The read
It runs a compact 57m.
Synopsis
In 1937, after seeing a photo depicting the lynching of a black man in the south, Bronx-born high school teacher Abel Meeropol wrote a poem entitled "Strange Fruit" that begins with the words: "Southern trees bear a strange fruit / Blood on the leaves and blood at the root." He set the poem to music and a few years later convinced Billy holiday to record it in a legendary heartbreaking performance. Intertwining jazz genealogy, biography, performance footage, and the history of lynching, director Joel Katz fashions a fascinating discovery of the lost story behind a true American classic. Written by Excerpted from Coolidge Corner Theatre Program Update
Ratings
IMDb8/10
Metacritic73/100
1 audience votes
Key crew
- Joel KatzDirector
Cast
- Dorothy ThigpenSelf
- Milton GablerSelf
- Farah Jasmine GriffinSelf
- Pete SeegerSelf
- Ethel RosenbergSelf
- Julius RosenbergSelf
- Billie HolidaySelf
- Cassandra WilsonSelf