Originally broadcast on the PBS series American Masters, Sam Pollard's documentary Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun takes a comprehensive look at the pioneering career of novelist-playwright-documentarian Zora Neale Hurston, a bold, complex woman who broke barriers throughout her life, beginning with her distinction for being the first African American to graduate from Barnard College. As the most prominent female writer in the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston created works that captured the essence and emotions of the African-American experience. Less known is the fact that at a time when no black women were making films, Hurston took a camera and recorded invaluable ethnographic footage of isolated rural black communities in the Deep South. Yet, Hurston could also be abrasive, particularly with her Harlem Renaissance peers, and she isolated herself from many African Americans by openly supporting segregation. Incorporating archival footage, scholarly interviews, and dramatic reenactments (including Hurston's 1943 radio interview to promote her book Dust Tracks on the Road), this documentary offers an extraordinary tribute to one of the most provocative talents of the 20th century. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)
Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun
(2008) 84 min. DVD: $49.95: public libraries & high schools; $195: colleges & universities. California Newsreel. PPR. Closed captioned. Volume 24, Issue 2
Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun
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