Go Tell It on the Mountain (film)

Last updated
Go Tell It on the Mountain
Based on Go Tell It on the Mountain
by James Baldwin
Written byGus Edwards
James Baldwin
Leslie Lee
Directed by Stan Lathan
Starring Paul Winfield
Rosalind Cash
Giancarlo Esposito
Douglas Turner Ward
Ruby Dee
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersRobert Geller
Lindsay Law
ProducerCalvin Skaggs
EditorJay Freund
Running time96 minutes
Production companyLearning in Focus
Original release
Network PBS
ReleaseJanuary 14, 1985 (1985-01-14)

Go Tell It on the Mountain is a 1985 American made-for-television drama film directed by Stan Lathan, [1] based on James Baldwin's 1953 novel of the same name. It stars Paul Winfield, Rosalind Cash, Ruby Dee, Alfre Woodard, Douglas Turner Ward, CCH Pounder, Kadeem Hardison, Giancarlo Esposito, and Ving Rhames in his first film role. [1] [2] [3] The film was initially broadcast on the PBS television program American Playhouse on January 14, 1985. [4]

Contents

Plot

This film adaptation of James Baldwin's celebrated novel tells the journey of a family from the rural South to "big city" Harlem seeking both salvation and understanding and of a young boy struggling to earn the approval of a self-righteous and often unloving stepfather.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfre Woodard</span> American actress (born 1952)

Alfre Woodard is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and two Grammy Awards. In 2020, The New York Times ranked her as one of "The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century". She is a board member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ossie Davis</span> American actor, director, writer, and activist (1917–2005)

Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He received numerous accolades including a Grammy Award and a Writers Guild of America Award as well as nominations for five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and Tony Award. Davis was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1994 and received the National Medal of Arts in 1995, Kennedy Center Honors in 2004

<i>Go Tell It on the Mountain</i> (novel) 1953 novel by James Baldwin

Go Tell It on the Mountain is a 1953 semi-autobiographical novel by James Baldwin. It tells the story of John Grimes, an intelligent teenager in 1930s Harlem, and his relationship with his family and his church. The novel also reveals the back stories of John's mother, his biological father, and his violent, fanatically religious stepfather, Gabriel Grimes. The novel focuses on the role of the Pentecostal Church in the lives of African Americans, both as a negative source of repression and moral hypocrisy and a positive source of inspiration and community. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Go Tell It on the Mountain 39th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. Time magazine included the novel on its list of the 100 best English-language novels released from 1923 to 2005.

<i>Stitch! The Movie</i> 2003 direct-to-video pilot film

Stitch! The Movie is a 2003 American direct-to-video animated science fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation and Rough Draft Korea, released on August 26, 2003. It is produced by Tony Craig, Jess Winfield, and Roberts "Bobs" Gannaway; Gannaway also co-wrote and co-directed with Winfield and Craig, respectively. It is the second film released in the Lilo & Stitch franchise and the third film chronologically, taking place after the 2002 first film and the 2005 direct-to-video sequel Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch. The film also serves as the backdoor pilot of the spin-off sequel series Lilo & Stitch: The Series, which Craig, Winfield, and Gannaway executive produced and debuted the following month. The story is an introduction to Dr. Jumba Jookiba's 625 experiments that he created with the financing of Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby Dee</span> American actress (1922–2014)

Ruby Dee was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. Dee was married to Ossie Davis, with whom she frequently performed until his death in 2005. She received numerous accolades including two Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, a Obie Award and a Drama Desk Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award. She was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1995, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2000, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giancarlo Esposito</span> American actor (born 1958)

Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito is an American actor. He is known for portraying Gus Fring in the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad, from 2009 to 2013, as well as in its prequel series Better Call Saul, from 2017 to 2022. For this role, he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2012) and earned three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

<i>School Daze</i> 1988 film by Spike Lee

School Daze is a 1988 American musical comedy film written and directed by Spike Lee and starring Lee along with Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell. Released on February 12, 1988 by Columbia Pictures as Lee's second feature film, and based partly on his experiences as a student at Morehouse College in the Atlanta University Center during the 1970s, it is a story about undergraduates in a fraternity and sorority clashing with some of their classmates at a historically black college during homecoming week. It also touches upon issues of colorism, elitism, classism, political activism, hazing, groupthink, female self-esteem, social mobility, and hair texture bias within the African-American community.

