| A Day in Black and White | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Desmond Hall |
| Written by | Desmond Hall |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Music by | Loris Holland |
| Release date |
|
| Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
A Day in Black and White is a 1999 American drama film written and directed by Desmond Hall.
Synopsis
A young black writer, asked to write and present a speech on race relations, reaches out to a white friend for his input. As the two discuss the speech and the racial issues being addressed within it, their differences in views transform a friendly conversation into a heated debate. The pair continue their argument on and off throughout the day, as they discuss a variety of racially-charged topics, from the OJ Simpson trial to disco and interracial dating, with each other and a number of other characters.
Cast
- Harold Perrineau as Black Man
- Anthony DeSando as White Man
- Stephanie Berry
- Francie Swift
- Lonette McKee
- Ron Cephas Jones
- Joseph Siravo
Release
A Day in Black and White premiered at the SXSW Film Festival on March 14, 1999. The film was purchased by HBO and scheduled for a February 2001 broadcast premiere.
Reception
A Day in Black and White received generally mixed to positive reviews. Jerry Renshaw of The Austin Chronicle wrote in his review that the film "manages to find fresh approaches to a very serious subject", calling it "a rare film that can take such an overheated subject and treat it in a witty, entertaining way, thought-provoking without being inflammatory". Godfrey Cheshire of Variety wrote A Day in Black and White was "(s)incere, insightful and sometimes flat-out hilarious", but stated "the pic suffers only from being a string of clever, topical dialogues rather than a fully fleshed narrative". Elvis Mitchell wrote in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the film "erred a bit on the side of didacticism, not trusting the acuity of the humor to get its points across"", but still referred to the film as "good stuff".
The film was a finalist for the Gordon Parks Award for Desmond Hall's direction in 1999.
References
- ^ Cheshire, Godfrey (April 5, 1999). "A Day in Black and White". Variety. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Just a couple of the "small" films set to premiere at SXSW". Ain't It Cool News. March 10, 1999. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "How to win a film deal, online". Variety. April 6, 2001. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "HBO Movie "A Day In Black and White" - Desmond Hall Portfolio". desmondhallswork.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Further Reflections - Screens". The Austin Chronicle. March 26, 1999. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- Mitchell, Elvis (March 28, 1999). "Offbeat films rule at South by Southwest". The Atlanta Constitution. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "Noms out for Parks Awards". Variety. September 10, 1999. Retrieved April 18, 2020.