Black and Tan (1929)

Directed by

Dudley Murphy

Genre

musical film

Country

United States

Runtime

19 min

Rating

6.4 of 10 from 35 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This short film follows a couple working in the performing arts during the Harlem Renaissance in New York City. It features Duke Ellington and His Orchestra performing as a jazz band. The story shows the rise of African-American artists in the city.

historicalartisticelegantpoignantmusicalgrittyculturally significant

What happens

Black and Tan (1929) is a musical short film written and directed by Dudley Murphy. The plot is about a couple in the performing arts; it is set during the contemporary Harlem Renaissance in New York City. It is the first film to feature Duke Ellington and His Orchestra performing as a jazz band, and was also the film debut of actress Fredi Washington. The film is thought to express the emergence of African-American artists in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance. In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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