Paris Blues with A Man Called Adam
Paris Blues with A Man Called Adam
Special guest: Conversation following Paris Blues with Maya Cade, Try A Little Tenderness guest programmer and creator/curator of the Black Film Archive, and Jacqueline Stewart, Director and President of the Academy Museum.
Paris Blues
Set in Paris to the sounds of a Duke Ellington sonic lullaby, this jazz-infused drama starring Sidney Poitier takes the A-train to your heart. Eddie Cook (Poitier) is an expatriate jazz musician who finds love with Connie, an American girl (Diahann Carroll), and shelter from the United States in a “racially tolerant” Paris. With Paul Newman, Louis Armstrong, and Joanne Woodward rounding out the cast, this picture shows sensitivity toward romance and interracial friendship.
A Man Called Adam
Loosely based on the life of Miles Davis, A Man Called Adam centers on a gifted trumpeter (Sammy Davis Jr.) on a self-destructive streak. With a lethal combination of deep personal misfortune, systemic racism, and alcoholism, Adam finds connection and hope with activist Claudia (Cicely Tyson in a role that predates her marriage to Miles Davis). A Man Called Adam also stars Ossie Davis and Louis Armstrong. The film was made by Sammy Davis Jr.’s production company and produced by Ike Jones, one of Hollywood’s earliest Black producers.
Back to Main Series
Film Program
Thursday, February 16, 2023
Several Friends with Nothing But a Man
Special guests: Conversation with director Charles Burnett and guest programmer and creator/curator of the Black Film Archive Maya Cade following Several Friends.
Film Program
Thursday, February 23, 2023
Sepia Cinderella with Short Films
Special guest: Conversation following Caldonia with Maya Cade, guest programmer and creator/curator of the Black Film Archive and Dorothy Berry, digital curator of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Film Program
Saturday, February 25, 2023
A Well Spent Life with Portrait of Jason
Special guest: Conversation following A Well Spent Life with Miriam Bale, film programmer and critic and Maya Cade, Try A Little Tenderness guest programmer and creator/curator of the Black Film Archive.