![]() ![]() What makes the picture so resonant is its irreducibility, its ability to see how scenes of domestic contentment and broader upheaval - a backyard barbecue, a father’s banter with his son, an instance of youthful bullying, a drive-by shooting - come to exist on the same continuum.Īs Tre’s loving, fiercely independent-minded parents, Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne (who would go on to star in “What’s Love Got to Do With It” two years later) anchored an ensemble cast that launched several notable screen careers, including those of Regina King, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long and a charismatic rapper named Ice Cube who had never acted before. Singleton’s movie vividly captures the flow and texture of life in homes and communities where the everyday reality of crime is answered, but rarely solved, by a near-continual background hum of helicopters and police sirens. It’s a decision that makes a crucial difference for Tre as he and his closest friends grow up, hang out, get in trouble, fall in love and find themselves vulnerable to both the lure and the impact of gang violence. The story spans seven years in the life of Tre Styles (played at different ages by Desi Arnez Hines II and Cuba Gooding Jr.), whose mother, fearing for his childhood and his future, sends him to live with his stern, loving father. (The grim statistic at the beginning - noting that one in 21 black American males will be murdered in their lifetime - was followed at the close by a simple entreaty to “Increase the Peace.”) Drawn from shards of Singleton’s personal experience, “Boyz N the Hood” had the furious urgency of something wrested from deep within its maker’s gut, but it also spoke with the assurance and clarity of someone who had thought long and hard about what he wanted to say. Those incidents induced a brief panic that gravely misrepresented the movie itself, which was observant, thoughtful and profoundly anti-violence. A movie of bruising, indelible moments and overwhelming atmosphere, it has long outlived the controversy that marred its release in the summer of 1991, with reports of gunfire at theaters on opening night. Plenty of strong first films are hailed as promising Singleton’s debut, which made him both the youngest filmmaker (at 24) and the first black filmmaker to receive an Academy Award nomination for best director, was the fulfillment of his promise.Ī coming-of-age story about young black men wrestling with cycles of violence, poverty, addiction and despair in their South Los Angeles neighborhood, “Boyz N the Hood” took the industry by storm, galvanized audiences and helped usher in a creative and commercial renaissance among African American filmmakers that continues to this day. Few movies, for that matter, have so fully merged a newcomer’s immediacy with a veteran’s reflectiveness. Not every filmmaker has it in them to make something as good as “Boyz N the Hood,” whether it marks the beginning or the culmination of a career. That picture is still widely considered his finest, and if the consensus is accurate - and I think it is - it’s far from a knock. It was also, of course, the setting of his landmark 1991 first feature, “Boyz N the Hood.” Burning,” a 2017 A&E documentary about the riots that he produced. Los Angeles was where Singleton attended USC film school and where he set several of his projects, most recently the FX series “Snowfall,” a snapshot of the crack cocaine epidemic in the early ’80s, and “L.A. His death Monday at the age of 51 coincided with the 27th anniversary of the 1992 riots that tore apart his city, one that he depicted with great love and tenderness, force and fury. It ended nearly three decades later, no less startlingly and far too soon. ![]() To request additional information Ask a Librarian.John Singleton’s filmmaking career began early, with a burst of brilliance that few saw coming, mainly because they weren’t looking. The Library of Congress may or may not own a copy of a particular film or video. Jazz on the Screen is a reference work of filmographic information and does not point to digitized versions of the items described. Suggested credit line: Library of Congress, Music Division. Jazz on the Screen reflects the opinions of its author, David Meeker, and not the views of the Library of Congress. The content of Jazz on the Screen: a Jazz and Blues Filmography by David Meeker is copyrighted by David Meeker and used here by permission of the author. The written permission of the copyright owner and/or other rights holder (such as holder of publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. The Library of Congress is providing access to these materials for educational and research purposes and makes no warranty with regard to their use for other purposes. ![]()
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