United States / Oct 31, 1989 / NR
Overall average
5.0/10
Plot
A black and white, fantasy-like recreation of high-society gay men during the Harlem Renaissance, with archival footage and photographs intercut with a story. A wake is going on, with mourners gathered around a coffin. Downstairs is an elegant bar where tuxedoed men dance and talk. One of them has a dream in which he comes upon Beauty, who seems to reject him, although when he awakes, Beauty is sleeping beside him. His story and his visits to the jazz and dance club are framed by voices reading from the poetry and essays of Hughes and others. The text is rarely explicit, but the freedom of gay Black men in the 1920s in Harlem is suggested and celebrated visually.
Main cast
Full cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Harry Donaldson | Leatherboy |
| Jimmy Somerville | Angel |
| Langston Hughes | Self (archive footage) |
| Stuart Hall | British (voice) |
Genres
Technical details
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Original title | Looking for Langston |
| Original language | English (EN) |
| Spoken languages | English |
| Production countries | United Kingdom |
| Status | Released |
| Production companies | BFI, Sankofa Film & Video |
| Release date | 31 ottobre 1989 |
| Production | Nadine Marsh-Edwards |
| Writer | Isaac Julien |
| Editing | Robert Hargreaves |
| Cinematography | Nina Kellgren |
| Assistant directors | Isaac Julien |
| Camera operators | Nina Kellgren |
| Additional photography | Nina Kellgren |
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| Production design | Derek Brown |
| Art direction | Derek Brown |
| Set decoration | Derek Brown |
| Music | Trevor Mathison, Wayson Jones, Peter Spencer, Ronald Bailey |
| Sound | Trevor Mathison, Ronald Bailey, Wayson Jones, Peter Spencer |
Release dates
Theatrical release
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