<i>American Playhouse</i> Anthology television series

American Playhouse is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

<i>Def by Temptation</i> 1990 American horror film by James Bond III

Def by Temptation is a 1990 American black horror film written, produced, and directed by James Bond III, who also stars in the film alongside Cynthia Bond, Kadeem Hardison, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bill Nunn. Set in New York City, the film's plot follows a succubus (Bond) who preys on Black men, drawing the attention of a minister-in-training named Joel, Joel's childhood friend K (Hardison), and a police officer (Nunn).

<i>Panther</i> (film) 1995 British film

Panther is a 1995 cinematic adaptation of Melvin Van Peebles's novel Panther, produced and directed by Mario Van Peebles. The drama film portrays the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, tracing the organization from its founding through its decline in a compressed timeframe. It was the first narrative feature-film to depict the Black Panther Party.

<i>The 6th Man</i> 1997 American film

The 6th Man, sometimes titled The Sixth Man, is a 1997 American sports comedy film directed by Randall Miller, and starring Marlon Wayans and Kadeem Hardison. The film features real National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) schools, although the rosters are fictitious. Some schools shown in the film include the University of Washington, University of Massachusetts Amherst, California State University, Fresno, Georgetown University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Arkansas, UCLA, and others. The film features cameos from college basketball personalities such as Jerry Tarkanian and Dick Vitale.

Go Tell It on the Mountain may refer to:

<i>Down in the Delta</i> 1998 American drama film by Maya Angelou

Down in the Delta is a 1998 American-Canadian drama film, directed by Maya Angelou and starring Alfre Woodard, Al Freeman, Jr., Esther Rolle, Loretta Devine, and Wesley Snipes.

<i>Holiday Heart</i> 2000 film by Robert Townsend

Holiday Heart is a 2000 television film directed by Robert Townsend and starring Ving Rhames, Alfre Woodard, Jesika Reynolds, and Mykelti Williamson. It aired on the cable TV channel Showtime, and was distributed on DVD by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was based on a play by Cheryl L. West, and involves a gay drag queen befriending a single mother and her daughter and trying to protect them from the criminal environment around them. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, for Woodard's performance, among other award nominations.

<i>Back in the Day</i> (2005 film) 2005 film

Back in the Day is a 2005 crime drama starring Ja Rule and Ving Rhames and directed by James Hunter. The film premiered on BET on May 13, 2005.

<i>American Violet</i> 2008 American film

American Violet is a 2008 American drama film directed by Tim Disney and starring Nicole Beharie. The story is based on Regina Kelly, a victim of Texas police drug enforcement tactics.

<i>Jamesy Boy</i> 2014 American film

Jamesy Boy is a 2014 American biographical crime drama film directed by Trevor White and written by White and Lane Shadgett. The film stars Spencer Lofranco, Mary-Louise Parker, Taissa Farmiga, Ving Rhames, and James Woods. It tells the true story of ex-convict James Burns. The film was released in North America on January 3, 2014 through video on demand, and in a limited release on January 17, 2014 by Phase 4 Films.

The 46th NAACP Image Awards, presented by the NAACP, honored outstanding representations and achievements of people of color in motion pictures, television, music and literature during the 2014 calendar year. The 46th ceremony was hosted by Anthony Anderson and broadcast on TV One.

Teenage Bounty Hunters is an American teen comedy drama streaming television series created by Kathleen Jordan for Netflix which was released on August 14, 2020. In October 2020, the series was canceled after one season. Blake McCormick and Jenji Kohan are executive producers, along with Tara Herrmann and Robert Sudduth serving as showrunner.

References

  1. 1 2 Roberts, Jerry (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   9780810863781.page 327
  2. Sergio (13 October 2013). "What About That Other '12 Years A Slave' Movie?". IndieWire . Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  3. Sergio (13 January 2013). "What About That OTHER '12 Years A Slave' Movie?". IndieWire . Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  4. Bennetts, Leslie (10 January 1985). "JAMES BALDWIN REFLECTS ON 'GO TELL IT' PBS FILM". The New York Times . Retrieved 13 February 2018.