Lackawanna Blues (2005) (TV)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

George C. Wolfe

Writers (WGA):

Ruben Santiago-Hudson (play)
Ruben Santiago-Hudson (teleplay)

Release Date:

12 February 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

Play it. Sing it. Shout it. Feel it.

Plot:

In a story fueled by rhythm and blues, a young boy's life is shaped by love and the stories of a cast of characters in the boarding house where he lives in 1960s Lackawanna, New York.

Plot Keywords:

Boarding House | 1960s | New York | Veteran | 1950s

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 25 wins & 25 nominations

Cast

S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Rachel "Nanny" Crosby
Marcus Carl Franklin	...	Ruben Santiago Jr. (as Marcus Franklin)
Mos Def	...	The Bandleader
Carmen Ejogo	...	Alean
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Ol'lem Taylor
Macy Gray	...	Pauline
Terrence Howard	...	Bill Crosby (as Terrance Dashon Howard)
Ernie Hudson	...	Dick Barrymore
Delroy Lindo	...	Mr. Lucious
Rosie Perez	...	Bertha
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	...	Freddie Cobbs
Liev Schreiber	...	Ulysses Ford
Jimmy Smits	...	Ruben Santiago Sr.
Patricia Wettig	...	Laura's Mother
Charlayne Woodard	...	Bill's Woman

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | UK:12 (DVD rating) | UK:15 (TV rating) | Australia:M | Singapore:M18 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

HBO Films

Trivia:

Ruben Santiago-Hudson insisted his daughter Lily be cast in a cameo as Laura's daughter. But his son Trey, a twin with Lily, wanted to appear in the movie as well, which Ruben accepted. In real life, the character of the abused Laura only had a daughter, not a twin daughter and son. The scene where Laura comes to Nanny's house in the middle of the night with her son and daughter after leaving her abusive husband is accurately re-created word-for-word as Ruben remembered from that night.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: During the club scenes during the 1950s, there are a number of 45 rpm singles hanging on the walls. One is a Columbia Records single with the 1970s design and logo.

Quotes:

Rachel "Nanny" Crosby: Luck is you gettin' outta Georgia alive.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

One Dime Blues

Beautiful Film

I gave this film my rare 10 stars.

When I first began watching it and realized it would not be a film with a strong plot line I almost turned it off. I am very glad I didn't.

This is a character driven film, a true story, which revolves mainly around the life of Rachel "Nanny" Crosby, a strong, beautiful (inside and out)Black woman and how she touched the lives of so many in the community of Lackawanna.

Highly interesting not only its strong characterizations of Nanny and the people who lived at her boardinghouse, but also it gives us a look at what life and community were like for African Americans in the 1950's, prior to integration, and the good and bad sides of segregation and how it ultimately affected and changed the Black community.

In addition to excellent performances by all members of the cast, there is some fine singing and dancing from that era.