Last Monday night, Macalester had the privilege of screening renowned director Spike Lee's latest project, a film adaptation of the one-man play created and performed by Roger Guenveur Smith, entitled "A Huey P. Newton Story." Smith, a veteran actor in Spike Lee films and a one-time member of the Guthrie Theater Company, delivers a provocative but savvy portrayal of Newton, one of the co- founders of the Black Panther Party. Subtle yet effective musical interludes throughout the film are created by musician Marc Anthony Thompson ("Chocolate Genius"), who is currently on tour with David Byrne.
The film is at once theatrical, documentary and musical. Twelve strategically placed digital cameras were used to film Smith on the stage, and a blue-screen technique is used to insert documentary and media material sporadically throughout the show. The setting is a former synagogue in New York City, and thus the three-walled, two-tiered traditional seating design creates a theater-in-the-round atmosphere which also highlights the element of a one-man spectacle. Smith, through his portrayal of Huey P. Newton, actually acknowledges that he is a spectacle there onstage, that people are watching him, and the first utterances of his monologue are short, stuttering and nervous. Immediately he lights up a Kool cigarette (Huey's favorite), proceeding to chain-smoke throughout the entire film as he perches intensely on a chair, his right foot tapping the floor incessantly.
Both levels of the audience remain as omnipresent but faceless silhouettes throughout the performance, and with all light focused almost harshly on Newton, the individual viewer feels quite intimate with him. The bright, directed lighting also lends an immediacy to the scene, and the shadows play dramatically across the contours of his strong face. ThompsonÕs compositions soothe and haunt the listener. The filming itself heightens the manic intensity of his words and gestures with its juxtaposition of disjointed camera angles and the use of asymmetrically framed and cropped shots. These filming conventions contribute further to the overall effect as Newton's initially slow, nervous bumblings evolve into astonishingly confident and passionate rants that are uttered flawlessly and at the speed of light, exhibiting Smith's stunning skill and volatile capabilities as an actor.
Newton is occasionally silenced by streams of documentary montage on the screen behind him. One vividly expressive excerpt features him standing up in order to dance along with a Bob Dylan song, dancing which eventually morphs into abstract, frenzied and desperate motion and a boxing match with an invisible opponent. The passionate movement stands to balance his manic articulations and it is during these heightened moments in the film when you feel yourself go completely still and you realize you might actually be witnessing the soul of an American legend.
The narrative format of the film is an extended monologue of commentary from Newton's perspective, and the subject matter he discusses ranges from his childhood to the media to justice to Vincent Price. But another interesting element of the film lies in its ability to transcend time and place by including references to current social issues such as the death of rapper Notorious B.I.G. and political scandals in the "oral office," as it is dubbed by Newton. Newton was in fact killed in Oakland in 1989, and for this reason Smith himself describes the film as a seance of sorts, in which Newton is resurrected to the stage and to our world as a sort of apparition, a nonexistent but all-knowing voice.
Smith located and developed Newton's "voice" through extensive personal research and interviewing. This included a meeting with Newton's widow Fredericka, which gave Smith access to many unpublished documents and resources to aid him in his inquiry into Newton's psyche. Thus the film's script contains a substantial amount of verbatim quotation from Newton's life, in addition to smart, witty and often humorous improvisational speech which Smith himself developed based on a "foundation of solid archival inquiry." This gives Newton's 90-minute monologue a very organic quality, while it challenges the viewer's perceptions of fantasy versus reality, drawing them in deeply enough to blur the line between the two. At one point in the film, Newton passionately and almost desperately tells the audience that he wants to be remembered as someone who was "very, very loved," to which an engrossed audience member responds aloud, "we do love you, Huey." Another member follows with, "and we miss you."
Smith performed "A Huey P. Newton Story" live hundreds of times over several years before Spike Lee filmed it. Interestingly, it was only in preparation for filming in November 2000 that Smith wrote down a set script conforming to a 90-minute time frame. Thus each live performance was slightly different, with some performances lasting over two hours. Each night Smith performed a melange of direct quotation and improvisation, tailoring the overall pieces to each audience. This amazing artistic confidence and flexibility is a testament to SmithÕs veritable skill as an actor. His performance was truly riveting and serves as an extraordinary example of the transcendent power of acting and art.
Following the screening, Smith himself met with audience members in the Macalester chapel to further discuss his film and his artistic intentions. Smith told the audience that one of the film's intentions was to "re-humanize" Newton, even to depoliticize him, but he also noted that re-humanization is in itself political. When approached with a question about revolutionary theater, Smith responded, "theater is revolutionary. But it must be done well." "A Huey P. Newton Story" is just that: extremely well done. It is an intellectual and emotional progression that pushes you forward, speeds you up, and then stops you completely in your tracks; it makes for an intense, thought-provoking experience and an unusually intimate perspective on Huey P. Newton.
Laura Paisley is a senior history major. She is a staff writer.