BLACK PANTHER COSTUME AND ITS DESIGNER ARE DOUBLY HONORED

by Dwight Casimere

Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa-Photo courtesy Disney

Black Panther's hero costume is in the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum acquired the costumed along with several objects from Disney's record-breaking film Black Panther. The costume, worn by Chadwick Boseman, went on display for the first time during the inaugural Smithsonian African American Film Festival. The costume is a gift of Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Company. 

Ruth Carter accepts the Black Achievement Tribute Award from Chicago Film Festival Artistic Director Mimi Plauche'

Black Perspectives Tribute honoree Ruth Carter on the Red Carpet

Concurrently, the Black Panther hero costume's Oscar nominated designer, Ruth Carter, was awarded for her body of work at the Black Perspectives Tribute of the Chicago International Film Festival. In addition to creating over a thousand costumes for the Disney blockbuster film adaptation of Marvel's latest super-hero epic, Carter has created some of cinema's most memorable material  images for films, including Spielberg's Amsted (1998) and Spike Lee's Malcolm X (1993). 

Ruth Carter signs autographs at the Hollywood opening of Black Panther

Carter has designed costumes for just about every important Black film you've ever seen. She has some 40 to her credit, including Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues and Jungle Fever, among many others. Her credits also include The Five Heartbeats, What's Love Got To Do With It and The Butler. "There aren't a lot of people who look like me out there. So I'd be in New York working with Spike on Jungle Fever and then fly to Hollywood to work on The Five Heartbeats."

Ruth Carter's recent work includes costumes for the Oscar-winning film Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay in 2014.

Her work on each of her films involves months of extensive research. "When I worked on Amsted, there was no Google then, I spent months researching in libraries and working with costuming experts all over Europe.  The challenges in creating costumes for the Black Panther were many. I didn't want them to be some kind of phony mock-up of some stereotypical African images, but something that could be identified as authentic.

Ruth Carter's Acceptance Speech at the Black Perspectives Tribute

Award winning actress and playwright Regina Taylor in conversation with Ruth Carter

Award winning actress and playwright Regina Taylor led a wide-ranging conversation with Carter at the Chicago Film Festival  Black Perspectives Tribute in which Carter reflected on her body of work and opened up about the creative process for Black Panther and her other films.

"When Disney came to me with Black Panther, they already presented the basic costume from Marvel. My challenge was to make it both authentic as far as African culture and futuristic at the same time."

Black Panther photos courtesy Disney

Multiple influences were used in creating costumes for Black Panther

Courtesy Disney

Over 1,000 costumes were created for Black Panther.  Carter brought a number of influences into the pieces, drawing on the comic book source material as well as African tribal garments and futuristic fashion.

"I studied the various  countries and the tribal influences around the countries. Not only of the indigenous African tribes, but also modern fashion and African-based designers. I really wanted to understand where they were in contemporary times. I wanted to understand how Africa has modernized and through that lens give Wakanda an even more forward feeling and look.

"I also needed to understand colonization. Surprisingly, I found that a lot of the African fabrics that you see are from Holland and were brought to Africa and embraced by the African cultures long ago. The wax cloth, for example, is a Dutch creation. I also wanted to incorporate elements that would let the audience know that each of the costumes also has something distinct to an African tribe. They can look at each character's costume and see  'that one's Maasai, that one's  Igbo, that one is Zulu or Yoruba, and so on."

Even though  the basic concept of the Black Panther hero costume came directly from Marvel, Carter was able to incorporate some distinctively African elements. "If you look at the fabric, you see a series of triangles. The triangle is something you see in African art throughout the continent.  You see it everywhere, in their culture, in their art, in their ceremonies. The triangle is there from birth. It’s a mystery as to what it actually means. There’s many theories about the sacred geometry of the triangle—but it was something I felt I could use."

