Kinch kinchloe on ivan dixon, dixon has an extensive resume of directorial credits, but primarily in episodic television. A disillusioned black cia agent lands in chicago and organizes a revolutionary army of black freedom fighters. To his white bosses and funders, he appears to be tame and eager to please. In light of the christopher dorner saga, i think its high time we dust off this goodie. The spook who sat by the door 1973, the directorial debut of director ivan dixon, a rising star in the black american film world, has to date only been available from bootleggers or as an occasional shortrun independent dvd release. The spook who sat by the door novel, a 1969 novel by sam greenlee the spook who sat by the door film, a 1973 film based on the novel. The novel has been described as part thriller, part satire and part.
It remains outside the canon of film history and is rarely screened in the us or elsewhere. Dont let people miss on a great quote from the the spook who sat by the door movie add it here. While spook could be used as a derogatory term for a black person it could also refer to a secret agent. Yeah hollywood makes plenty of movies about members of the military going. It is both a satire of the civil rights struggle in the united states of the late 1960s and a. The spook who sat by the door was released during the 1970s black action film era. I read that the fbi was pressuring movie theater chains not to show this movie when it came out. Ivan dixon s 1973 film, the spook who sat by the door, which is playing at metrograph from friday through sunday its also on dvd and streaming, is a political fiction, based on a novel by sam. Director ivan dixons uncompromising adaptation was relegated to bottomrung status upon its release, and it subsequently slipped into oblivion for decades until the film was. The dvd sold under the title the spook that sat by the door asin.
The spook who sat by the door full movie forbez dvd. The spook who sat by the door 1973 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Jul 20, 2018 ivan dixons 1973 film, the spook who sat by the door, which is playing at metrograph from friday through sunday its also on dvd and streaming, is a political fiction, based on a. The spook who sat by the door 2004 a former cia agent lawrence cook organizes black teenagers into welltrained guerrilla bands bent on overthrowing the.
The spook who sat by the door 1973 plot summary imdb. Nipsey hussle on breakfast club talking about the movie the spook who sat by the door. It is both a satire of the civil rights struggle in. The spook who sat by the door full movie 2011 video. I purchased and returned two copies of this import dvd, and both played exactly the same. The spook who sat by the door is a cult classic and named one of the most influential black films of the 70s by torriano berry and venise berry in their book the 50 most influential black films. The spook who sat by the door was a rare feature directorial assignment for ivan dixon, best known as an actor he played sgt. The troubling fate of a 1973 film about the first black man in the. The spook who sat by the door is a 1973 film based on the novel of the same name by sam greenlee.
The candidates are then put through a rigorous testing process to weed out the less than qualified. Read the the spook who sat by the door movie synopsis, view the movie trailer, get cast and crew information, see movie photos, and more on. The spook who sat by the door full movie 2011 video interviews with sam greenlee. It is both a satire of the civil rights struggle in the united states of the late 1960s and a serious attempt to focus on the issue of black militancy. The spook who sat by the door is one of the most remarkable semiforgotten films i have ever seen. The spook who sat by the door movie made in 1973 is an adaptation of sam greenlees 1969 novel. The spook who sat by the door is a choice bit of oldschool cinematic as. Mar 11, 2018 the spook who sat by the door 1973 the title of this explosive film, based on the controversial novel by sam greenlee, plays on the old double meanings of the slang expression spook. The spook who sat by the door 1969, by sam greenlee, is the fictional story of dan freeman, the first black cia officer, and of the cias history of training persons and political groups who later used their specialised training in gathering intelligence, political subversion, and guerrilla warfare against the cia. The movie poses one solution to the thorny issue of race in america, then leaves us to wonder where that solution might lead. Youd think the siskel, being festivalminded and all, would schedule a screening of the two films backtoback and you would be wrong. The spook who sat by the door full movie don diva magazine.
The spook who sat by the door 1973 full movie streams and downloads. The late sam greenlee author of the spook who sat by the door, who died last may, was never one to mince words, especially when it came to dishing on the state of what we call black cinema, and the film industry overall. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the spook who sat by the door near you. The spook who sat by the door 1973 rotten tomatoes. Possibly the most radical of the blaxploitation films of the 70s, this movie was an overnight success when released in 1973, then was abruptly taken. Action, crime, drama a black man plays uncle tom in order to gain access to cia training, then uses that knowledge to plot a new american revolution. Based on sam greenlees provocative 1969 novel and, some say, urban revolutionary. The spook who sat by the door 1973 ivan dixon synopsis. The spook who sat by the door tells the story of dan freeman, an intelligent and naturally athletic man from the ghetto who becomes the first black cia agent, then resigns and returns home to chicago to work with what would now be called at risk youth.
A companion edition to the documentary film directed by. Sam greenlee, whose movie the spook who sat by the door. Normally, indiewires stream of the day feature focuses on movies that you can watch at home. Adapted by ivan dixon, the movie traffics in the same set pieces and cliches of the eras blaxploitation classics, but for a far more serious purpose. I cant begin to count the number of people whove referenced this filmfrom dropping dialogue or the title into rap lyrics to mentioning it. New doc unearths story behind making of the spook who sat. The spook who sat by the door 2004 movie moviefone.
