Adam Clayton Powell (1989)

Director:

Richard Kilberg

Writers:

Phyllis Garland, Richard Kilberg

Stars:

Julian Bond, John Brademus, Calvin O. Butts III

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Julian Bond	...	Narrator (voice)
John Brademus	...	Himself
Calvin O. Butts III	...	Himself (as Rev. Calvin O. Butts III)
Stokely Carmichael	...	Himself (archive footage)
Shirley Chisholm	...	Herself
John Henrik Clarke	...	Himself (as Dr. John Henrik Clarke)
John Aubrey Davis	...	Himself
Hattie Dodson	...	Herself
James Farmer	...	Himself
Lenworth Gunther	...	Herself
Charles Hamilton	...	Himself
Lyndon Johnson	...	Himself (archive footage)
J. Raymond Jones	...	Himself
Martin Luther King	...	Himself (archive footage)
Julius Lester	...	Himself

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

independent film | character name in title

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

54 min

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in The 62nd Annual Academy Awards (1990)

User Reviews

A look at an early and controversial civil rights leader

This documentary employs mostly talking heads and old still pictures to relay its message about the life and work of Harlem preacher and Congressman Adam Clayton Powell. As one of the first black Congressmen, Powell deserves a lot of credit for helping ignite the civil rights movement. He helped blacks get into the navy, obtain government jobs, and boycott racist businesses. However, after the rise of Martin Luther King, Powell faded, as a man who was only looking out for himself. He was no longer THE black leader so he retreated to the Bahamas to live in luxury. I admit that I was not alive during the Civil Rights Movement, but I find most of what Mr. Powell did to be only for Mr. Powell. I don't think he is or was ever a good symbol for black strive, and the movie fails because it tries to view his life through rose tinted glasses. It is not a balanced piece. The whole story is not accurately represented. In fact, out of all the people who gave insight about this man, only one was white, and everybody put a positive spin on anything he did. This was an interesting man in life, but a poor movie about it. 4/10