Video of the Week: Beah: A Black Woman Speaks
RSSFrom SLJ November 2004
J. Musil, Carl Sandburg High School, Orland Park, IL -- School Library Journal, 11/15/2004
videocassette. color. 1:30 hrs. Women Make Movies. 2003. #WO4841. $89.
Gr 10 Up
-In a style reminiscent of the book Tuesdays with Morrie, LisaGay Hamilton presents a moving tribute and informative biography of Beah Richards, African-American actress (e.g., Guess Who's Coming to Dinner), poet, and political and civil rights activist. Through interviews with Richards as well as onscreen interviews with her students, colleagues, mentors, and friends, a rich life is examined with a loving tone. Add to those interviews numerous selections from her award-winning performances both onstage and onscreen, and viewers come away with a better understanding of this inspiring woman. Richards' powerful reading of her award-winning poem, "A Black Woman Speaks," is worth the cost of this video. While some of the images are grainy, as one might expect from some older stills and film footage, the overall quality of the production is good, albeit a bit lengthy. The pace moves a bit too slowly, so that high school students might lose interest, in spite of the awesome material. Yet one would be hard pressed to decide what to edit out. The message is as powerful as the woman herself.
