In This Our Life
This program is presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Part of the UCLA Film & Television Archive screening series The Devil Finds Work: James Baldwin’s Cinema of the Mind.
In-person: Live dramatic reading of an excerpt of The Devil Finds Work (1976).
James Baldwin: From Another Place (1973)
Shot over three days in May 1970, this short documentary is a luminous portrait directed by Sedat Pakay, Turkish photographer and friend of Baldwin. Intimate and meditative, the film captures Baldwin in rare moments of ease and introspection as he moves through the vibrant, layered cityscape of Istanbul. The film “captures the profound paradox of Baldwin’s transatlantic vantage point,” writes scholar Magdalena Zaborowska, “how he both belongs and remains an outsider.”
DCP, b&w, 12 min. Director: Sedat Pakay. With: James Baldwin.
James Baldwin: From Another Place (outtakes) (2022)
Drawn from recently restored outtakes over 50 years after James Baldwin: From Another Place was originally shot in Istanbul, the film reveals fresh dimensions of Baldwin and of Sedat Pakay as a filmmaker.
DCP, b&w, 10 min. Director: Sedat Pakay (outtakes edited by Brian Meacham). With: James Baldwin. Restored by the Yale Film Archive.
In This Our Life (1942)
At the peak of her stardom, Bette Davis played Stanley Timberlake, a destructive sister in a Virginia family — one of several roles showcasing her flair for morally complex women. James Baldwin wrote Davis was “always on the edge of a great understanding,” seen here opposite Ernest Anderson’s dignified performance. Hattie McDaniel lends a quiet, commanding presence at a pivotal moment in her constrained yet trailblazing career. The film stood out for its rare, pointed critique of racial injustice.
16mm, b&w, 97 min. Director: John Huston. Screenwriter: Howard Koch. With: Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Dennis Morgan, Ernest Anderson, Hattie McDaniel.
The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a division of UCLA Library, and presents its public programs in the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer, among other venues. For more information about the Archive, visit cinema.ucla.edu.
ATTENDING THIS PROGRAM?
Ticketing: Admission to Archive screenings at the Hammer is free. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. Box office opens one hour before the event. Questions should be directed to the Archive at programming@cinema.ucla.edu or 310-206-8013.
Member Benefit: Subject to availability, Hammer Members can choose their preferred seats. Members receive priority ticketing until 15 minutes before the program. Learn more about membership.
Parking: Valet parking is available on Lindbrook Drive for $15 cash only. Self-parking is available under the museum. Rates are $8 for the first three hours with museum validation, and $3 for each additional 20 minutes, with a $22 daily maximum. There is an $8 flat rate after 5 p.m. on weekdays, and all day on weekends.
Read our food, bag check, and photo policies.
Read our COVID-19 safety guidelines.
