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Sunday Cinematheque at the Chazen | Livin’ Large! (1991)
March 26 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Sunday Cinematheque at the Chazen: Michael Schultz and Paolo Gioli
Over four once-a-month screenings this calendar, we will provide a sampling of the feature film work by Wisconsin’s own Michael Schultz, a pioneering African-American filmmaker who sustained a successful career within the Hollywood studio system over five decades. Born (in 1939) and raised in Milwaukee, Schultz developed a reputation as one of the most versatile feature film directors of the 1970s and 80s, and became particularly renowned for his comedies. A specialist with large, multi-character casts, Schultz also revealed a deftness for handling issues of race with a gentle, kind humor, and unexpected bursts of poignancy.
Over four once-a-month screenings this calendar, we will provide a sampling of the feature film work by Wisconsin’s own Michael Schultz, a pioneering African-American filmmaker who sustained a successful career within the Hollywood studio system over five decades. Born (in 1939) and raised in Milwaukee, Schultz developed a reputation as one of the most versatile feature film directors of the 1970s and 80s, and became particularly renowned for his comedies. A specialist with large, multi-character casts, Schultz also revealed a deftness for handling issues of race with a gentle, kind humor, and unexpected bursts of poignancy.
Chazen Auditorium
SUN, 3/26, 2 p.m.
LIVIN’ LARGE!
USA | 1991 | 35mm | 96 min.
Director: Michael Schultz
Cast: Terrence T.C. Carson, Lisa Arrindell, Loretta Devine
Thirty-something delivery man Dexter Jackson’s (Carson) greatest dream is to be a television news anchor, a gig he spends every free moment practicing for. His big break comes during an active hostage situation where his heroic efforts earn him the respect of his community and a cushy reporting gig as the only Black newsman at a highly rated local network. Soon enough, though, he’s pushed by a craven, ratings-hungry producer to deliver sleazy exposés on his friends and neighbors, and he begins to see a grotesque, Dorian Gray-like transformation in his on-air appearance. In hindsight, Livin’ Large! looks like a stepping stone between Sidney Lumet’s Network and Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, a media satire as broad and crass as the industry it’s skewering, and another Schultz-directed winner that pins its wacky hijinks to an uncommon sensitivity regarding matters of race and work. (CW)
SUN, 3/26, 2 p.m.
LIVIN’ LARGE!
USA | 1991 | 35mm | 96 min.
Director: Michael Schultz
Cast: Terrence T.C. Carson, Lisa Arrindell, Loretta Devine
Thirty-something delivery man Dexter Jackson’s (Carson) greatest dream is to be a television news anchor, a gig he spends every free moment practicing for. His big break comes during an active hostage situation where his heroic efforts earn him the respect of his community and a cushy reporting gig as the only Black newsman at a highly rated local network. Soon enough, though, he’s pushed by a craven, ratings-hungry producer to deliver sleazy exposés on his friends and neighbors, and he begins to see a grotesque, Dorian Gray-like transformation in his on-air appearance. In hindsight, Livin’ Large! looks like a stepping stone between Sidney Lumet’s Network and Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, a media satire as broad and crass as the industry it’s skewering, and another Schultz-directed winner that pins its wacky hijinks to an uncommon sensitivity regarding matters of race and work. (CW)