Regina Taylor in conversation with Ruth Carter at the Black
Perspectives Tribute

In addition to her work on Black Panther, Carter recalled her work with actress Angela Basset in the 1993 biographical film What's Love Got To Do With It?" directed by Brian Gibson which starred Basset as the Rock and Soul legend and Laurence Fishbone as her abusive, manipulative husband Ike Turner. Responding to interviewer Regina Taylor, Carter recalled that "one of the most touching moments I experienced on the set (of What's Love Got To Do With It?) was when I went to the trailer to see how Angela (Bassett, who played Tina Turner) was doing with her hair. The hair always seemed to be a problem throughout the shooting of the film. But when I went to her trailer, there was Tina Turner, who was visiting  the set, braiding Angela's hair. "You've got to get my hair right!" She kept saying.  That was one of the most touching things that I've ever seen on a movie set."

Courtesy Disney

In addition  to the Black Panther Hero costume, Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture acquired several objects from Disney’s record-breaking film;  a partial shooting script signed by Ryan Coogler (co-writer; director), Kevin Feige (producer, president of Marvel Studios), Nate Moore (executive producer) and Joe Robert Cole (co-writer; producer); and 24 high-resolution production photographs.  For more information about the museum, visit nmaahc.si.edu. 

NIGERIAN PRINCE THE FIRST TRIBECA UNTOLD STORY SPONSORED BY AT&T

NIGERIAN PRINCE HIGHLIGHTS CULTURAL SCISM BETWEEN AFRICANS BORN IN AMERICA AND THOSE WHO REMAIN AT HOME

Antpnio J. Bell as Eze in Faraday Okoro's Nigerian Prince


Reviewed by Dwight Casimere at Tribeca Film Festival 2017

Now in US theatrical release and On Demand

Nigerian Prince is the first film completed under a grant from the Tribeca Film Festival's Untold Stories program in conjunction with AT&T.  The film had its World Premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Flm Festival. Written and directed by Faraday Okoro, a Nigerian-American filmmaker based in New York City, the film is a true-to-life story of the culture shock faced by a first generation African teen born and raised in America, who suddenly finds himself thrown back into the country of his ancestral home, with only his wits and a bit of luck to help him survive the cultural speed bumps and manholes he'll encounter. 

The story begins when Eze (played with disarming candor by Antonio J. Bell)  is sent by his mother  back to Lagos, Nigeria to spend the summer with his aunt. The idea is for him to reconnect with his culture and learn what it means to be an African, rather than the Nike-wearing, cell phone social media and video-game absorbed typical American teen he's become. After he's had a taste of the local fast-food cuisine ( "tastes like dog food!) and spent his first night with his aunt, who douses him with cold water to get him motivated for the day, he gets the idea that this is boing to anything but a summertime picnic. Fed up with the drill sergeant attitude of his Aunt Grace (played with venom-dripping relish by Tina Mba), make an escape home only to learn that his mother had canceled his return ticket. 

Left to fend for himself, Eze is treading water, only to be offered a rescuing hand by his crooked cousin Plus (played with the smile of a Cobra on the verge of striking by Chinaza Uche). By happenstance, Eze befriends an Australian businessman on the flight over, who is living in Lagos. He decides to make him his first mark in order to gain favor and cash. Here's where the film gets really good. Eze enlists the businessman in a scheme to move a type of counterfeit money called Black Money. The money is a bunch of hundred dollar bills painted black, which are rendered whole again after soaking in a series of expensive chemicals which, of course, the mark pays for. Of course, nothing goes as planned, and a whole series of madcap events ensue. There's one particularly funny scene where some of minions of Smart (Bimbo Manuel), a crooked police chief who controls the local mob, almost mistakes him as a courier for a rival scam artist. "that couldn't be him," they scoff, noticing his decidedly Americanized, Nike-wearing geeky dress and demeanor.

Okra's film takes us directly into the gritty underbelly of modern Nigerian city life and introduces us to all of its nefarious characters. It is a harsh reality where nothing or no one is as it seems. The title of the film, in fact, alludes to a classic Nigerian ponzi scheme. The world Eze encounters is anything but. What begins as a friendly conversation with a stranger can end in sudden death. What looks like the chance of a lifetime could actually be the lynch-pin that ends it. A smile friend a supposed friend, could actual be the signal to an accomplice to drop the hammer. You get the idea. No one gets out of this film unscathed or unscammed, not even our newly streetwise hero. Nigerian Prince is a thrill ride through Tunnel of Darkness where you keep looking in the shadows for signs of life. Even when you find it, its not what it seems. In select theaters now and various On Demand platforms.

NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC'S FIRST-EVER SAT. MATINEE A PRE-HALLOWEEN TREAT FOR AUDIENCE

by Dwight Casimere

 Russian maestro Tugan Sokhiev in his New York Philharmonic debut

Below: New York Philharmonic Concermaster Frank Huang will perform the Barber Violin Concerto Oct. 31, Nov. 1 and Nov. 3 with the orchestra

The New York Philharmonic's inaugural Saturday Matinee proved a real treat for the audience. One of the new initiatives of Music Director Jaap van Zweden in his inaugural season, the concerts are an opportunity to greater familiarize concert-goers with orchestra members and provide them with a forum to ask questions in an interactive discussion post-concert.   

Saturday's program featured the Mendelssohn String Quintet in B-flat major, featuring Members of the New York Philharmonic Michelle Kim and QianQian Li on Violins, Rebecca Young and Cong Wu on Violas and Eileen Moon-Meyers on Cello. 

Mendelssohn's Quintet is exuberant. The lead violin leads the ensemble members in an energetic opening theme romps through a series of athletic themes. The accompanying instruments then evolve through a series of structural and harmonic processes that coalesce at the end. Its an exciting musical adventure that really showed the prowess of the orchestra's individual members to an appreciative audience.

Russian maestro Tugan Sokhiev, in his New York Philharmonic debut, could not have chosen a more appropriate piece to show off both his and the orchestra's prowess. The Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4  in F-minor is a showcase that gives each section of the orchestra a workout with ample room for dramatic, heart-wrenching solos. The Philharmonic's majestic horns declared the opening theme, with brooding strings leading into the Romantic melodies and heartfelt waltzes that dominated both the beginning and ending movements of the work. Exceptional solos from the first violin and solos from the flute, piccolo and English horn  punctuated the imposing work. The timpani and percussion section helped bring the symphony to its thundering conclusion with brought a rapturous, prolonged ovation from the audience.

Tchaikovsky reportedly wrote the piece while in the throes of a tempestuous relationship with his patron, Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck.The two allegedly carried out a torrid emotional affair, but in letters only, having made a fierce commitment to never meet in person. Von Meck suddenly broke off the relationship in 1890 without explanation.  

Tchaikovsky described the symphony as "an unbroken alternation of hard reality with swiftly passing dramas and visions of happiness.” Sokhiev, used his hands rather than a baton, to mold the orchestra's sound and signal its soloists to marvelous effect, bringing out both the drama and the richness of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece.

The concert was followed with a lively interactive panel discussion on the prospects of the orchestra under its new Music Director, Jaap van Zweden.

Juraj Valcuha, Music Director of the Teatro de San Carlos in Naples,  conducts and New York Philharmonic Concertmaster Frank Huang is the violin solo for a program of Korngold's Much Ado About Nothing, Barber's Violin Concerto and Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, Weds Oct. 31, Thurs. Nov. 1 and Sat, Nov. 3.  Visit nyphil.org for concert times and ticket information.

New York Philharmonic Teams Russian Conductor in Orchestra Debut with NY Favorite Gil Shaham

ALL-RUSSIAN PROGRAM A TOUR DE FORCE FOR GUEST CONDUCTOR AND AVERY FISHER PRIZE-WINNING SOLOIST

 Violin soloist Gil Shaham in performance on his "Countess Polignac" Stradivarius

 Shaham in more casual mode at a recent dress rehearsal-Photo from You Tube

Russian guest conductor Tugan Sokhiev at the podium 





by Dwight Casimere

What else would one expect from, the head of Moscow's famed Bolshoi Theatre in their debut program with the New York Philharmonic but a subscription program of sure-to-please Russian Orchestral favorites.  Beginning the program with Borodin's atmospheric In The Steppes of Central Asia, Op. 7, guest conductor Tugan Sokhiev, in his New York Philharmonic debut, showed the type of measured, in-control, pensive style that has earned hm critical praise both in Russia and in France, where he has been the music director of the Toulouse National Orchestra for more than a decade. In addition, he performs with the Berlin Philharmonic and tours Germany with the Vienna Philharmonic, among others.

