A Huey P. Newton Story
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A Huey P. Newton Story
Plot
Spike Lee directed this made-for-cable adaptation of Roger Guenveur Smith's one-man show about the life and times of Huey P. Newton, who as one of the founders and key strategists of the Black Panther Party was among the most respected and feared figures in the Black Power movement of the late '60s and early '70s. A Huey P. Newton Story combines footage of Smith's play being performed before a live audience (featuring Smith, a member of Spike Lee's stock company, in the title role) with newsreel clips of Newton and his contemporaries at the height of their notoriety. A Huey P. Newton Story had its world premiere on the Black Starz premium cable network on June 18, 2001; the film was later shown on the PBS and African Heritage networks. ~ Mark Deming, RoviReview
While maintaining the essential stagey character of Roger Guenveur Smith's one-man show about the late black revolutionary, A Huey P. Newton Story offers plenty of stylistic flourishes to "open up" the play, beginning with several roving cameras and what must be an average shot time of around five seconds. That fragmentation isn't all that distracting, as it more or less matches Newton's own jumpiness; he admits he is not a man who is comfortable being a leader or a hero ("which is a sandwich," he says wryly), and that he is not comfortable divulging details of his personal life (which he does anyway, allowing that he was named after Huey P. Long and that his childhood nickname was Baby Huey). Director Spike Lee also includes illustrative film clips and stills, usually as background to close-ups of Smith; presumably these were inserted in the editing process, so the theater audience did not see them. He also runs Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man" on the soundtrack while Smith dances and gyrates nervously, almost as an entr'acte device (at several other points, Smith simply pushes away the microphone and falls silent, as if to recharge his batteries). There's a certainly a lot of energy expended here (and a lot of Kool cigarettes smoked), but the result isn't nearly as informative nor as moving as it could have been, given the talents of the collaborators (who had made five films together). Smith quotes Newton saying, "Any time a black man in America stands up against the slave mentality, he's going to scare a lot of white people-and some black people, too." But the play's dependence on Newton's fractured ramblings and quick film clips to dramatize that proposition isn't very convincing. ~ Tom Wiener, RoviCast
- Roger Guenveur Smith - Huey P. Newton
Credit
Spike Lee - Director, Barry Alexander Brown - Editor, Marc Anthony Thompson - Composer (Music Score), Wynn P. Thomas - Production Designer, Ellen Kuras - Cinematographer, Marc Henry Johnson - Producer, Steven Adams - Producer, Bob L. Johnson - Producer, Roger Guenveur Smith - Play Author| A Howling in the Woods (1971 Film), A House on a Hill (2001 Film) | |
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A Huey P. Newton Story
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A Huey P. Newton Story
| A Huey P. Newton Story | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Spike Lee |
| Produced by | Steven Adams Marc Henry Johnson |
| Written by | Roger Guenveur Smith |
| Starring | Roger Guenveur Smith |
| Music by | Marc Anthony Thompson |
| Studio | 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks |
| Distributed by | Starz! Network |
| Release date(s) | June 8, 2001 |
| Running time | 86 minutes |
| Language | English |
A Huey P. Newton Story is an American documentary directed by Spike Lee. The movie was created, written and performed, as a solo performance, by Roger Guenveur Smith at The Joseph Papp Public Theatre. In this performance, Smith creates a representation of the activist Huey P. Newton’s life and time as a person, a citizen and an activist. During the performance, the background images on the wall play clips from the movement showing activist movements form the era. The simple arrangement of the setting with Smith sitting in a chair in the middle of the stage, make the audience focus on what the performer has to say. Smith captures the attention of the audience throughout the documentary by putting into play his solo performance skills.[1] The documentary was first brought as an idea in 1989 to become a stage play in the year 1996. Finally it was brought to the big screen in 2002 as “A Huey P. Newton Story”. This documentary tries to show Huey P. Newton as the shy individual he was. He would not consider himself a charismatic person. Although he had many contributions to his community, the actor shows Newton as a conservative individual who was disgusted by having microphones and cameras close to him.[2]
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Awards
The story that brought Huey P. Newton to life in a single-person performance, and gave the opportunity to people to experience a little bit about his personality, was nominated and winner of various awards including two Drama Desk nominations: Helen Hayes Awards, Obie Awards, AUDELCO awards and three NAACP Awards.[3] In addition, the movie received two NAACP Image Award nominations for being an Outstanding Television Movie. This award was honored around the world also for Mini-Series and Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie.
