William Greaves is one of the most significant and compelling American
filmmakers of the past century. Best known for his experimental film
about its own making, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One, Greaves was an
influential independent documentary filmmaker who produced, directed,
shot, and edited more than a hundred films on a variety of social issues
and on key African American figures ranging from Muhammad Ali to Ralph
Bunche to Ida B. Wells. A multitalented artist, his career also included
stints as a songwriter, a member of the Actors Studio, and, during the
late 1960s, a producer and cohost of Black Journal, the first national
television show focused on African American culture and politics.
This volume provides the first comprehensive overview of Greaves's
remarkable career. It brings together a wide range of material,
including a mix of incisive essays from critics and scholars, Greaves's
own writings, an extensive meta-interview with Greaves, conversations
with his wife and collaborator Louise Archambault Greaves and his son
David, and a critical dossier on Symbiopsychotaxiplasm. Together, they
illuminate Greaves's mission to use filmmaking as a tool for
transforming the ways African Americans were perceived by others and the
ways they saw themselves. This landmark book is an essential resource on
Greaves's work and his influence on independent cinema and
African-American culture.
