Product Details

• Actors: Voices & Visions
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Winstar
• VHS Release Date: March 21, 2000
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: 1572527943
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,369 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Subtitled The Dream Keeper, this biography effectively illustrates the importance of Langston Hughes not only as a poet, but as the voice of his people and a champion of black artists. Asker of the famous question "What happens to a dream deferred?" in his poem "Harlem," Hughes was a poet whose art was inspired by his life as a black man. Poems read aloud on this 56-minute video, such as "The Weary Blues" and "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," celebrate aspects of African American life. Friends, including his assistant, the executor of his estate, James Baldwin, Gwendolyn Brooks, and the former president of Senegal, discuss his writing life, his civil rights work, his reading tours through the South, and his trip to Africa. They detail his struggles with his more mercenary-minded parents, his prejudiced patron, and with his racial peers when he appeared to promote stereotypes with his first screenplay "Way Down South." Most of the poems excerpted are illustrated with photos or film, but one of his "Simple" stories is performed by actors, followed by an audio-taped explanation by Hughes himself. --Kimberly Heinrichs

From the Back Cover
One of the most influential and prolific black American writers of the century, Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was fueled by love for his race and culture. The blues, jazz and spirituals echo in his rhythmic lines. Hughes became involved in the black artistic and political movements of his time. The film includes Hughes reading from his works and scenes of his travels. Commentary by James Baldwin, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Leopold Sedar Senghor, among others.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Langston Hughes - a dream weaver, November 15, 2000

By A Customer

This video is a must see for any student of the Harlem Renaissance. It includes footage, interviews, and recordings of Hughes (as well as others) reading and interpreting his poetry. The video explains the lonliness often found in Hughes's verse and brings to life his rhyme and meter which has its roots in the music of his era - the blues. The video also shows that Hughes was more than an American Poet; his influence spread beyond our shores to other countries. It documents his time in Paris as a busboy and talks about his influence on the Senegal culture. Very comprehensive and well worth the modest price associated with it.