Adam Clayton Powell (1989) User Reviews

a person can be ruthless and brilliant at the same time

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 19 March 2019]

Born to an affluent black family, the outspoken Adam Clayton Powell Jr. became a preacher and leader of New York's black community. Eventually he got elected to congress, where he remained as defiant as ever. But he would also stop at nothing to stay the presumed leader of blacks in the US. Richard Kilberg's Academy Award-nominated "Adam Clayton Powell" focuses on this man whose boisterous flamboyance endeared him to a black community that was through with white people ignoring their grievances; they kept reelecting him no matter what happened! We get insight from a number of people who knew him, with narration from Julian Bond.

Admittedly, Powell was probably more interested in promoting himself than in advancing his people, but you can't deny that he made a name for himself and drew attention to issues affecting the black community.

I recommend it.

A look at an early and controversial civil rights leader

[movieman-187 · 5/10 · 30 March 2001]

This documentary employs mostly talking heads and old still pictures to relay its message about the life and work of Harlem preacher and Congressman Adam Clayton Powell. As one of the first black Congressmen, Powell deserves a lot of credit for helping ignite the civil rights movement. He helped blacks get into the navy, obtain government jobs, and boycott racist businesses. However, after the rise of Martin Luther King, Powell faded, as a man who was only looking out for himself. He was no longer THE black leader so he retreated to the Bahamas to live in luxury. I admit that I was not alive during the Civil Rights Movement, but I find most of what Mr. Powell did to be only for Mr. Powell. I don't think he is or was ever a good symbol for black strive, and the movie fails because it tries to view his life through rose tinted glasses. It is not a balanced piece. The whole story is not accurately represented. In fact, out of all the people who gave insight about this man, only one was white, and everybody put a positive spin on anything he did. This was an interesting man in life, but a poor movie about it. 4/10