IMDb > Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored (1995)

Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored (1995) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 13 | slideshow)

Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   268 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Tim Reid
Writers (WGA):
Clifton L. Taulbert (book)
Paul W. Cooper (screenplay)
Release Date:
26 January 1996 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Plot:
A narrator tells the story of his childhood years in a tightly knit Afro-American community in the deep south under racial segregation. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
2 wins & 2 nominations more
User Comments:
Neither the KKK or Hallmark Card Company more (7 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Al Freeman Jr. ... Poppa
Phylicia Rashad ... Ma Ponk

Leon ... Uncle Melvin
Paula Kelly ... Ma Pearl
Salli Richardson-Whitfield ... Miss Alice (as Salli Richardson)

Anna Maria Horsford ... Miss Annie
Bernie Casey ... Mr. Walter

Isaac Hayes ... Preacher Hurn
Willis Norwood Jr. ... Cliff (12 Yrs.)
Karen Malina White ... Mary
Damon Hines ... Cliff at 16
Iona Morris ... Nila Fontaine

Phill Lewis ... Sammy (19 Yrs.) / Narrator
Taj Mahal ... Mr. Will
Polly Bergen ... Miss Maybry
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG for thematic elements including mild violence, language, and sensuality.
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
115 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo
Certification:
Australia:PG | USA:PG
Filming Locations:
Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
Company:
BET Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Quotes:
narrator: Everyone clung to the idea that if you worked hard, you get a piece of the American dream. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Phat Girlz (2006) more
Soundtrack:
Maybe Tomorrow more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful.
Neither the KKK or Hallmark Card Company, 8 May 2006
Author: (futures@exis.net) from Ronn Ives/FUTURES Antiques, Norfolk, VA.

"Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored" (1996): Set in the deep American South, over the years 1946-1962, and told as biography, this is the story of one boy's memories of being raised in the Cotton & Bible Belt. He's poor, his family is in pieces, he's Black, he's surrounded by the KKK…and yet, this is a soft, even soft-focus look back at the people who DID provide community family, did not dwell on their poverty nor make their race the focal point of a normal day. We are so accustomed to angry, relentlessly violent films about the racial divides, this film could easily be taken as a Hallmark Card presentation…but SOMETHING about it tells me otherwise. Yes, problems are depicted, and yes, the times they were a-changin', but not as fast or dramatically as we've come to accept from the quick flip of a few pages in history class. I LIKE the pace of this film. It's slow, warm, often funny, occasionally sugary, sometimes sad or maddening, but for the most part it's a nostalgic look back at the GOOD parts of black author's childhood.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (7 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored (1995)

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Giant Intruder in the Dust Gone with the Wind In the Heat of the Night My Dog Skip
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.