I Am Not Your Negro
Velvet Film (2017)
Advocacy, Documentary, Queer Themes/Interest
In Collection
#817
9*
Seen It:  Yes
(12/4/2017 Home, 1/15/18 PBS, 6/10/20 home)
876964011891
IMDB   7.9
95 mins France / English
DVD  Region 1   PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
Samuel L. Jackson Narration (voice)
James Baldwin Himself
Medgar Evers Himself
Malcolm X Himself
Martin Luther King Himself
Dick Cavett Himself
Samuel L. Jackson Narration
Robert F. Kennedy Himself
Harry Belafonte Himself
Paul Weiss Himself
H. Rap Brown Himself - Black Panther Party
Bob Dylan Himself
Leander Perez Himself - White Citizens Council
Sidney Poitier Various Roles
Ray Charles Himself
Doris Day Various Roles
Gary Cooper Frank Flannagan
Tony Curtis John 'Joker' Jackson
Clinton Rosemond Tump Redwine (clip from They Won't Forget (1937))
Joan Crawford Bonnie
Rod Steiger Gillespie
Richard Widmark Ray Biddle
Fay Wray Ann Darrow
Marlon Brando Himself
Joseph L. Mankiewicz Himself
Charlton Heston Himself
Director/Choreographer
Raoul Peck
Producer Raoul Peck
Rémi Grellety
Joëlle Bertossa
Writer/Composer James Baldwin
Raoul Peck
Cinematography Henry Adebonojo
Bill Ross IV
Turner Ross


Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United States.
Edition Details
Distributor Magnolia Pictures
Release Date 5/2/2017
Screen Ratio Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio Tracks Stereo [English]
No. of Discs/Tapes 1
References
QueerGuru Rating 9

Notes
James Baldwin was a powerful poet and essayist - arguably one of the greatest social critics of our time· Even though Baldwin sketched the script in 1979, it is totally contemporary for the America of today! A must see film·
He was openly gay in an era where being queer was dangerous.
"His signature style was his prose-startling in its intricate design and depth of perception, and fierce in its determination to dismantle the racial assumptions of the American republic and the English language."
"This ingenious move allows viewers to fully appreciate Baldwin’s unmatched eloquence and form a portrait of the artist through his own words, even if the film largely (and somewhat inexplicably) omits a crucial aspect of his work and life: his sexuality.
+9 Review: Queer Guru (Roger Walker-Dack)
++ Review: NY Times
Review: The Atlantic "The Imperfect Power of 'I Am Not Your Negro'."
! Commentary: Vice "James Baldwin's Queerness Was Inseparable from His Blackness"
! James Baldwin: 'Here Be Dragons' [1985 essay on being a black queer]
! Book Review: NY Times, Robert Jones Jr. 'The Prophets' [Lauren Christensen Dec. 30, 2020] 'son of Baldwin'