{"id":84577,"date":"2022-06-03T15:39:08","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T22:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=84577"},"modified":"2022-06-05T08:25:21","modified_gmt":"2022-06-05T15:25:21","slug":"cool-world-the-1963","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=84577","title":{"rendered":"Cool World, The (1963)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got to try twice as hard as they do &#8212; otherwise we&#8217;re sunk!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Poster-196x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-84578\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Poster-196x300.png 196w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Poster-84x128.png 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Poster-177x270.png 177w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Poster.png 541w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nIn Harlem, a 15-year-old named Duke (Hampton Clanton) is eager to buy a gun from Priest (Carl Lee) so he can take over as leader of the Pythons gang, whose current president, Blood (Clarence Williams, III), is a heroin addict.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>African-Americans<\/li>\n<li>Gangs<\/li>\n<li>Race Relations and Racism<\/li>\n<li>Shirley Clarke Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nShirley Clarke directed and Frederic Wiseman produced this low-budget, neo-realist flick about young Black gang members jockeying for power and attempting to survive in a White man&#8217;s world. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Still.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Still.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"496\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-84581\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Still.png 496w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Still-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Still-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Still-364x270.png 364w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 496px) 100vw, 496px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Indeed, the film opens with a fiery speech by a street-speaker about the evils of &#8220;White demons&#8221; ruling over black bodies and lives for 600 years:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Speaker.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Speaker.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"496\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-84584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Speaker.png 496w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Speaker-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Speaker-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Speaker-364x270.png 364w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 496px) 100vw, 496px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and from there, we see a White teacher taking his Black students on a trip to Wall Street, explaining the origins of the name. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Wall-Street.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Wall-Street.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"496\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-84585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Wall-Street.png 496w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Wall-Street-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Wall-Street-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Wall-Street-364x270.png 364w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 496px) 100vw, 496px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The irony of what follows next in the loose narrative &#8212; which includes plenty of violence, poverty, and drug use &#8212; is not lost, given that the lives of the young adults in this film are fueled by all the options NOT given to them in a White man&#8217;s America. Unfortunately, this film is currently unavailable except in bootleg versions, which compromises the viewing experience &#8212; especially given that it&#8217;s often challenging to make out exactly what characters are saying; however, Clarke&#8217;s fluid direction and DP Baird Bryant&#8217;s fast-moving, ultra-mobile camerawork at least provide us with a visceral sense of this world. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Street-Corner.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Street-Corner.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"496\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-84582\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Street-Corner.png 496w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Street-Corner-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Street-Corner-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Street-Corner-364x270.png 364w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 496px) 100vw, 496px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In <em>1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em>, editor Stephen J. Schneider describes this hard-to-find film as &#8220;a raw, unflinching look at the power struggles and casual violence of Harlem&#8217;s street gangs,&#8221; and argues you should &#8220;find a copy somewhere, somehow &#8212; you won&#8217;t regret it.&#8221; Viewers will have to decide for themselves if it&#8217;s worth seeking out, but it does represent a significant attempt in mid-century cinema to represent a more authentic perspective on Black American life (albeit one helmed by a White woman).  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Baird Bryant&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Arms-Crossed.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Arms-Crossed.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"496\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-84589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Arms-Crossed.png 496w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Arms-Crossed-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Arms-Crossed-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Cool-World-Arms-Crossed-364x270.png 364w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 496px) 100vw, 496px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, simply for its historical relevance. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1458\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0056952\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1964\/04\/21\/archives\/shirley-clarke-scans-the-cool-world.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-cool-world\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got to try twice as hard as they do &#8212; otherwise we&#8217;re sunk!&#8221; Synopsis: In Harlem, a 15-year-old named Duke (Hampton Clanton) is eager to buy a gun from Priest (Carl Lee) so he can take over as leader of the Pythons gang, whose current president, Blood (Clarence Williams, III), is a heroin addict. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: African-Americans Gangs Race Relations and Racism Shirley Clarke Films Review: Shirley Clarke directed and Frederic Wiseman produced this low-budget, neo-realist&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=84577\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=84577"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84648,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84577\/revisions\/84648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=84577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=84577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=84577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}