Written as a celebration piece marking the Silver Anniversary of the reign of Tsar Alexander II, Sokhiev took a more introspective approach. Slowing the tempo to allow the decidedly Oriental overtones of the piece to meld deeply into the contrasting traditional framework of the more European structure of the piece, it became a real showcase for the Philharmonic's marvelous soloists on the clarinet and English horn. Using his hands, sans baton, to mold  the orchestral colors, the orchestra developed the theme with restraint.There were moments of shimmering delight with the pizzicato of the harp contrasting with the ethereal solos of the piccolo and flute.  Borodin's "Steppes" is a virtual tone poem, which depicts the progress of a native caravan of horses and camels across the dessert and the boundless steppes of Central Asia under  the watchful eye of the Russian military. The emotional impact of its plaintive themes belied its brevity. The piece only lastedeight minutes.

New York Philharmonic favorite and Avery Fisher Prize winner Gil Shaham dazzled with his interpretation of the Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major. Russia was on the brink of revolution when Prokofiev wrote the piece amidst the backdrop of increased anarchy and unrest. It became a signal of his exodus. Shaham captured all of the restlessness of the piece on his  1699 "Countess Polignac"  Stradivarius. His fingers were a virtual blur as he traversed the composer's difficult arpeggios with ease. His technique was flawless, allowing each note to ring true. Sokhiev used his considerable skill to harness the orchestra's energies, maintaining the delicate balance between soloist and ensemble. There were some exquisite moments to be had, particularly in the interplay between the  woodwinds and violas. Even in the midst of his great virtuosity, Shaham proved himself to be a great listener, allowing the orchestra to ring in at just the right moments, making the urgency of his playing even more evident. Prokofiev's music is full of inventive surprises and the collaboration of Sokhiev and Shaham managed to reveal many of them with aplomb. 

MET OPERA MARNIE BRINGS HITCHCOCK'S CLASSIC FILM TO THE OPERA STAGE IN DAZZLING PRODUCTION-LIVE IN HD IN MOVIE THEATRES NOV 10, 1PM ET

NORTH AMERICAN AND U.S. PREMIERE PRODUCTION SURE TO BE A NEW MET OPERA CLASSIC

by Dwight Casimere

Met Opera Photos/Ken Howard

 Isabel Leonard in the title role with her shadow multiple personalities

 Famed Mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves is Marnie's mother

 Isabel Leonard as Marnie and Christopher Mailman as her husband and rival Mark Rutland

 Isabel Leonard in the title role

The dramatic sets and projections byJullian Crouch and 59 Productions

NEW YORK, LINCOLN CENTER--Spectacular singing, superb cinematic sets,  brilliant costumes and a sweeping score make the North American premiere of the new opera Marnie the crown jewel of the Metropolitan Opera's 2018-19 season. An original Met commission by composer Nico Muhly, with a snappy libretto by Nicholas Wright, also in his Met debut, it is sure to become a Met Opera staple in seasons to come. The opera will be transmitted Live in HD in movie theaters around the world during the Saturday, Nov. 10 matinee at 1pmET. For tickets and information, visit metopera.org or fathomevents.com.

Marnie is based on William Graham's sensational 1961 novel and also inspired Alfred Hitchcock's cult classic film Marnie in 1964. The Met pulled out all the stops, enlisting  a world-class team and audiences love it. 

The composer, Nico Muhly is widely known for his scope of original works for  the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet and Paris Opera. Nicholas Wright, who wrote the snappy libretto, was the first director of London's Theatre Upstairs and has served as co-artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre and at London's National Theatre. Michael Mayer, who directs Marnie for the Met, won a Tony for Broadway's Spring Awakening. 

