 Tagline: In "Remember This House" Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished -a radical narration about race in America, through the lives and assassinations of three of his friends: Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers and Malcolm X. using only the writer's original words. Master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished, Remember This House. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin's original words and flood of rich archival material. I Am Not Your Negro is a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #Blacklivesmatter. It is a film that questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond. And, ultimately by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr., Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for. In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends-Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin's death in 1987, he left behind only thirty completed pages of his manuscript. Now, in his incendiary new documentary, master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin's original words and flood of rich archival material. I Am Not Your Negro is a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It is a film that questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond. And, ultimately, by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of these three leaders, Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for. Storyline: In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, "Remember This House." The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and assassinations of three of his close friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin's death in 1987, he left behind only 30 completed pages of this manuscript. Filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. Written by Jwelch5742 Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Michael Reuben, June 7, 2017 James Baldwin is a unique figure in American literature. An African-American born in the era of segregation, he achieved prominence and respectability as an author of both fiction and non-fiction. His writings explored homosexuality long before the gay liberation movement. During the Sixties civil rights struggle, he became one of that cause's leading spokesmen, sufficiently influential that J. Edgar Hoover's FBI deemed him "a dangerous individual". So thorough was Baldwin's immersion in social causes that his literary reputation is inseparable from his stature as an activist. Capturing Baldwin's distinctive voice and piercing intelligence in a documentary presents daunting challenges, but director Raoul Peck (Lumumba) has succeeded with his Oscar-nominated film, I Am Not Your Negro (or "IANYN"), which Magnolia Home Entertainment has released on Blu-ray. The film's title comes from a Baldwin quote, with the last word changed to accommodate contemporary sensitivities. The title was one of dozens that Peck considered during his decade-long effort to find a suitable framework for a film about Baldwin's life and work. The director found his touchstone in thirty pages of manuscript the author wrote for a never-completed book to be titled Remember This House. Baldwin wanted to explore the connections among three major figures of the civil rights movement: Medger Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. Despite their different circumstances (and, in the case of King and Malcolm X, strenuous disagreements), the three had one basic thing in common: At a young age, all three were assassinated for their activism. In a rueful passaged tinged with survivor's guilt, Baldwin reflects on the fact that he was older than all three and, under normal circumstances, should not have been expected to outlive the entire group. At one level, IANYN can be viewed as Peck's attempt to complete Baldwin's project cinematically, interweaving selections from Baldwin's writings in voiceover (read by a quietly eloquent Samuel L. Jackson) with historical footage and photos of the three civil rights leaders and also of Baldwin in interviews and TV appearances. Peck's carefully constructed collage offers a resonant overview both of the struggle for African-American equality and of the oppression that prompted it. (The photos of lynchings are especially disturbing.) Baldwin's words echo throughout the presentation, probing, accusing, illuminating, always challenging the viewer with sharply phrased analysis. Whether debating Dick Cavett on his talk show or presenting a critical overview of American racial history at a Cambridge University debate, Baldwin remained a passionate advocate, his speeches informed by a sense of urgency that only increased as the years advanced. While studying the three civil rights leaders, IANYN also paints a portrait of both their era and the history leading up to it. Peck and his team have combed through numerous archives and used all the resources of digital editing to assemble a pictorial history of America's racial conflict, in both the Sixties and preceding decades. They also jump forward to later developments, establishing visual and conceptual connections between events that Baldwin witnessed and others that followed his death in 1987, such as the Rodney King beating in 1991 (and ensuing riots), the Ferguson uprising in 2014 and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Baldwin's words often seem to be commenting directly on these recent images, confirming the continued relevance of his insights (and, sadly, demonstrating how little some things have changed since his death). IANYN also provides a biographical sketch of Baldwin, with focus on his formative years as a child and teenager in New York City and on the mentors who encouraged him. At age 24, the author relocated to Paris, where he spent most of the rest of his life, returning to America to lecture and give readings—and also to participate in history-making events like the March on Washington organized by Martin Luther King in August 1963. Though his writing was distinctively American, Baldwin's outsider's perspective informs both his work and Peck's evocation of this singular intellectual and artist. "It comes as a great shock", Baldwin says at one point, "to discover that the country, which is your birthplace and to which you owe your life and your identity, has not, in its system of reality, evolved any place for you." The three comrades who Baldwin (and now Peck) sought to honor assumed the burden of changing that condition, and it cost them their lives. IANYN repays multiple viewings, because Peck has layered in so much imagery, and his selections from Baldwin's writings are so provocative, that there is always something new to see and hear (or to see and hear from a new perspective). It wasn't until I'd viewed the documentary several times that the inclusion of so many selections from the films of Sidney Poitier, who was the leading black movie star of Baldwin's era (and, indeed, the only one regularly working), emerged as a leading theme of the author's analysis. His deconstruction of Poitier's screen image isn't systematic, but it's an effective demonstration of Baldwin's ongoing interrogation of cultural images and their impact. His contrast of white and black perspectives on The Defiant Ones is quietly devastating, one of the many arresting moments in this essential film. Highest recommendation. Recommended by Fareed Zakaria: My book of the week from Sunday's show (07/02/2017) was actually a compelling documentary: I Am Not Your Negro. [CSW] -4.8- This documentary is "A Must See!" I would consider this to be on or near the same level as Eyes on the Prize. It should be shown in schools across the country. Mr. Peck has made a masterpiece of work which shows what a documentary is supposed to be. The intent here is not to make white America feel good about the state of race relations, in the past or present. What we have here instead is a very articulate man telling us what it's like to be black in the United States. The film is at its best when we can see Baldwin speak. As for the imagery, much of it is quite striking, and it's likely that some of it you have not seen before. Baldwin's insights are crushing because it wasn't just fixed in the past there are references to continuing racism today. Beautifully done. A fabulous tribute to the great mind that was James Baldwin. [V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box Cast Notes: Samuel L. Jackson (Narration [voice]), Rest of cast listed alphabetically: James Baldwin (Himself [archive footage]), Harry Belafonte (Himself [archive footage]), Marlon Brando (Himself [archive footage]), George W. Bush (Himself [archive footage]), Dick Cavett (Himself [archive footage]), Ray Charles (Himself [archive footage]), Gary Cooper (Frank Flannagan [archive footage]), Joan Crawford (Bonnie [archive footage]), Tony Curtis (John 'Joker' Jackson [archive footage]), Doris Day (Various Roles [archive footage]), Bob Dylan (Himself [archive footage]), Shumerria Harris (Herself), Audrey Hepburn (Ariane Chavasse [archive footage]), Charlton Heston (Himself [archive footage]) Robert F. Kennedy (Himself [archive footage]), Martin Luther King (Himself [archive footage]), Rodney King (Himself [archive footage]), Joseph L. Mankiewicz (Himself [archive footage]), Barack Obama (Himself [archive footage]), Michelle Obama (Herself [archive footage]), Sidney Poitier (Various Roles [archive footage]), Cathy Salvodon (Herself), Arnold Schwarzenegger (Himself [archive footage]), Joey Starr (Narrator french version [voice]), Rod Steiger (Gillespie [archive footage]), John Wayne (Ringo Kid [archive footage]), Richard Widmark (Ray Biddle [archive footage]), Billy Dee Williams (Himself [archive footage]), Fay Wray (Ann Darrow [archive footage]), Malcolm X (Himself [archive footage]). IMDb Rating (07/14/17): 7.6/10 from 6,686 users
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