The spook who sat by the door movie made in 1973 is an adaptation of sam greenlee s 1969 novel. The rise and fall of the spook who sat by the door synopsis a californiadavis professor spotlights a 1973 black film suppressed by the fbi. Spook who sat by the door, the internet movie firearms. Virtually unknown to white audiences, the film is only one of two imfdb blaxploitation films to be included in the national film registry, shaft 1971 being the other. Preston the pg movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 42 min, and received a score of. Director ivan dixons uncompromising adaptation was relegated to bottomrung status upon its release, and it subsequently slipped into oblivion for decades until the film was rediscovered and released on dvd in 2004. Apr 15, 2011 the spook who sat by the door is one of the most remarkable semiforgotten films i have ever seen. Herbie hancock the spook who sat by the door vinyl. The spook who sat by the door 1973 directed by ivan. The spook who sat by the door is one of the greatest titles for a film, possibly ever, not only because its memorable but because it serves as a warning. The film begins with a senator facing the prospect of losing an election without the pivotal black vote. Based on a novel by sam greenlee, the film has a social conscious point of view. It is a very good movie, produced on a shoestring budget.
The spook who sat by the door 2004 stream and watch. Based on a novel of the same title by sam greenlee, spook is a low budget, modestly competent film. The author and activist, who died in his home in chicago in may 2014, was a fearless political firebrand, and elder statesman at 83 years old, at the time of. The spook who sat by the door 1973 suggest me movie. The spook who sat by the door 1973 directed by ivan dixon. B0011ggc is an asian bootleg distributed by red sun, and it has major problems. Many a movie patron who sat through it went home feeling somewhatperhaps considerablyless. Just as provocative today as when it premiered, the spook who sat by the door is one of those films thats entered the lexicon.
Cast and crew credits for spook who sat by the door, the, 1973, directed by ivan dixon, with lawrence cook, paula kelly, janet league, at turner classic movies. A 1973 revolutionary black film based on the novel of. Its not just that the main character is a black man who happens to be a government agent cough cough, spook, but also because he sat by the door, which refers to the early days of. An excia agent lawrence cook prepares black teens for an urban revolt.
December 6, 2005 so fiery, smart and entertaining that the lack of finesse hardly. The spook who sat by the door full movie the spook who sat by the door is a 1973 film based on the novel of the same name by sam greenlee. Based on a novel by sam greenlee, the spook who sat by the door chronicles the exploits of a cia agent, the only black man in the agency. There were plenty of blaxploitation films about black people sticking it to the man, but these were small time. The other half is the spook who sat by the door itself. The spook who sat by the door remains one of the most striking and important films of the 1970s. In the spook who sat by the door, dan freeman lawrence cook, a mildmannered, bespectacled, black social worker who seems to know his place, allows himself to become the token by which the. The spook who sat by the door is a 1973 action crimedrama film based on the 1969 novel of the same name by sam greenlee which was first published in. The premise is that the cia is forced to integrate and invites the best and brightest of the african american community.
Jun 26, 2004 but if spook isnt a masterpiece, its nonetheless a unique artifact thats as relevant today as it was thirty years ago. This was the result of the agencys mission to improve its image on the racial front. Based on sam greenlees controversial novel, the spook who sat by the door is a hardhitting shocker that depicts a world in which the longsuppressed black man fights back with a vengeance. The spook who sat by the door was a film about black resistance to american racism.
The spook who sat by the door by sam greenlee is about dan freeman, a man who ends up being the first african american cia agent. I cant begin to count the number of people who ve referenced this filmfrom dropping dialogue or the title into rap lyrics to mentioning it as a source of personal inspiration. Tired of being treated as a human showcase for affirmative. From 1973, and based on sam greenlees late 60s novel of the same. A disillusioned black cia agent lands in chicago and organizes a revolutionary army. Based on the novel by sam greenlee, spook is the subversive tale of dan freeman lawrence cook whos hired into the cia as a token negro and political tool for a senator to appeal to black voters. Watch the spook who sat by the door 1973 movie trailer instantly, no need to login. See the full list of the spook who sat by the door cast and crew including actors, directors, producers and more. A 1973 revolutionary black film based on the novel of the same name by sam greenlee. Released october 3rd, 2004, the spook who sat by the door stars lawrence cook, paula kelly, janet league, j.
The spook who sat by the door changed my life, says townsend, who goes on to recount how much the movie meant to him, as a teenager, as a filmmaker, and as a black man. The spook who sat by the door 1973 was directed by ivan dixon, based on the novel by sam greenlee, and starred lawrence cook, janet league, paula kelly, and j. This interview is powerful because it lets you know this brothers mindset based off that character from the. In 2012, the spook who sat by the door was named by the library of congress as among the 25 additions of that year to the national film registry, which is a compendium of motion pictures that captures the breadth of american culture, history and social fabric, with the aim of preserving these fragile films for future generations. His movie, the spook who sat by the door, based on his book by the same name, became a classic in the black nationalist movement. A black man plays uncle tom in order to gain access to cia training, then uses that knowledge to plot a new american revolution. Jan 23, 20 the spook who sat by the door is a 1973 film based on the novel of the same name by sam greenlee. The score was done by none other than the great herbie hancock. Kinch kinchloe on hogans heroes, dixon has an extensive resume of directorial credits, but primarily in episodic television. The spook who sat by the door full film youtube a 1973 revolutionary black film based on the novel of the same name by sam greenlee. Nipsey hussle on the spook who sat by the door youtube. Ivan dixons 1973 film, the spook who sat by the door, which is.