Marnie tells the story of a beautiful but confused  woman in late 1950's England who compulsively changes personalities. That fact is established at the outset of the opera, when the curtain opens after the first dramatic notes from the orchestra, under the commanding leadership of conductor Robert Spano in his Met debut. The curtain opens to reveal a series of projected video panels that depict the multiple faces of Marnie, who assumes a new look and identity at the drop of a hat. The sets and projections by Met opera veteran Julian Crouch move with a seamless cinematic quality, depicting the chameleon-like transformation of this enigmatic character. In a stroke of creative genius, Marnie, sung with commanding presence by Met opera favorite, the luminous Isabel Leonard, is shadowed by a quartet of women, dressed in neon-bright costumes by Costume Designer Arianne Phillips in her Met debut. She also did the costume's for Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. 

Muhly's score uses a variety of musical textures to depict the sudden shifts in Marnie's life. She's an outright thief, who cracks a safe and steals all the profits from the ruthless takeover firm she works for.  She is then blackmailed into marriage by smarmy businessman Mark Rutland, sung with authority by Met veteran baritone Christopher Maltman. 

Marnie has an all-star cast, including the celebrated Denyce Graves as Marnie's mother. She has dazzled Met audiences in the past as Carmen ( Met debut, 1995) and Dalila in Samson et Dalila, among other starring roles. Countertenor Iestyn Davies is outstanding as Terry Rutland and English National Opera regular Janis Kelly is similarly convincing as Mrs. Rutland.  She sang the role of Pat Nixon in John Adam's Nixon in China in a role debut in 2011. Tony-nominated choreographer Lynne Page who was nominated for her work on La Cage aux Folles on Broadway and in London's West End, deserves a special mention for her superb work in this production, as does Chorus Master Donald Palumbo, who marshaled his considerable vocal forces into a cohesive presence throughout this demanding opera. Little Boy Gabriel Gurevich and James Courney as Marnie's therapist Dr. Roman also received well--deserved ovations. One of the performers gave a Chorus Line-style  high kick as the audience gave the entire cast and crew a standing ovation. And that about sums up the entire mood of the evening. Tippi Hedren, the now 88 year old American actress and animal rights activist who played the original Marnie in the Hitchcock film, was onstage to take curtain-call bows at the Opening Night of the Met's U.S. Premiere. That's as good an endorsement as any opera can get. Marnie, Live on stage at the Met in performances Weds. Oct 31 at 7:30pm ET, Saturday Nov. 3 at 8pm ET, Weds. Nov. 7 at 7:30pm ET and Live in HD in theatres worldwide Sat. Nov. 10 at 1pm ET. For tickets and information visit metopera.org. 

54TH CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: MARIA BY CALLAS DOCUMENTARY PEELS BACK THE VENEER OF FAME SURROUNDING THE CELEBRATED DIVA

NEVER BEFORE SEEN ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE, RARE PERSONAL INTERVIEWS AND RE-MASTERED PERFORMANCES MAKE THIS A FILM WORTHY THE OPERA LEGEND

