458:, one supposedly directed by Greaves himself and focusing on different pairs of actors who prepare to audition for a dramatic piece. Greaves employed three sets of camera crews to document this audition process. The first crew focuses on the actors in an effort to document the audition process. The second documents the first film crew. The third documents the actors, the remaining two crews, and any other passers-by or spectators who happen to fit into
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407:. According to Greaves, between attempting to secure funds and researching countless old manuscripts, photos, and newsreel footage, the film took him ten years to make. The final product was edited down from an initial cut of seventeen hours to two hours for the PBS show American Odyssey. The final project, narrated by
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As the film goes on, the various film crews start to grow irritated, as they come to perceive that
Greaves is an incompetent and sexist director. Divided about whether or not this entire situation is a plot by Greaves, the crews find themselves divided against him, at one point even plotting a revolt
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Through all of this, Greaves creates a giant circular meta-documentary featuring a documentary, a documentary about a documentary, and a documentary documenting a documentary about a documentary, and all in an attempt to create and capture reality on film. To add to the coherence or incoherence of
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and derivative due to racism prevalent throughout
American culture at the time, Greaves looked into African-American history. Seeing that his opportunities would be limited were he to continue to stay in America and focus on his planned course of acting, Greaves tried his hand at movie making,
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While not working, Greaves could be found touring various universities and cultural centers around the world presenting his films, conducting workshops, and speaking about his experiences in indie film and the process of creating film as it is to actors, directors, professionals, and more.
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against their director. All of their doubts, insecurities, and complaints are captured on film, and, when the project is complete, they turn all of their footage over to
Greaves (including the incriminating evidence). Greaves, in turn, incorporates their footage into his final product.
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with a mission to present news by
African Americans, for African Americans, and about African Americans. After a tumultuous opening during the first few tapings, the NET network promoted Greaves from co-host to executive producer of the show. Greaves ran the show until 1970 winning an
429:, Greaves continued to produce films out of his own production company, William Greaves productions, which he had founded in 1964. One of the films he produced in this time period was a movie that blended his interest in the acting process with documentary film, which he called
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filmmaker and a pioneer of film-making. After trying his hand at acting, he became a filmmaker who produced more than two hundred documentary films, and wrote and directed more than half of these. Greaves garnered many accolades for his work, including four
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was unable to find mainstream distribution and instead toured various festivals and museum screenings, gaining something of a cult status amongst those filmmakers who had seen it. It eventually caught the eye of famous actor and filmmaker
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the piece, the film is also edited untraditionally, with the different cameras' various shots intercut in split screens so that all three sets of simultaneous footage display the same sequence but from three perspectives.
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teamed up to secure widespread distribution for the film as well as financing for the making of one of the four sequels
Greaves had considered once he had finished the initial product in the late 1960s.
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back into the public lexicon as
Greaves felt he was an important, yet forgotten, political figure, one important to African-American history and the Civil Rights Movement.
198:, and others. During this time, he undertook a number of roles on the stage and in the theatre, but eventually grew dissatisfied with the roles in which he was being cast.
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After six years working in various stages of production from director to editing, Greaves found himself behind the camera as director and editor of a film called
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to study science and engineering, but eventually dropped out to pursue a career in theater. Starting as a dancer, he eventually moved into acting, working in the
242:, Greaves returned to The United States to participate in the ongoing discourse regarding African-Americans and their place in society. Based on his work on
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on
October 8, 1926. He was one of seven children of taxi driver and minister Garfield Greaves and the former Emily Muir. After graduating from the elite
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heavyweight title. Greaves then went on to produce and make films for various commissions and government agencies, including
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for three years, Greaves opted to leave television to focus on film making. In 1971 he released a film titled
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and received a special homage at the first Black
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established a
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William
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in New York's first ever Dusa Award. Also in the same year, he was inducted into the
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1096:"William Greaves, Emmy-winning producer and co-host of 'Black Journal,' dies at 87"
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204:(1948) was one of the films he appeared in during this period. He also appeared in
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The Exploding Eye: A Re-Visionary History of 1960s American Experimental Cinema
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Cinemas of the Black Diaspora: Diversity, Dependence, and Oppositionality
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930:"William Greaves, a Documentarian and Pioneering Journalist, Dies at 87"
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Between 1969 and 1982, Greaves taught film and television acting at the
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1187:. New York: Columbia University Press, 2021. Print. ISBN 9780231199599
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Besides the Emmy he won for his work as executive producer of
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In 2001, Greaves released one of his most ambitious works
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1250:"William Greaves, Pioneering African-American Filmmaker"
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in 1969, Greaves was nominated for an Emmy for his work
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After this, Greaves produced numerous works, including
1194:. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1996. Print.
