Robert Townsend
1957 (67 лет)Making The Five Heartbeats
Robert Townsend
In 1990, actor, comedian, writer and director, Robert Townsend, went against every obstacle in Hollywood, relying on his faith, street smarts, and tenacity to bring his passion project, 1991’s The Five Heartbeats, to big screens. The Motown-flavored story of the rise and fall of an African-American vocal group in the 1960s, the musical drama is the subject of Townsend’s documentary, Making The Five Heartbeats. The documentary chronicles the inspiring journey of a young black writer/director (Townsend) determined to present a new image of black people in cinema while endeavoring to create a classic.
Making The Five Heartbeats
Diary of a Single Mom
Robert Townsend
Monica Calhoun, Ричард Раундтр
Ocean (Monica Calhoun), a 27-year-old highly-motivated mother has found her calling in managing a neighborhood apartment building along with the residents and the problems found within. As she struggles with a new job, a new home, her own children, a difficult niece, and the issues of other tenants, all within learn something about taking action and using compassion in their own lives.
Diary of a Single Mom
Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light
Lee Grant
Stanley Burnside, Lee Grant
Actor/director Sidney Poitier discusses his life and career. He tells of his upbringing in Jamaica; the difficulties he encountered in New York City at the start of his career; his involvement in the US civil-rights movement; and efforts to end apartheid in South Africa. Friends and acquaintances, as well as other performers, give their insights about what makes him so special.
Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light
Rodney Dangerfield: It's Not Easy Bein' Me
Walter C. Miller
Rodney Dangerfield, Jeff Altman
Rodney Dangerfield hosted this HBO special which includes fantastic performances by some of the best new talent of 1986. Comedians include Jeff Altman, Roseanne Barr, Sam Kinison, Bob Nelson, Jerry Seinfeld, Robert Townsend, and, of course, Rodney Dangerfield.
Rodney Dangerfield: It's Not Easy Bein' Me
The Five Heartbeats
Robert Townsend
Robert Townsend, Michael Wright
In the early 1960s, a quintet of hopeful, young African-American men form an amateur vocal group called The Five Heartbeats. After an initially rocky start, the group improves, turns pro, and rises to become a top flight music sensation. Along the way, however, the guys learn many hard lessons about the reality of the music industry.
The Five Heartbeats
Holiday Heart
Robert Townsend
Ving Rhames, Alfre Woodard
After losing his police officer lover, Christian drag queen Holiday Heart meets 12-year-old Niki and her drug-addicted mother, Wanda. Heart finds relief from heartache and a renewed sense of purpose when he steps in as a father figure to Niki and welcomes the two women into his life. But when Wanda becomes romantically involved with her drug dealer, Silas, it may endanger Niki and threaten to destroy the makeshift family.
Holiday Heart
A Soldier's Story
Norman Jewison
Howard Rollins, Adolph Caesar
In a rural town in Louisiana, a black Master Sergeant is found shot to death just outside the local Army Base. Military lawyer, Captain Davenport—also a black man—is sent from Washington to conduct an investigation. Facing an uncooperative chain of command and fearful black troops, Davenport must battle with deceit and prejudice in order to find out exactly who really did kill the Master Sergeant.
A Soldier's Story
Stuart Hall: Representation & the Media
Sut Jhally
Stuart Hall, Sut Jhally
Cultural theorist Stuart Hall offers an extended meditation on representation. Moving beyond the accuracy or inaccuracy of specific representations, Hall argues that the process of representation itself constitutes the very world it aims to represent, and explores how the shared language of a culture, its signs and images, provides a conceptual roadmap that gives meaning to the world rather than simply reflecting it. Hall's concern throughout is the centrality of culture to the shaping of our collective perceptions, and how the dynamics of media representation reproduce forms of symbolic power.
Stuart Hall: Representation & the Media
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy
Robert Townsend
Franklyn Ajaye, Angela Bassett
Directors Robert Townsend and Quincy Newell offer this comprehensive and hilarious examination of the history, evolution and cultural significance of African American comedy in America, from the earliest minstrel shows to the latest HBO special. Featuring interviews with cultural critics and loads of comedic clips, this program features appearances by a who's-who of black comedians including Chris Rock, Bill Cosby, Whoopi Goldberg and many more.
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy
Edge of Outside
Shannon Davis
Peter Biskind, Robert Townsend
An hour-long documentary designed to celebrate the spirit of the independent filmmaker from D.W. Griffith to Quentin Tarantino. Interview footage and film clips are blended together to form a chronological approach to the subject matter.
Edge of Outside
Cooley High
Michael Schultz
Glynn Turman, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
In the mid-1960s, a group of high school friends who live on the Near North Side of Chicago enjoy life to the fullest...parties, hanging out, meeting new friends. Then life changes for two of the guys when they are falsely arrested in connection with stealing a Cadillac. We follow their lives through to the dramatic end of high school.
Cooley High
10,000 Black Men Named George
Robert Townsend
Andre Braugher, Charles S. Dutton
In the 1920s, the rights of American workers to join a labor union was still considered an open question, and African-Americans were routinely denied their civil and economic rights. 10,000 Black Men Named George, the title, refers to the fact Pullman porters were often called "George" by white passengers, which was considered a racial slur.
10,000 Black Men Named George
Hollywood Shuffle
Robert Townsend
Robert Townsend, Craigus R. Johnson
Aspiring actor and hot-dog stand employee Bobby Taylor catches the ire of his grandmother for auditioning for a role in the regrettably titled exploitation film "Jivetime Jimmy's Revenge." When Tinseltown Studios casts Taylor in the title role, he has a series of conflicted dreams satirizing African-American stereotypes in Hollywood, and must reconcile his career goals with his desire to remain a positive role model for his little brother.
Hollywood Shuffle
Tao of The Golden Mask
Faizon Love
Robert Townsend, Jackeline Olivier
In the 70's, Langston Faizon Santisima, barely 18, left his native Cuba on an impossible quest- to direct a film starring Bruce Lee. Against all odds, and with no background in film making, the aspiring young director made it to Thailand where created a legendary but lost martial arts classic- thus becoming a founding father of the martial arts movie genre. Or not...
Tao of The Golden Mask