Baldwin’s Nigger (1969) was Horace Ové’s first film. Shot in a plain and simple verité style in black and white, the film represents a triumph for the filmmaker in presenting dialogue between black people as if no white people were present. This allows the speakers and audience to deal with issues without the need to self-censor. In addition it allows James Baldwin to make a direct connection with his mostly African-Caribbean audience by drawing on cadences, language and a vibe which cuts through the varied African cultures of the New World.
The issues raised by Baldwin and Dick Gregory, as well as from the floor, will be familiar to contemporary audiences, but Baldwin’s responses are never clichéd and prove provocative even today.
