Symphony in Black
1935 American film / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life is a 9+1⁄2-minute musical short produced in 1935 that features Duke Ellington’s early extended piece, "A Rhapsody of Negro Life". The film, Billie Holiday’s screen debut, was directed by Fred Waller and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Symphony in Black | |
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Directed by | Fred Waller |
Written by | Milton Hockey Fred Rath |
Starring | Duke Ellington Billie Holiday |
Cinematography | William O. Steiner |
Music by | Duke Ellington |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 9 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Symphony in Black represents a landmark in musical, cultural, and entertainment history as well as significant progress in Ellington’s own biography. It is a member of the first generation of non-classically arranged orchestral scores and perhaps most importantly, one of the first films written by an African American describing African American life to reach wide distribution.