Langston Hughes

Writing

Biography

An influential American writer from the early to mid 20th century. Beginning with the publication of "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" in 1921, Hughes first captured the public's imagination as a poet. A versatile writer, Hughes was also adept in writing short stories, novels, plays, and non-fiction. His work often focused on the lives of ordinary people and frequently employed humor, social commentary, and folk wisdom in his writing. In the late 1930s he began writing for Hollywood, but his time there was short lived due to a variety of factors, not least of which was the racism prevalent in the industry at that time. During his lifetime, he received one feature film credit for writing "Way Down South" (1939) with Clarence Muse. In the early 1960s, his play "Black Nativity" was produced for British television.

Filmography Movies

Acting

MOVIE

Looking for Langston

5.0(0.0K)

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.

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Looking for Langston

Self (archive footage)

MOVIE

The First World Festival of Negro Arts

7.0(0.0K)

"This documentary film covers a 24-day arts festival in Dakar, Senegal that highlighted Black contributions to the cultural heritage of mankind and was attended by an extraordinary cast of over 2,000 luminaries - including Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, Alvin Ailey, Aime Cesaire, and Leopold Senghor - from dozens of countries. The film depicts performances by African and American entertainers and shows various works of art while also providing unparalleled insight from the perspective of the African American delegation. The film was written and directed by William Greaves" (US National Archives).

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The First World Festival of Negro Arts

Himself

Production

After Midnight

Not rated yet

With music by Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, Dorothy Fields and more framed by the poems of Langston Hughes, this exhilarating song and dance extravaganza features 28 of the big band era’s most memorable songs and showcases the gorgeous glamour and sophisticated syncopation of the Harlem heartbeat after midnight.

Way Down South

6.4(0.0K)

In the pre-Civil War South, a plantation owner dies and leaves all his possessions, including his slaves, to his young son. While the deceased treated his slaves decently, his corrupt executor abuses them unmercifully, beating them without provocation, and he is planning to sell off the father'e estate--including the slaves--at the earliest opportunity so he and his mistress can steal the money and move to France. The young boy doesn't want to sell his father's estate or break up an of the slave families, and he has to find someone to help him thwart the crooked executor's plans.

The Sun Sets Like a Scar

Not rated yet

Engaging with the poetry of Langston Hughes, this film investigates the afterlives of Vladimir Lenin in eastern Germany.

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The Sun Sets Like a Scar

Poem

MOVIE

Cora Unashamed

7.3(0.0K)

Cora Jenkins and her parents are the only African-Americans in their community in 1920s Iowa, supported only by Cora's wages as housekeeper to the wealthy Studevants. When tragedy strikes, will Cora speak the truth...with consequences? From the short story by Langston Hughes.

Thank You, M'am

7.0(0.0K)

When a nurse leaves her job to walk home, a young boy tries to grab her pocketbook, but she wrestles him to the ground, gets her pocketbook back, and drags him to her apartment in a headlock. There she feeds him and teaches him some valuable lessons before sending him home.

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Thank You, M'am

Story

Rhythm of AfricaMOVIE

MOVIE

Rhythm of Africa

Not rated yet

Produced and conceived by French filmmakers Jean Cocteau and François Villiers, with a screenplay by Langston Hughes, Rhythm of Africa takes a look at the special ceremonial dance of atonement in Chad. The heartbeat of the jungle, the day-to-day life in the modernizing village, and the bustling marketplace take on a hypnotizing rhythm of their own. A changing Africa asserts itself in a changing world.

The Blood of Jesus

5.0(0.0K)

Razz accidentally shoots his wife Martha when his hunting rifle drops on the floor and discharges. The church congregation gathers at Martha’s bedside to pray for her recovery, and during this period an angel arrives to take Martha’s spirit from her body, but she is tempted by the slick Judas Green, who is an agent for Satan.

Black Blues

Not rated yet

Teleplay based on the works of Langston Hughes about the life of the African-American population of the United States.

Black Nativity

5.1(0.1K)

A street-wise teen from Baltimore who has been raised by a single mother travels to New York City to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged relatives, where he embarks on a surprising and inspirational journey.

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Black Nativity

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