The Film
• Jamerican Film Festival 2001
3 Marcus Garvey Awards
for Audience and Critics' Favorite & Best Actor
• Slam Dunk Festival 2002
Best Actor
• NAACP Image Awards
Nominated for Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special & Outstanding Actor in the same category
[to be announced February 23, 2002]
The Play
• 2 Obie Awards, l997
Roger Guenveur Smith and Marc Anthony Thompson
• 2 Audelco Awards, 1997
Roger Guenveur Smith and Marc Anthony Thompson
• The Helen Hayes Award
Washington, D.C., 1996
Roger Guenveur Smith
• The Barrymore Award
Philadelphia, 1999
Roger Guenveur Smith
• The Ira Aldridge Award
Chicago, 2000
Marc Anthony Thompson
• 3 NAACP Theater Awards
Los Angeles, 1995
Best Playwright, Best Actor, and Production of the Year
• LA Weekly Theater Award, 1995
Solo Performance of the Year
• 2 Ovation Awards
Los Angeles, 2001
Marc Anthony Thompson and production of the year
[4]
Huey
The documentary is based for the most part on Huey P. Newton's life. Newton grew up in Oakland after his family moved from Louisiana due to the military opportunities during WWII. Co-founder of the Black Panther Party, Newton served as Minister of Defense, and in effect was the BPP's leader, writing the Party's 10-Point Platform and Program alongside co-founder Bobby Seale. Convicted of voluntary manslaughter of a police officer in September 1968, Newton spent the next twenty months in prison before being released after his conviction was quashed on a technicality. The BPP had transformed itself in this period, and Newton struggled to cope with the demands placed on him, a situation that was not helped by his increasing consumption of drugs and alcohol. During the 1970s Newton studied at University of California Santa Cruz, where he obtained a PhD in the History of Consciousness program. His behavior became increasingly erratic during this period, as the BPP collapsed and his drug addiction took hold. On August 22, 1989 Newton was shot and killed in Oakland.
Production
The production of the film put on a project that later became the winner of various awards for their work. Both Smith and Lee bring to life the story of the activist and presented it on PBS. This movie is a production of BLACK STARZ! and Luna Ray Films in collaborative work of PBS and the African Heritage Network.[5] Smith’s performance is composed of a simple dark stage with a couple of screens on the back. The production incorporated couple of cameras to capture different angles as well as different microphones so that scenes could be taken from various perspectives. The production that brought A Huey P. Newton story presented the movie in San Francisco by KQED. The Funding for the movie was possible thanks to BLACK STARZ!, PBS, The National Black Programming Consortium, The African Heritage Network, and the KQED Campaign for the Future.[6]
References
- ^ Bonney, Jo. Extreme Exposure an Anthology of Solo Performance Texts from the Twentieth Century. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2000
- ^ http://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/about/about_press.html
- ^ http://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/about.html
- ^ http://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/about/about_press.html
- ^ http://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/about/about_sponsors.html
- ^ http://www.starz.com/channels/starz/starzinblack/
External links
- A Huey P. Newton Story at the Internet Movie Database
- Official Film Site
- Black Panther Tours
- Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation
- RNN Article
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Mentioned in
A Huey P. Newton Story
(2001 Theater Film)
Chocolate Genius
(Rhythm & Blues Band, '90s, 2000s)
Roger Guenveur Smith
(Actor, Drama/Crime)
Spike Lee
(Director, Writer, Actor, Drama/Comedy Drama)
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