The Bobby Stone Film Series is proud to celebrate Black History Month with a special series of films from our Virtual Cinema presented by West Village.
This specially-curated package includes four titles which turn their lens towards Black characters and experiences - from Richard Wright's Native Son to the electrifying Grace Jones and the challenges faced by the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Muhammad Ali. Enjoy these releases individually for $8 each or purchase the package for only $16 with access to view for 30 days.
Native Son
One of the most controversial novels of its day, Richard Wright's Native Son (first published in 1940) exposed the injustices of urban African-American life, witnessed through the eyes of Bigger Thomas, whose violent tendencies and moral confusion were the natural result of a lifetime of deprivation. In prison for murder and sentenced to death, Thomas reflects on the circumstances that led to his fate.
Kino Lorber presents a new restoration of the 1951 film version of the novel, directed by Pierre Chenal and starring Richard Wright as Bigger Thomas. It is presented in association with the Library of Congress, Fernando Martin Peña and Argentina Sono Film. Special thanks to Edgardo Krebs for his years of research into the making of Native Son, and for being a tireless champion of its restoration and re-release.
The film is preceded by a special introduction by film historians Eddie Muller (Film Noir Foundation) and Jacqueline Najima Stewart (co-curator of Kino Lorber's Pioneers of African-American Cinema collection), courtesy of Turner Classic Movies.
Tickets: $8 as a standalone / $16 as part of our Black History Month Package
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami
This electrifying journey through the public and private worlds of pop culture mega-icon Grace Jones contrasts musical sequences with intimate personal footage, all the while brimming with Jones’s bold aesthetic. A larger-than-life entertainer, an androgynous glam-pop diva, an unpredictable media presence – Grace Jones is all these things and more. Sophie Fiennes’s documentary goes beyond the traditional music biography, offering a portrait as stylish and unconventional as its subject. Taking us home with her to Jamaica, into the studio with long-time collaborators Sly & Robbie, and backstage at gigs around the world, the film reveals Jones as lover, daughter, mother, and businesswoman. But the stage is the fixed point to which the film returns, with eye-popping performances of "Slave to the Rhythm," “Pull Up to the Bumper,” "Love is the Drug," and more. Jones herself has said watching the film “will be like seeing me almost naked” and, indeed, Fiennes’s treatment is every bit as definition-defying as its subject, untamed by either age or life itself.
Tickets: $8 as a standalone / $16 as part of our Black History Month Package
The Trials of Muhammad Ali
No conventional sports documentary, The Trials Of Muhammad Ali investigates its extraordinary and often complex subject's life outside the boxing ring. From joining the controversial Nation of Islam and changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, to his refusal to serve in the Vietnam War in the name of protesting racial inequality, to his global humanitarian work, Muhammad Ali remains an inspiring and controversial figure.
Outspoken and passionate in his beliefs, Ali found himself in the center of America's controversies over race, religion, and war. From Kartemquin Films - makers of such acclaimed documentaries as Hoop Dreams and The Interrupters - and Academy Award-nominated director Bill Siegel (The Weather Underground), The Trials Of Muhammad Ali examines how one of the most celebrated sports champions of the 20th century risked his fame and fortune to follow his faith and conscience.
Tickets: $8 as a standalone / $16 as part of our Black History Month Package
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
Constructed from a wealth of archival footage, KING: A FILMED RECORD...MONTGOMERY TO MEMPHIS is a monumental documentary that follows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1955 to 1968, in his rise from regional activist to world-renowned leader of the Civil Rights movement. Rare footage of King's speeches, protests, and arrests are interspersed with scenes of other high-profile supporters and opponents of the cause, punctuated by heartfelt testimonials by some of Hollywood's biggest stars.
KING was originally presented as a one-night-only special event on March 20, 1970, at an epic length of more than three hours (plus intermission). Since that time, the film has occasionally been circulated in a version shortened by more than an hour. Newly restored by the Library of Congress, in association with Richard Kaplan, and utilizing film elements provided by The Museum of Modern Art, the original version of KING can again be seen in its entirety, mastered in HD from the 35mm preservation negative.
Admitted to the National Film Registry in 1999, KING is a cinematic national treasure that allows viewers to be first-hand witnesses to Dr. King's crusade, and thereby gain a fuller appreciation of both the personal challenges he endured and the vast cultural legacy he left behind.
Tickets: $8 as a standalone / $16 as part of our Black History Month Package
Mary Lou Williams, The Lady Who Swings the Band
She was ahead of her time, a genius. During an era when Jazz was the nation's popular music, Mary Lou Williams was one of its greatest innovators. As both a pianist and composer, she was a font of daring and creativity who helped shape the sound of 20th century America. And like the dynamic, turbulent nation in which she lived, Williams seemed to redefine herself with every passing decade.
From child prodigy to "Boogie-Woogie Queen" to groundbreaking composer to mentoring some of the greatest musicians of all time, Mary Lou Williams never ceased to astound those who heard her play. But away from the piano, Williams was a woman in a "man's world," a black person in a "whites only" society, an ambitious artist who dared to be different, and who struggled against the imperatives of being a "star." Above all, she did not fit the (still) prevailing notions of where genius comes from or what it looks like. Time and again, she pushed back against a world that said, "You can't" and said, "I can." It nearly cost her everything.
Tickets: $10 – This film is provided by our friends at ArtMattan Productions.
For a complete list of films in the The Bobby Stone Film Series, visit tivolichattanooga.com/events/bobby-stone-film-series/virtual-cinema
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