Once Upon a Time in Harlem
A crucial oral history merges with a joyful party in “Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” a project of epochal scope, from 1972, which is nonetheless a new movie. That year, the Harlem-born filmmaker William Greaves gathered, in a town house belonging to Duke Ellington, a wide array of luminaries who’d been part of the
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Harlem Renaissance half a century earlier, including Eubie Blake, James Van Der Zee, Regina Andrews, and Arna Bontemps. Greaves assembled a team of cinematographers (including his son, David) to film the reunion, and the resulting torrent of reminiscences, tussle between varying perspectives, and wealth of spontaneous musical interludes revitalize the era’s artistic and political passions with a startling, thrilling immediacy. The film was left incomplete when William Greaves died, in 2014; David directed the completion, which is among the greatest of documentaries.
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“A new movie from 1972 by William Greaves, which documents a reunion of luminaries from the Harlem Renaissance. It was completed by his son, David, after William Greaves died in 2014.” via The New Yorker — Musical Events (Alex Ross, classical/opera) ↗
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“A crucial oral history merges with a joyful party in “Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” a project of epochal scope, from 1972, which is nonetheless a new movie. That year, the Harlem-born filmmaker William Greaves gathered, in a town house belonging to Duke Ellington, a wide array of…” via The New Yorker — Pop Music column ↗
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“A 1972 project by William Greaves, this film documents a reunion of luminaries from the Harlem Renaissance. It was completed by his son, David Greaves.” via The New Yorker — The Current Cinema (Brody / Chang) ↗
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“A documentary from 1972 by William Greaves, completed by his son David, about a reunion of Harlem Renaissance luminaries.” via The New Yorker — The Theatre (Helen Shaw / Vinson Cunningham) ↗