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Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored (1995)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
26 January 1996 (USA)
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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:
Awards:
2 wins
&
2 nominations
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User Comments:
The film is fine the way it is.
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 |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG for thematic elements including mild violence, language, and sensuality.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
115 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Quotes:
Miss Maybry:
Books are like eggs. You got to crack 'em open to get anything out of them.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Phat Girlz (2006)
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Soundtrack:
Maybe Tomorrow
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This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (7 total)
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The author's stated intention was to show the family that nourished him and protected him from the world of hatred and segregation. The film showed just enough of the segregated life to let the viewer know that Cliff needed to be protected from that world and nurtured to overcome the scars that outside world could inflict. I think Taulbert and the movie did a good job of showing how the love of his immediate and extended family could compensate in some way for the hatred and oppression of the outside world. I hate to see the movie berated for not being a documentary of all the hateful excesses of the segregated South when that was not the movie's intent. We have films that are considered classics that are about different parts of World War II, and they don't document all the atrocities of the Holocaust. Not focusing on parts of an era that are not the main point of the film is not "sugarcoating." It's an excellent film about growing up in a loving family and overcoming challenges through the love and support of others. It's fine the way it is.