European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 03, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse Filming heart of a Black Man stars and stripes daily Magazine by Norman Goldstein of staff writer it took 20 years for Jules Dassin to come Back to his native United states to make a film and he chose the hot potato of the current negro unrest to do it. Dassin left the states during the Mccarthy Era when his name was raised in the general communist Man who made his film reputation Early with such violent melodramas As brute Force and naked City found himself unable to work and went int self exile in Europe. Thieves Highway was the last film he did in the unite states in 1949. In France he came up with the award winning robbery suspense film Riffi and followed with such gems As he who must die the Christ parable from Nikos Kazantzakis novel the greek passion and never on sunday that popular tale of the warm hearted prostitute. The latter two featured the greek goddess of his life Melina Mercuri now mrs. Dassin. There were some duds too phae dra "10 30 . Summer the latter a monumental failure by his own admission. In new York Dassin was anxious to talk of his new film in Black Turtleneck sweater and sports jacket pacing the floor intermittently to collect his thoughts before answering question he spoke with relaxed reflection. His curly White hair and Bright Blueeyes made him appear younger than his 56 years and despite an oncoming cold he looked fitter than Ever. He joked about a recent to talk show he was on in which they spent most of the time talking about the vivacious Melina an not the new film. And he shrugged off the bad years with an air of a Man who had made the Best of wherever he was and had a Good time doing Melina there for some 10 years of it helped of brought him Back Only a slight pause then this film brought i became employable about five year Sago he said with just a Trace of a Grin but with no hint of bitterness. Buti waited to do a film on this theme. I always wanted to come Back Here it was of course a Good Deal More Jules Dassin he chose the hot potato. Than just the film that brought Zimback. Hollywood had changed he Felt there was More Freedom there now. And More importantly this greek thing came this greek thing was the military backed takeover in Greece where Das sin has spent much of his self exile with miss Mercouri and where he had filmed he who must die and never on now miss Mercouri kind of a Mother Greece violently opposed to the new Junta has become Persona non grata in her native , the couple came Back. First they did Illya Darling the Broadway musical version of never on then with miss Mercouri in Hollywood for the movie gaily gaily Dassin filmed it s probably the first american film from a major company Para mount to Deal in Basic terms with the current negro unrest. It s a subject like the Vietnam War that Hollywood has shied from. But uptight deals with it directly pitting the philosophies of Black Power and Freedom now against the theory of nonviolence. It started when Dassin s agent Paul Rosen asked him about doing a remake. No was the immediate reply. Want to do a remake of the informer in Harlem yes but Harlem where the Connecticut born Dassin was raised and educated did t work out As the setting. Dassi said new York police would t let him film after 11 ., citing an the company went instead to Cleveland it s a More typical . City anyway and did location shooting in the Hough negro Section where racial rioting hit in the summer of 1966. There were no serious problems there though there were moments of difficulty Dassin recalled. He said you could still feel a tension the residents still were uptight particularly Heyoung. In the film we re really trying to Tell the country and the world what is in the heart of a Black Man in americ today. And in order to do this we tried to View them As truly As realistically As we knew them As we met them and As we be observed them from our own experience in life. And in the context of today in the mood of today an perhaps tomorrow. They re real enough. The Black Man in uptight find himself faced with two philosophies nonviolence As a still worthwhile Prin Ciple or forget it nonviolence was assassinated with or. Martin Luther King or. Last april. D Assin Felt it essential to get Black help in the film. He got actress Ruby Dee to help write it her husband Ossie Davis was unavailable. And Julian Mayfield primarily a writer and teacher though he once did some theater acting was talked into helping write the script and before he knew it was starring in the film. Mayfield plays a weak alcoholic Black who informs to police on a Black Mili Tant Friend. In the original informer the Irish Republican army is the Black militant equivalent with Victor Mac lag Len in the film title role As Typo Nolan squealing on Wallace Ford. Uptight has basically an All negro cast with Raymond St. Jacques Frank Silvera and Roscoe Lee Browne in addition to Mayfield and miss Dee. Dassin finds an enormous change i Hollywood since he was there last. A very Good change. It is a much free place. A film maker who cares enough can make the film he wants today with out interference. He could t As he did in Europe for the last 20years, Jules Dassin has made a film he cared about. He produced it As he has every film he s made since Riffi he directed it he helped write it. Next for Dassin is Romain Gary a Promise at and one of the things he wants to do eventually is film on Greece Greece today. With Melina of course. Dasson at february 3, 1969 kit film brought me Back. Never in Harlem Gid new York to uptight stars Ruby Dee Julian Mayfield the tars and stripes po0
