Looking for Langston
New on DVD:Looking for Langston
On 27 June, bfi Video releases award-winning British film-maker Isaac Julien's Looking for Langston on DVD (previously only available on the VHS Gay Classics). Both critically acclaimed and controversial, the film is a lyrical and poetic consideration of the life of revered Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes.
Julien's film invokes Hughes as a black gay cultural icon, against an impressionistic, atmospheric setting that parallels a Harlem speakeasy of the 1920s with an 80s London nightclub. Extracts from Hughes' poetry are interwoven with the work of cultural figures from the 1920s and beyond, constructing a lyrical and multilayered narrative. The film combines archival footage with newly staged set pieces, fantasy sequences, and an imagined love story. The result is a beautiful and ultimately celebratory piece about artistic expression and the nature of black gay desire.
Beautifully presented in deluxe packaging, numerous extra features include a commentary by Isaac Julien and Director of Photography Nina Kellgren and a 48-page booklet containing essays, director interview, reviews and biographies.
On 27 June, bfi Video releases award-winning British film-maker Isaac Julien's Looking for Langston on DVD (previously only available on the VHS Gay Classics). Both critically acclaimed and controversial, the film is a lyrical and poetic consideration of the life of revered Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes.
Julien's film invokes Hughes as a black gay cultural icon, against an impressionistic, atmospheric setting that parallels a Harlem speakeasy of the 1920s with an 80s London nightclub. Extracts from Hughes' poetry are interwoven with the work of cultural figures from the 1920s and beyond, constructing a lyrical and multilayered narrative. The film combines archival footage with newly staged set pieces, fantasy sequences, and an imagined love story. The result is a beautiful and ultimately celebratory piece about artistic expression and the nature of black gay desire.
Beautifully presented in deluxe packaging, numerous extra features include a commentary by Isaac Julien and Director of Photography Nina Kellgren and a 48-page booklet containing essays, director interview, reviews and biographies.
posted by Trevor at 3:00 pm
<< Home