As "A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks"(2021 release; 89 min.) opens, we are introduced to Gordon Parks, "photographer, film maker, social activist, and more", as Parks talks about the world he lives in: "I don't like the expression 'living in a white man's world. I consider this MY world." We then go to "Baltimore, MD", where photographer Devin Allen, who became an overnight sensation with his coverage of the 2015 protests there (landing him the cover of TIME Magazine), talks about how Parks inspired him. At this point we are 20 min into the lovie.
Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from veteran John Maggio ("The Newspaperman", "The Perfect Weapon"). Here he takes Gordon Parks' 1966 autobiography "A Choice of Weapons" as a loose basis to reflect on both Parks' life and times as well as his enduring legacy and long shadow (in the best way). While I certainly had heard of Parks, I really wasn't familiar with all of the details of this man's life and works, and in that sense this documentary was a real eye-opener for me. He is best known for being the sole African-American on LIFE's photography staff, where he produced many iconic pictures of the black experience starting in the late 40s for over 2 decades. Along the way, we get a number of talking heads providing further insights on Parks: Spike Lee, Ava Duvernay, LaToya Frazier, etc. It was a complete surprise to me when I learnt that Parks also directed a number of noteworthy movies, none more so than the iconic 1971 "Shaft", in essence starting the blaxploitation genre. Wow, just wow. Wat an incredible talented man this was. (In the movie's credits, I noticed that Alicia Keys executive-produced this film.)
"A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks" premiered on HBO earlier this week, and is now available on HBO On Demand and HBO Max (where I caught it). If you are a fan of Gordon Parks or simply are curious about the black experience in the 40s-50s-60s-70s, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
