when one realizes that Schroeder could not release his documentary without Amin's approval. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Artistically envisioned and lovingly done, Looking for Langston is an exploration of the life and consequences of late African-American poet Langston Hughes. It is impossible to tell Hughes' story without delving into the social atmosphere in which he thrived. The Harlem Renaissance was in full swing when Hughes found his voice. He represented the unabashed energy of the Cotton Club and the emerging tone of beat poetry. Filmmaker Isaac Julien fuses together a multitude of images to create a patchwork of impressions about the changing gay culture. Archival footage and a jazz soundtrack breathe life into this documentary journey. Looking for Langston has become a favorite within the gay community for its willingness to examine the viewpoint including sexuality and the black experience. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide