The Collegium - 12-05-21 (11-16-25)

Cinema: IN MEMORIAM A CONVERSATION WITH OSCAR BROWN JR. November 8, 1998, Berlin, Germany "What´s wrong with this picture?" Director: Prof. Donald Muldrow Griffith/Fountainhead® Tanz Théâtre Documentary, Color, 60 min. Germany 1998 (revised 2021) English PEOPLE, POLITICS AND ART "If it looks like bullshit and smells like bullshit, it´s probably bullshit!" - Oscar Brown Jr. Oscar Brown Jr., the man in the film, on and off screen Oscar was a combination of personalities that often amazed and bewildered. He was a habitué of Bronzeville, also known as the Black Southside of Chicago, Illinois, which graciously provided him with a direction for life. The young Oscar was blessed with circumstances many persons would wish for their existence. Indulgent, educated, loving and disciplining parents, bestowed a comfortable and resource filled life upon their son and family members, through substantial real estate interests. Oscar was a special kind of man, one who "existed" in the dominant group and lived in the culture from which he'd sprung. Oscar Brown Jr. lived a life of enlightened schizophrenia, acquiring the social-psychological skills necessary to deal with the dominant group, who were often times not especially appreciative of his talents or existence, but on the other hand fortunately lived among sun kissed people, through whom he was acculturated and remained a source of inspiration, information and support throughout his life. Oscar was a handsome man, tall, articulate and very charming, as attested to by the ladies who swooned in his trajectory. He was also a source of possibilities and enlightenment for males, young and old, especially sun kissed males, seeking to breath fresh air in the oppressive atmosphere of a country conditioned to cultivate and perpetuate a permanent underclass. Oscar Brown Jr. for example, had the ability to request and receive funding from persons such as the mayor of Chicago, boss Richard J. Daley and then travel to the bowels of Bronzeville on Chicago's Southside and distribute the largesse, among groups and individuals as diverse as the Black Muslims to the Black Stone Rangers, a notorious and powerful street gang at the time, in Chicago. Oscar's financial support, talent and personality, enabled him to create theatre and artistic creations with persons ordinarily recognized for their anti and asocial behavior. He also provided the financial and artistic inspiration and creations for work with many young people in Chicago and nationwide. In addition, Oscar was also a friend and co-creator with many established and talented musicians on the jazz scene, USA. He often spoke of his affiliation with the Communist Party and his efforts to combat racism through scientific socialism. His experience with this methodology eventually led to disappointment, as he again found himself enmeshed in a hierarchy with "other folks" on top of the glass ceiling. Oscar was gifted with his ability to analyze personal and political situations and from these insights, create plays, poetry and songs which possess amazing humor, understanding and musicianmanship and which enabled him to enter the annals of gifted artists by virtue of his talents. The documentary film "A Conversation With Oscar Brown Jr." occurs in Oscar's hotel room, after the completion of his invitational concert at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin/Germany. He is in an expansive mood and speaks at length about music, the relationship between politics and sleaze in the USA, the state of affairs of Black America and the underclass, crack cocaine, racial prejudice as a mental illness, Affirmative Action and the evil spirit in human society, versus the godly side in humanity. Oscar also reminisces about his childhood in Chicago, attending the University of Wisconsin, acting, Dick Durham, the cold war, W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson, the Communist Party, Jim Crow, his army experiences, the collapse of Communism-Socialism, Black people in the Communist Party and his hopes for the future. After witnessing his intelligent, experienced and artistic thoughtfullness for an hour, you may not agree with Oscar on all points, but the viewer will certainly be enthralled and entertained by the overview of and personal history provided on film, by the remarkable Oscar Brown Jr. "I may not make it if I try, but I damn sure won´t if I don´t..." - Oscar Brown Jr. Oscar Brown Jr. October 10, 1926 - May 29, 2005 Production, Direction, Interview: Prof. Donald Muldrow Griffith/Fountainhead® Tanz Theatre, Berlin/Germany 1998