12 years ago

“What good is a conscience if it is not awakened" 

I ran into this incredible documentary called Sing Your Song. (TRAILER) It shows us the untold story of Harry Belafonte. The film recounts the life of Belafonte, not only as a great entertainer, but as an important activist in the Civil Rights movement. You will basically see Belafonte helping Hollywood to find its social conscience. Belafonte narrates and appears as an interviewe himself so don’t expect to see any critical questions like for example the ‘house slave’ incident. The film begins with Belafonte’s birth into poverty in Harlem in 1927, and childhood years in Jamaica, sent there by his immigrant mother. Director, Susanne Rostock known as an editor of American political and society documentarie takes us through his discovery of theater and training as an actor, as a young man becoming a a singer and his true passion for social change. An interesting fact is that the film’s title, which reflects the way his life is integrated, comes from a piece of advice his hero Paul Robeson gave the young Belafonte when he dropped in at a folk music club where Harry was performing. "Get them to sing your song,” Robeson said. Unfortunately the film didn’t advance to the final 15 contenders for the Academy Awards. Watch the full Documentary through the Iplayer hereWatch-like-share! (Photo by Manfred Werner)