Michael Roemer's NOTHING BUT A MAN Screens on MKL Day At Moving Image

A depiction of black life in 1960s Alabama, Michael Roemer's Nothing But a Man will be shown in an archival 35mm print at Museum of the Moving Image in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday. The 1964 film, which stars Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln, was all but forgotten until it was finally given a home video release and added to the National Film Registry in 1993. This rediscovered Civil Rights classic-and milestone of American independent cinema-will screen in the Museum's main theater on Monday, January 16, at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are free with Museum admission.

Nothing But a Man (95 mins.) features understated performances, loose and realistic writing, and camerawork that borrows from cinéma vérité. The story centers on the struggles of a poor, young railroad worker named Duff (Dixon) and his schoolteacher wife (Lincoln), as they try to raise a family amid the structural poverty and day-to-day racism of the Jim Crowe era. While he is always polite and congenial, Duff refuses to be racially intimidated or defer to the authority of whites, and he and his family suffer for it. The film's original soundtrack from Motown Records features Martha & the Vandellas, The Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Mary Wells, and The Marvelletes.

Director Michael Roemer (The Plot Against Harry) and co-writer and cinematographer Robert M. Young (Alambrista!) went on a three-month research tour of the South organized by the NAACP before writing the script for Nothing But a Man. Roemer also drew upon the systemic oppression he experienced in his childhood as a Jew in Nazi Germany (he left at the age of 11 through the Kinderstransports). Upon its completion in 1964, Nothing But a Man won awards and acclaim at both the Venice and New York film festivals, yet was unable to attain major theatrical distribution. It found an African-American audience through 16mm screenings at churches and schools, where it remained a staple for years.

MUSEUM INFORMATION
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday, 10:30 to 8:00 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Holiday Hours: The Museum will be open 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Mondays January 16 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) and February 20 (Presidents Day).
Film Screenings: Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays, and as scheduled.
Museum Admission: $12.00 for adults; $9.00 for persons over 65 and for students with ID; $6.00 for children ages 3-18. Children under 3 and Museum members are admitted free. Admission to the galleries is free on Fridays, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tickets for special screenings and events may be purchased in advance by phone at 718 777 6800 or online.
Location: 36-01 35 Avenue (at 37 Street) in Astoria.
Subway: M (weekdays only) or R to Steinway Street. Q (weekdays only) or N to 36 Avenue.
Program Information: Telephone: 718 777 6888; Website: movingimage.us

The Museum is housed in a building owned by the City of New York and its operations are made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Natural Heritage Trust (administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation). The Museum also receives generous support from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. For more information, please visit movingimage.us.