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was finally released theatrically under its new title
1173:. Albany: State University of New York, 1997. Print.
1159:. Vols 1–3. Westport (Conn.): Praeger, 2008. Print.
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in New York City and follows a documentary entitled
128:(October 8, 1926 – August 25, 2014) was an American
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Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One (TCM Movie Morlocks)
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1183:MacDonald, Scott and Jacqueline Najuma Stewart.
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1017:as accessed from WilliamGreaves.com on 2/10/11.
485:in 1992. Ten years later, Buscemi and director
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694:Still a Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class
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549:Still a Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class
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813:Booker T. Washington, the Life and the Legacy
530:Greaves died at the age of 87 at his home in
219:electing to move to Canada and study at the
19:For other people named William Greaves, see
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986:Canada, National Film Board of (Director).
234:Freelance documentaries and television work
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1027:"The First World Festival of Negro Arts"
843:Black Power in America: Myth or Reality?
783:Just Doin' It: A Tale of Two Barbershops
521:Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
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358:Black Power in America: Myth or Reality?
296:award for himself and the show in 1969.
281:(a direct predecessor to the modern-day
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563:In 1980, Greaves was honored alongside
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275:assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
273:In 1969, following soon after the 1968
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1185:William Greaves: Filmmaking as Mission
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898:Ralph Bunche: The Odyssey Continues...
678:The First World Festival of Negro Arts
388:in Gary, Indiana, and was narrated by
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260:The First World Festival of Negro Arts
1157:African Americans and Popular Culture
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1311:National Film Board of Canada people
825:Frederick Douglass: An American Life
617:Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
512:On August 23, 1959, Greaves married
462:s overarching theme of "sexuality."
354:Frederick Douglass: An American Life
350:Booker T.Washington: Life and Legacy
266:, a celebration of both African and
1301:American documentary film producers
1296:American documentary film directors
1286:Screenwriters from New York (state)
398:Hollywood Foreign Press Association
386:National Black Political Convention
366:Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice
182:and studied alongside the likes of
157:at the age of 18, Greaves attended
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1094:Italie, Hillel (August 27, 2014).
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1046:. Brooklyn Academy of Music. 2020.
1029:, African Film Festival, New York.
619:honored him with its Career Award.
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1321:Film directors from New York City
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1064:Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey
891:Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey
789:Opportunities in Criminal Justice
481:who saw it at a screening at the
405:Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey
264:1966 World Festival of Black Arts
238:As the 1960s saw the rise of the
928:Watkins, Mel (August 27, 2014).
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277:, public broadcasting syndicate
252:United States Information Agency
21:William Greaves (disambiguation)
1276:African-American film directors
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904:Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take 2 ½
708:Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One
498:Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One
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613:Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame
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262:(1968), which documented the
250:and the film division of the
221:National Film Board of Canada
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44:Greaves making his 1968 film
884:A Tribute to Jackie Robinson
380:. Greaves' 1972 documentary
178:In 1948, Greaves joined the
103:Documentary filmmaker, actor
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1291:American male screenwriters
878:Resurrections: Paul Robeson
447:documentary style in 1968.
