Actors we associate with greatness can fall by the wayside immediately. Robert De Niro has blotted his copybook with too many stinkers such as Last Vegas, Little Fockers and The Intern. Poor early choices by Denzel Washington (Carbon Copy, Heart Condition), not to mention his recent weakness for vigilante movies, are enough to cancel out Malcolm X. Marlon Brando can be dismissed with five words: The Island of Dr Moreau. And Meryl Streep? A lifetime of prestige and prizes negated by The Prom.
A strong contender for the title of best filmography must be John Cazale. The sad-eyed theatre actor was a contemporary of Al Pacino (who called him “my acting partner … my older brother”) and ex-boyfriend of Streep. Cazale has only five film credits to his name but he is astonishing in each of them. Three are masterpieces (the first two Godfather movies, Dog Day Afternoon). The remaining two (The Conversation, The Deer Hunter) are flawed but magnificent. All were nominated for best pictur
This article was originally published on The Conversation.
Hanging on the wall in my office is the framed cover of the inaugural issue of The Brownies Book, a monthly periodical for Black youths created by W.E.B. Du Bois and other members of the NAACP in 1920.
The magazine – the first of its kind – includes poems and stories that speak of Black achievement and history, while also showcasing children s writing.
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Although much of American children s literature published near the turn of the last century – and even today – filters childhood through the eyes of white children, The Brownies Book gave African American children a platform to explore their lives, interests and aspirations. And it reinforced what 20th-century American literature scholar Katharine Capshaw has described as Du Bois faith in the ability of young people to lead the race into the future.
Op-ed: The Defender Junior and other publications gave Black children a voice chicagotribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chicagotribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.