Richard Wright: Native Son, Author and Activist (2009)
• January 1st, 2009 • 0h 28min
Documentary
Overview
RICHARD WRIGHT was an African-American author of novels, short stories and non-fiction that dealt with powerful themes and controversial topics. Much of his works concerned racial themes that helped redefine discussions of race relations in America in the mid-20th century. Born on a plantation in Mississippi, Wright was a descendent of the first slaves who arrived in Jamestown Massachusetts. This program follows his arduous path from sharecropper to literary giant. Through authors like H.L. Menken, Sinclair Lewis, Theodore Dreiser, he discovered that literature could be used as a catalyst for social change. In 1937 Wright moved to New York and his work began to garner national attention for it's political and social commentary. Much of Wright's writing focused on the African American community and experience; his novel Native Son won him a Guggenheim Fellowship and was adapted to the Broadway stage with Orson Welles directing in 1941.
Make sure to check your pop-up blocker!!
Trailer
Similar Movies
Henry Browne, Farmer
Released on: 1942-11-15
Documentary
Henry Browne, an African American farmer, and his family are profiled in this film. The important jo...
Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women
Released on: 2008-08-09
Documentary
Louisa May Alcott, author of "Little Women," leads a literary double life, writing under the pseudon...
I Am Not Your Negro
Released on: 2017-02-03
Documentary
Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a medit...
Inside the Mind of Agatha Christie
Released on: 2020-10-23
Documentary, History
Surpassed only by the Bible and Shakespeare, Agatha Christie is the most successful writer of all ti...
Charley Pride: I'm Just Me
Released on: 2019-02-22
Music, Documentary
This film traces the improbable journey of Charley Pride, from his humble beginnings as a sharecropp...
Philip K Dick: A Day in the Afterlife
Released on: 1994-04-09
Documentary
A poetic look at the life and legacy of legendary author Philip K. Dick (1928-1982), who wrote over ...
Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats
Released on: 1985-09-06
Documentary
Jack Kerouac's life is examined through interviews with his contemporaries and friends including All...
Endangered Species
Released on: 2004-08-28
Documentary
We have volunteered for the Earth Conservation Corps to restore the Anacostia river and the Washingt...
Mr. Dial Has Something to Say
Released on: 2007-10-16
Documentary
The documentary film "Mr. Dial Has Something to Say" investigates the problem of classism and racism...
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Released on: 2001-04-01
Documentary
The Autobiography of Malcolm X is an account of the life of Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little in 1925, ...
Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed
Released on: 2008-02-23
Documentary
An American story. Traces the career of Joe Louis (1914-1981) within the context of American racial ...
The Geographies of DAR
Released on: 2023-11-02
Documentary
A visually stunning film on acclaimed author David Adams Richards and his connection to one of Canad...
Shadows Fall North
Released on: 2016-05-26
Documentary, History
How does a state with the motto “Live Free or Die” and a celebrated legacy of abolitionism confront ...
This Is Joan Collins
Released on: 2022-01-01
Documentary
A feature-length documentary on the life of one of the last surviving actresses from the golden age ...
The Whole Gritty City
Released on: 2013-10-12
Documentary, Music
Young members of 3 New Orleans school marching bands grow up in America's most musical city, and one...
The Black List: Volume One
Released on: 2008-01-22
Documentary
As a new chapter begins in this country, THE BLACK LIST offers a dynamic and never-before-heard pers...
Rumer Godden: An Indian Affair
Released on: 1995-03-11
Documentary
Rumer Godden the 88 year old author is taken back to India, where she lived from 1908-1945 to revisi...
Waiting for "Superman"
Released on: 2010-09-24
Documentary
Gripping, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful, Waiting for Superman is an impassioned indictment o...
Black Ballerina
Released on: 2016-09-04
Documentary
BLACK BALLERINA tells the story of several black women from different generations who fell in love w...