Imagining America
Imagining America is a 1989 anthology film consisting of four shorts with the central theme being life in the United States. It was originally broadcast on the PBS television series American Playhouse.[1][2][3][4][5]
Imagining America | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ralph Bakshi Mustapha Khan Edward Lachman Matt Mahurin |
Produced by | Richard Singer |
Written by | Ralph Bakshi |
Starring | Harvey Keitel Ron Thompson Richard Singer |
Cinematography | Kent L. Wakeford |
Release date |
|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Overview
Imagining America is an anthology of four short films by different directors. Ralph Bakshi's This Ain't Bebop is about a man's odyssey through surreal downtown Los Angeles as he tries to find the life he once had. Ed Lachman's Get Your Kicks on Route 66 tells the story of America's famous highway. Tribe by Matt Mahurin examines myths in American society. Reflections of a Native Son by Mustapha Khan is a stylized portrait of the South Bronx district of New York City.
The original TV series American Playhouse is produced by John H. Williams, and it is from this series the four pieces to this anthology comes. Together they give a personal view of America. Only one of the four, Ralph Bakshi's This Ain't Bebop, is a narrative, while two others are documentaries: Ed Lachman's Get Your Kicks on Route 66 is about the great American '50s highway and Mustapha Khan's Reflections of a Native Son is a vivid look at the teenage subculture of South Bronx. The fourth piece is Matt Mahurin's Tribe, a cross between impressionist documentary, music video and live-action photo-essay.[3]
References
- "Imagining America". The New York Times.
- Louise Sweeney (1989-06-06). "From Four Filmmakers, Quick Takes of America". The Christian Science Monitor.
- Michael Wilmington (1989-06-07). "'Imagining America': Four Riffs on a Common Theme". The Los Angeles Times.
- Kogan, Rick (June 7, 1989). "Of Thee They Sing`Imagining America` Is A Visual Tribute In 4 `Voices`". Chicago Tribune.
- J. O'Connor, John (June 7, 1989). "Review/Television; 4 Perspectives on America as Myth". The New York Times.