  Maria Callas in her heyday in the 1950s as Norma

 Maria Callas's Paris apartment at 36 Rue Georges Mandal

The diva at the window of her Paris apartment

by Dwight Casimere

Maria by Callas, directed by Tom Volf, takes a probing look art the legendary opera diva, mostly in her own words. Composited from on camera film and tv interviews and audio interviews, archival footage of her opera performances, tabloid newspaper and magazine coverage and old newsreel footage, the film examines the complex life and personality of a true star who has been mythologized perhaps more than any other star, living or dead. A televised interview with 'TV host David Frost, is a recurring thread throughout the film, as his probative questioning is most effective in peeling back the veneer of theatrical "maquilage" to reveal the person beneath the image. "There are two people who are always with me when I perform," she said to Frost in the opening of the film. "There is Maria, the simple girl with no pretensions, and there is Callas, the great star. When  I sing, they are both represented and they are equally strong within me."  Words from her letters and personal diary are voiced by Met Opera star Joyce DiDonato. The film covers her early life growing up in "The Heights" (Washington Heights)  in New York City. Born Maria Anna Sophie Cecilia Kalogeropoulos, of Greek heritage, the family shortened their last name to Callas in order to sound more Americanized as many immigrant families did at the time (and you always thought she was Italian!). Then there was  her family's flight to Greece during the war years 1937-1945. "Those were tough years,"she remembers to Frost. But it was Greece where she was admitted into the Athens Conservatoire and came under the tutelage of Madame Elvira del Hidalgo.  "As a young girl, just 13 years old, I was immediately thrown into her arms, meaning that I learned the secrets, the ways of this bel canto, which of course as you well know, is not just beautiful singing. It is a very hard training; it is a sort of a strait-jacket that you're supposed to put on, whether you like it or not," Callas recalled bitterly to Frost. The film covers her triumphs as well as her failures. Her abusive marriage to Batista Meneghini, the disastrous performance in Rome in 1957 when she lost her voice due to bronchitis, caused by the strain of constant performing and her truncated comeback at the Paris Opera House more than a dozen years later. We see her on the yacht Christina with Aristotle Onassis and get a clearer picture of their nearly lifelong friendship and love. We also hear DiDonato's intoning of the heartbreaking undelivered letter she wrote to Onassis upon his impending marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy. In the final years of her life, she would reconcile with Onassis and retire, first to a lavish home in Palm Beach and at the end, to her tiny apartment on Avenue Georges Mandal, where she died at the age of 53, of heart failure, still reportedly rehearsing and working on her art with the hopes of making yet another comeback. With Screenplay by director Volf and Editing by Janice Jones and the marvelous voice of La Callas in a magnificently audio mastered sound track which is a miracle of modern film engineering, this is one of the most absorbing biographical films to come around in a long time. From Sony Pictures Classics.

TRANSIT FROM GERMAN ART FILM GENIUS CHRISTIAN PETZOLD IN U.S. PREMIERE

by Dwight Casimere

German art film genius Christian Petzold who brought us the Holocaust survivor drama Phoenix in 2014 takes a time-shifting look at Nazi occupattion in TRANSIT, based on the 1942 book Transit Visa by Anna Segher.  

Georg (Franz Rogowski)  is a burned out refugee who escaped from two concentration camps and finds himself in Nazi occupied France on the trail of a mysterious dissident writer. A friend on the run gives him some letters to deliver to the writer, who is living in exile in a fleabag hotel somewhere in northern France. Instead of making the connection, he finds that the writer has committed suicide n the most horrific way. He assumes the dead man's identity and learns that he is suddenly in possession of  the much needed papers for transport out of the hellish occupied territories. Armed with newly doctored transit papers, oodles of cash and guaranteed safe passage on a ship bound for Mexico and a new life. Hence the name of the film. An off-camera narrator, who turns out to be the bartender Barmann (Matthias Brandt)  at the local bistro where the protagonists often meet, intones how Georg quietly celebrates by eating a solitary Margarita pizza and sipping Rose wine. 

After a harrowing escape from occupying forces by train, shlepping  a fellow refugee dying from a Nazi-induced leg wound , he arrives in Marseilles. A mysterious woman taps him on the shoulder, thinking he is her long lost husband who was forced into exile. He chases behind her only to see her vanish into the crowd. There's a subplot where he bonds with a young North African illegal immigrant boy named Driss (Lilien Batman) who lives in the Marseilles immigrant ghetto Maghreb, an obvious reference to today's global immigration crisis. He connects with the boy's mother, (Maryam Zaree) who is a deaf mute.

 Georg falls head-over-heels in love with the mysterious Marie (Paula Beer), who herself has taken up with a dissident doctor scheduled to leave for Mexico with proper transit papers. He refuses to leave because of his love for her. 

The setting for the story is some time in the not-so-distant past, yet the plot has overtones of the Nazi occupation of  France in World War II and the notion of ethnic cleansing, called 'the purification' in the film. Its an unsettling film that alludes to the fact  that the sins of the past are oft repeated. Its all done with a seamless blending of contrasting elements, both sublime and profane,and  with brilliant camera work by Cinematographer Hans Fromm that captures the grit and mystery of Marseilles. The Mistral, the violent cold wind that savages the region, plays a role in it too. Its an expertly cast, gritty film that recalls the great 'film noir' auture movies of the 40s and 50s. Petzold has done it again!  From Schramm Film,Neon Productions, and Arte France Cinéma, with U.S. Premiere at  the 56th New York Film Festival and in International Competition at the 54th Chicago International Film Festival.