Director: Karen Thorsen, Douglas K. Dempsey and William Miles

 

An emotional portrait, a social critique, and a passionate plea for human equality, JAMES BALDWIN:  THE PRICE OF THE TICKET is now considered a classic.  Without using narration, the film allows Baldwin to tell his own story:  exploring what it means to be born black, impoverished, gay and gifted – in a world that has yet to understand that “all men are brothers.”

BALDWIN is a vérité feast.  Intercutting rarely-seen archival footage from over one hundred sources and nine different countries, the film melds intimate interviews and eloquent public speeches with astounding private glimpses of Baldwin.  The film also includes a rich selection of original footage:  scenes from Baldwin’s extraordinary funeral service; explorations of Baldwin’s homes on three continents, including France, Switzerland, Turkey and Harlem; plus on-camera interviews with close friends, colleagues and critics.  Witnesses include his brother David; biographer David Leeming; writers Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, William Styron, Ishmael Reed and Yashar Kemal; painter Lucien Happersberger and entertainer Bobby Short.  Cinéma Vérité … Passé.