Symphony in Black

IMDb link: 0027068
IMDb rating: 7.3 (297 votes)
Genres: Music, Short
Director: Fred Waller
Cast: Earl 'Snake Hips' Tucker and others

Release date: 13 Sep 1935
Release year: 1935
Runtime: 9 minutes
Country: United States
Keywords: big band, all black cast, jazz music, soundie, text of letter on screen, composing music, laborer, shoveling coal, bare chested male, carrying a sack on back

Plot:

Duke Ellington plays his symphonic jazz piece ('A Rhapsody of Negro Life') with his orchestra against slice-of-life background scenes. The four movements: 1) The Laborers, 2) A Triangle: Dance, Jealousy, Blues, 3) A Hymn of Sorrow, 4) Harlem Rhythm.

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