April 7, 7pm JOSEPHINE BAKER: Black Diva in a White Man’s World
by
Thursday, April 7, 7pm
ICE THEATERS
210 W 87th Street
Chicago, IL
Admission: $5.00
JOSEPHINE BAKER
Black Diva in a White Man’s World, Director: Annette von Wangenheim
Germany, 2006, 45 min.
English/French/German with English subtitles
A tender, revealing documentary about one of the most famous and popular performing artists of the 20th century. Her legendary banana belt dance created theatre history; her song “J’ai deux amours” became a classic, and her hymn.
The film focuses on her life and work from a perspective that analyses images of Black people in popular culture. It portrays the artist in the mirror of European colonial clichés and presents her as a resistance fighter, an ambulance driver during WWII, and an outspoken activist against racial discrimination involved in the worldwide Black Consciousness movement of the 20th century.
and
Princess Tam Tam
1935, 77 minutes
This 1935 variation on Pygmalion is a clever French vehicle for Josephine Baker, the Missouri woman who found stardom in Paris as a dancer and singer. The black performer plays an African shepherd, Alwina, a wild and exotic creature who meets a celebrity novelist, Max (Albert Prejean), the latter in a desperate search for inspiration. He finds it in a bemused notion to polish away Alwina’s earthy sexuality and turn her into a princess presentable to upper-crust Parisian society. Meanwhile, Max’s estranged wife, Lucie (Germaine Aussey), has concocted an affair with a black prince, thus giving the City of Lights much to buzz about when both spouses turn up as separate halves of interracial couples. Career director Edmond T. Greville (The Hands of Orlac) brings a light touch to Princess Tam Tam, only his fifth film of many, and the Continental wit on display is occasionally comparable to some of Ernst Lubitsch’s best ideas. Baker trills and leaps about and dances during a few scenes, and does exceedingly well in the Eliza Doolittle-like part. –Tom Keogh
Black World Cinema, a showcase of seldom seen classic features and new films from around the world. Black World Cinema presents films by filmmakers that bring us story with compelling content and a human dimension seldom presented in mainstream cinema.
All screenings are followed by lively discussions moderated by program director Floyd Webb or local scholars, screenwriters and directors.
Screenings occur the first Thursday of every month at
ICE Theaters Chatham 14
210 W. 87th Street
Chicago, IL