I've been thinking a lot about movies lately.
Gothamite John Buscarello "nominated" me on Facebook to list my "Top Ten" that I love or showed me what movies could be. Its a great exercise for me, movies are vehicles for me to get in touch with my feelings, they show me what can be done (I'm a filmmaker myself) and they often inspire. Many have impacted my life in significant ways.
Today would be Diana Sands 84th birthday. She starred in a great film, Raisin In The Sun, as Beneatha Younger, also earlier, when it premiered on Broadway. She was born and bred New Yorker. Her career was on the rise both in theatre and film, she had been nominated for a Tony award. She died one month after turning 39, from leiomyosarcoma. Ms. Sands is gone, but the film remains and it's themes of racism and people trying to live their dreams and support their families are still relevant. Maybe more than ever.
In his memoirs, Bob Dylan tells of meeting Ms. Sands at a party and states that she was, "an electrifying actress who I might have been secretly in love with ..."
"There is always something left to love. And if you haven't learned that, you ain't learned nothing." - Lorraine Hansberry