Has pop culture made true fine arts offerings unpalatable for mass consumption?
'Night Catches Us' and the Dilemma of High Art
Mychal Smith | TheLoop21
I don’t live in one of the major U.S. cities, so my access to indie films is severely limited. I’m never included in those “limited cities” that are privileged enough to get the initial release, due to their large populations and reputations as taste-makers. So when I found out that I could rent the newly released 'Night Catches Us' on iTunes, and bypass the long wait that typically accompanies the release of small independent films to the market-at-large, I was excited.
Based on the trailers and cast/crew interviews, I believed 'Night Catches Us' was going to be exactly the type of movie I enjoy but rarely get the chance to see. My suspicions were confirmed. Writer/director Tanya Hamilton’s debut film is a tense, emotional drama that asks the audience to see behind the still photographs, the leather jackets, the guns, and fiery revolutionary rhetoric of the Black Panther Party and consider the effect the fight for freedom had on the lives of the flesh-and-blood human beings who participated and were left in the wake of the dismantled organization. The film offers a rare opportunity to humanize the oft-romanticized Black Panthers and give audiences a glimpse into the world these brave activists had to face after going to war with federal infiltration, informants, and murder that made it difficult to trust one another. Out of that world, Hamilton has crafted an auspicious debut film that features top-notch performances from Kerry Washington and the scary-good Anthony Mackie.
On the rare occasion that a film of this quality featuring an all-Black cast (and written/directed by a Black woman, no less) is produced and makes it to theaters, there’s a clarion call from the trumpets of the Black intelligentsia for Black people, en masse, to go out and support with our dollars. I understand the sentiment, and have stood behind this sort of consumer activism in the past. But I’m wondering now, is that really what we want? Is the popularization of “high art” a laudable idea?
Read the Full Essay @ theLoop21
'Night Catches Us' and the Dilemma of High Art
Mychal Smith | TheLoop21
I don’t live in one of the major U.S. cities, so my access to indie films is severely limited. I’m never included in those “limited cities” that are privileged enough to get the initial release, due to their large populations and reputations as taste-makers. So when I found out that I could rent the newly released 'Night Catches Us' on iTunes, and bypass the long wait that typically accompanies the release of small independent films to the market-at-large, I was excited.
Based on the trailers and cast/crew interviews, I believed 'Night Catches Us' was going to be exactly the type of movie I enjoy but rarely get the chance to see. My suspicions were confirmed. Writer/director Tanya Hamilton’s debut film is a tense, emotional drama that asks the audience to see behind the still photographs, the leather jackets, the guns, and fiery revolutionary rhetoric of the Black Panther Party and consider the effect the fight for freedom had on the lives of the flesh-and-blood human beings who participated and were left in the wake of the dismantled organization. The film offers a rare opportunity to humanize the oft-romanticized Black Panthers and give audiences a glimpse into the world these brave activists had to face after going to war with federal infiltration, informants, and murder that made it difficult to trust one another. Out of that world, Hamilton has crafted an auspicious debut film that features top-notch performances from Kerry Washington and the scary-good Anthony Mackie.
On the rare occasion that a film of this quality featuring an all-Black cast (and written/directed by a Black woman, no less) is produced and makes it to theaters, there’s a clarion call from the trumpets of the Black intelligentsia for Black people, en masse, to go out and support with our dollars. I understand the sentiment, and have stood behind this sort of consumer activism in the past. But I’m wondering now, is that really what we want? Is the popularization of “high art” a laudable idea?
Read the Full Essay @ theLoop21
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