Harry Belafonte
Arts & Ideas
BBC
4.2 • 598 Ratings
🗓️ 15 December 2023
⏱️ 46 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Popularising calypso music, performing with Sinatra's Rat pack, Nana Mouskouri, Miriam Makeba and Charlie Parker, starring in films including Otto Preminger's Carmen Jones, the hip hop film he produced called Beat Street, Robert Altman's Kansas City and Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman: Harry Belafonte's career in film and music ran from 1949 to 2018 but he was also a tireless political activist who was inspired by Paul Robeson. As the BFI programmes a season of his films in December, Matthew Sweet is joined by Candace Allen, Kevin Le Gendre and Susanne Rostock.
Producer: Torquil MacLeod
On the Free Thinking website you can find Matthew Sweet's interview with Harry Belafonte, recorded in 2012 after the publication of his autobiography My Song and the release of Susanne Rostock's documentary Sing Your Song. Susanne is currently working on another film that she made with Belafonte - Following Harry - that sees him meeting and talking to young activists. Also on the Free Thinking website are more episodes exploring Black History including a discussion about the career of Sidney Poitier and Radio 3 has a series of 5 Essays called Paul Robeson in Five Songs. Kevin Le Gendre's Edgar Allan Poe based musical project - Re:EAP - has just released its debut album 'Zoo For Barbers'.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Can I just say? |
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| 0:05.6 | So nice. |
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| 0:08.8 | Different paces, different heights. |
| 0:10.6 | The roof is buckling. |
| 0:11.9 | Where you can also listen to live sports commentary. |
| 0:14.2 | It's right foot goes for goal. |
| 0:16.7 | And then enjoy even more podcasts full of analysis and reaction to the big stories. |
| 0:21.7 | The stat that is astonishing is they ended with the lowest amount of possession. |
| 0:25.2 | And she's had to live with that. |
| 0:26.8 | So if you love sport, a passion, it's almost like a religion. |
| 0:29.7 | Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:31.7 | Sort of expecting that every week now. |
| 0:35.8 | BBC Sounds, music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:39.5 | This edition of the Arts and Ideas podcast brushes with greatness, the greatness of the |
| 0:44.6 | American actor, activist and singer Harry Belafonte. |
| 0:48.2 | So join me, Matthew Sweet, and guests after this message. |
| 0:52.9 | Usually I associate classical music with tea and biscuits and talking about how my mum isn't good |
| 0:57.8 | enough for my dad. Have you heard the classical fix podcast on Radio 3 yet? It's a great way |
| 1:03.0 | to discover new music. I'm Linton Stevens and each week I mix my guest a playlist. They take |
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