The final film by filmmaker Marlon Riggs jumps into the middle of explosive debates over Black identity. BLACK IS... BLACK AIN'T is a fi lm every African American should see, ponder and discuss. White Americans have always stereotyped African Americans. But the rigid definitions of Blackness that African Americans impose on each other, Riggs claims, have also been devastating. Is there an essential Black identity? Is there a litmus test defining the real Black man and true Black woman? Riggs uses his grandmother's gumbo as a metaphor for the rich diversity of Black identities. His camera traverses the country, bringing us face to face with Black folks young and old, rich and poor, rural and urban, gay and straight, grappling with the paradox of numerous, often contested definitions of Blackness. Riggs mixes performances by choreographer Bill T. Jones and poet Essex Hemphill with commentary by noted cultural critics Angela Davis, bell hooks, Cornel West, Michele Wallace, Barbara Smith and Maulana Karenga to create a flavorful stew of personal testimony, music, and history.
The final film by filmmaker Marlon Riggs jumps into the middle of explosive debates over Black identity. BLACK IS... BLACK AIN'T is a fi lm every African American should see ponder and discuss. White Americans have always stereotyped African Americans. But the rigid definitions of Blackness that African Americans impose on each other Riggs claims have also been devastating...
几乎同贾曼的境遇一样，导演里格斯在拍摄时正和艾滋病魔作斗争，不同的是里格斯没能撑到电影完成。
hermeneutical film. 很好的一部从黑人自身角度去探索黑人在美国的新价值观的documentary，这样的一个群体，就像是一种alienation，自身该如何定位自己的identity？黑人？有着American spirit的黑皮肤人？在美国黑人community中成长的黑人？what is black people? is black really beautiful?
第一次听bell hooks的声音，和我想象的好不一样，这部片子作为导演的遗作，既尖锐也动人，里面关于食物、音乐、历史、疾病、宗教与形体的展现无不透露出作者的人文关怀，而所有的这一切更是融入到种族身份的探讨中，深刻而又不失活力。
