To Hear Another Language

On December 15, 1978, four longtime friends, Romare Bearden, Alvin Ailey, Albert Murray, and James Baldwin, gathered at the home of the art publisher, Hugh McKay. From the filmmaker's point-of-view, the location was ideal: a beautiful apartment with a wood burning fireplace; high ceilings; a balcony overlooking the living room (for high angle shots); a magnificent collection of original works by the likes of Chagall, Picasso, Miro, and Vassarely; and Bearden's new prints from his "ODYSSEY" collages. In addition, the colors and textures of the apartment were perfect extensions of Bearden's paintings.

Our initial production plan to film Romare in separate one-hour conversations with Messrs. Baldwin, Ailey, and Murray was enhanced by the simultaneous arrival of these notable gentlemen at Mr. McKay's--a streak of good fortune for the production team. We knew we would be on a tight schedule, but the impact of that moment had to be captured. So much for plans. Baldwin was traveling down from Massachusetts (where he was finishing his latest novel). We assured him that he would be required to stay no longer than an hour. The same assurance applied to Ailey, whose ballet company was then near the end of its run at City Center, and he was required to be at a rehearsal that afternoon.

Briefly, they asked the normal intimate questions that lapses of time require between friends; they hugged each other and joked. Then they sat down by the fireplace and, with two cameras running, began a dialogue that was to last more than four hours.

Filmmaking is largely an endeavor in intangibles. On this particular afternoon, we had the privilege of witnessing four men who are giants of contemporary culture coming together to eloquently and passionately express their remembrances, feelings, and insights on a wide variety of themes, all connected by their relationship to Bearden's work and life.

What follows are excerpts of their discussions. Initially, the conversation turned to Paris in the 1950s, and the days spent together by Bearden, Baldwin, and Murray. Eventually, their talk jumps backwards and forwards, in time and place, and expands our perceptions of the cultural, historical, political and social history of America in the 20th century.

Above all, it examines how these four men, and Bearden in particular, processed their experiences into unique and original statements within the universal context of art.

This segment consists of material that is largely personal and anecdotal. It invokes a Paris where, in Romare's phrase, "Life was lived in the streets." For Bearden, Baldwin and Murray, it was a time of coming to terms with their conditions as black Americans so that they could come to terms with their art. And for Romare, in particular, it provided an exciting sense of community that recalled Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s, where writers, painters, musicians and intellectuals constantly exchanged ideas and experiences.

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The following dialogues were edited by Nelson E. Breen from the transcript of a conversation that was filmed and recorded in connection with the documentary Bearden Plays Bearden, which was produced by Third World Cinema Productions, Inc. The film's director was Nelson E. Breen. Richard Bell was its producer, and J. Lloyd Grant, its executive producer. The film was written by Nelson E. Breen and Billie Allen.

BEARDEN: Here we are with some great friends of mine, Albert Murray, James Baldwin and Alvin Ailey. This is a great day for me.

BALDWIN: It's a great day for us, Romie.

MURRAY: Always happy to re-encounter old buddies.

BEARDEN: That's right. Jimmy's here from Paris. You remember Paris?

BALDWIN: Yes, I remember Paris.

BEARDEN: I was telling Alvin that you invited me to lunch one day. Jimmy had this little place, he invited about twenty or thirty people, and he had the biggest frying pan that I've ever seen and...