The Cool World (1963)

Filmmaker Shirley Clarke ("The Connection") directs this powerful, stark semi-documentary look at the horrors of Harlem ghetto slum life filled with drugs, violence, human misery, and a ... See full summary »

Director:

Shirley Clarke

Writers:

Shirley Clarke, Carl Lee

Stars:

Rony Clanton, Carl Lee, Yolanda Rodríguez

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rony Clanton	...	Duke (as Hampton Clanton)
Carl Lee	...	Priest
Yolanda Rodríguez	...	Luanne
Clarence Williams III	...	Blood (as Clarence Williams)
Gary Bolling	...	Littleman
Bostic Felton	...	Rod
Gloria Foster	...	Mrs. Custis
John Marriott	...	Hurst
Georgia Burke	...	Grandma
Marilyn Cox	...	Miss Dewpoint
Jerome Raphael	...	Mr. Shapiro
Mel Stewart	...	Con-man
Joe Dennis	...	Douglas Thurston (as Joseph Dennis)
Ronald Perry	...	Savage
Bruce Edwards	...	Warrior

Storyline

Filmmaker Shirley Clarke ("The Connection") directs this powerful, stark semi-documentary look at the horrors of Harlem ghetto slum life filled with drugs, violence, human misery, and a sense of despair due to the racial prejudices of American society. There is no patronizing of the black race in this cinematic cry for justice. A fifteen-year-old boy called Duke is ambitious to buy a "piece" (a gun) from an adult racketeer named Priest, to become president of the gang to which he belongs, and to return them to active "bopping" (gang fighting) which has declined in Harlem. It is a clearly patent allegory of an attempt by Duke to attain manhood and identity in the only way accessible to him - the antisocial one.

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Plot Keywords:

violence | ghetto | harlem manhattan new york city | inner city | black power | 

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Taglines:

These are the ones who play it cool, and find out about life and love before they're in high school ! This is the picture that explodes like a time bomb In the face of a city!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Zipporah Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 February 1965 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Die lässige Welt

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Cool World, Wiseman Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Connections

Featured in Cinéastes de notre temps: Rome Is Burning (Portrait of Shirley Clarke) - Rome brûle (1970)

User Reviews

The Cool Word is a Ground Breaking Film

The Cool World is the first film about Harlem that was actually shot in Harlem. Hanging the camera from the ceiling provides a very personal experience for the viewer. The viewer is there as a participant, not as a spectator.

The Cool World is a very much not a Hollywood looking film with fast moving, up close, scenes. Dark yellow hued interior scenes capture the true feeling of the dwellings of the gang members. Shirley Clarke has taken us into The Cool World.

Little known trivia, is that Wally Cox's wife acted in this film. Another little known piece of trivia is that, since she lived in the Chelsea Hotel during the time that Sid Vicious also lived there, Shirley Clarke was a consultant on the film Sid and Nancy.