246:, he was hired by both the
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865:That's Black Entertainment
307:In 1970, after working on
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1123:William Greaves Biography
962:Black Film Center/Archive
849:The Best of Black Journal
721:Struggle for Los Trabajos
370:Nobel Prize in Literature
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1306:American cinema pioneers
368:, which was narrated by
331:Civil Service Commission
210:(1949), one of the last
174:Acting and film training
159:City College of New York
126:William Garfield Greaves
1230:University of Wisconsin
1060:"About William Greaves"
858:: A Passion for Justice
763:Whose Standard English?
751:Power Versus the People
1136:"William Greaves Fund"
819:A Plan for All Seasons
795:Where Dreams Come True
629:National Film Registry
554:American Film Festival
500:alongside its sequel,
483:Sundance Film Festival
346:Where Dreams Come True
163:American Negro Theater
155:Stuyvesant High School
1125:. Accessed 2/10/2011.
1081:. Accessed 2/10/2011.
1077:Symbiopsychotaxiplasm
1066:. Accessed 2/10/2011.
964:. Accessed 2/10/2011.
701:In the Company of Men
625:Symbiopsychotaxiplasm
494:Symbiopsychotaxiplasm
474:Symbiopsychotaxiplasm
432:Symbiopsychotaxiplasm
420:Symbiopsychotaxiplasm
240:Civil Rights Movement
47:Symbiopsychotaxiplasm
1062:. Making the Movie,
777:The Marijuana Affair
715:The Voice of La Raza
538:Awards and accolades
534:on August 25, 2014.
443:that he shot in the
145:Greaves was born in
1190:Martin, Michael T.
837:Fighter for Freedom
801:To Free Their Minds
648:Putting It Straight
323:professional boxing
317:, which focused on
1212:williamgreaves.com
1169:Dixon, Wheeler W.
1100:WashingtonPost.com
1079:: Still No Answers
976:– William Greaves.
934:The New York Times
672:Wealth of a Nation
514:Louise Archambault
256:Wealth of a Nation
831:Beyond the Forest
654:Smoke and Weather
627:was added to the
487:Steven Soderbergh
425:While working on
201:Miracle in Harlem
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689:(1968–1977)
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1260:Categories
911:References
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569:Jane Fonda
394:Jane Fonda
382:Nationtime
212:race films
141:Early life
61:1926-10-08
942:0362-4331
634:In 2020,
631:in 2015.
607:with the
589:Al Pacino
532:Manhattan
270:culture.
111:1947-2001
92:Manhattan
995:April 5,
947:April 9,
727:On Merit
396:and the
329:and The
116:Children
1228:at the
1044:BAM.org
729:(1972);
1198:
1177:
1163:
940:
906:(2005)
900:(2003)
894:(2001)
886:(1990)
880:(1990)
874:(1990)
868:(1990)
860:(1989)
851:(1988)
845:(1988)
839:(1985)
833:(1985)
827:(1985)
821:(1983)
815:(1982)
809:(1981)
803:(1980)
797:(1979)
791:(1978)
785:(1976)
779:(1975)
773:(1975)
765:(1974)
759:(1974)
753:(1974)
747:(1974)
741:(1974)
735:(1973)
723:(1972)
717:(1972)
711:(1968)
703:(1969)
697:(1968)
680:(1966)
674:(1964)
668:(1960)
662:(1959)
656:(1958)
650:(1957)
603:, and
364:, and
300:After
169:Career
147:Harlem
69:Harlem
435:, an
1221:IMDb
1196:ISBN
1175:ISBN
1161:ISBN
1107:2024
997:2020
949:2023
938:ISSN
372:and
327:NASA
294:Emmy
135:Emmy
94:, US
81:Died
75:, US
55:Born
1232:'s
1219:at
283:PBS
149:in
1262::
1138:.
1115:^
1098:.
1086:^
1052:^
1042:.
1005:^
936:.
932:.
918:^
599:,
595:,
591:,
587:,
583:,
579:,
575:,
571:,
567:,
439:,
400:.
360:,
356:,
352:,
348:,
344:,
340:,
333:.
223:.
194:,
190:,
186:,
165:.
71:,
1142:.
1109:.
999:.
951:.
119:3
63:)
59:(
23:.
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