Georgia, Georgia
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Stig Bjorkman
Diana Sands
Minnie Gentry
Roger Furman
Terry Whitmore
Dirk Benedict
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Georgia Martin is a prominent African-American singer traveling to Stockholm to perform in a concert. Wearied by the demands of fame, she strives for freedom, both from her controlling companion-maid, Mrs. Alberta Anderson, and from what she sees as the pressure to support all black causes. Alberta, whose husband was castrated by Mississippi racists, has become a radical black activist, avoiding white establishments and insisting that the races remain separate. Alberta is troubled by Georgia's increasing petulance and sense of privilege, as well as for her predilection for white lovers. Arriving at the airport in Sweden, Georgia flirts with the white reporters until they ask her about Civil Rights issues, at which point she reacts with annoyance. Her hauteur, however, masks an insecurity and isolation, exacerbated by the fights between Alberta and Georgia's manager, Herbert Thompson, both of whom hope to control Georgia and profit from her success. The press coverage of Georgia's concert attracts the attention of a group of African-American Vietnam War deserters, now living in Sweden but considered outcasts, who hope to enlist her to speak out for their cause. Their leader, Bobo, turns to Alberta to urge Georgia to work with them, but the singer finds their "black power" sentiments incomprehensible, and refuses. While the Americans grow to view Alberta as a mother figure, Georgia falls in love with another Vietnam veteran, a white photographer named Michael Winters who has been assigned to do a picture story on her for a national magazine. Michael, who was reared by a loving black nurse while his parents neglected him, fears that his experiences in Vietnam have left him impotent. With Georgia, he learns otherwise. Bobo, angered by Georgia's dismissal, informs Alberta of the singer's affair with Michael, and Alberta, who has grown even more militant from her involvement with the deserters, grows infuriated. When Georgia returns from a rendezvous with Michael, Alberta strangles her, then sings to her and combs her hair.
Director
Stig Bjorkman
Cast
Diana Sands
Minnie Gentry
Roger Furman
Terry Whitmore
Dirk Benedict
Diana Kjaer
Lars Eric Berenett
Stig Engstrom
Artie Sheppard
James Thomas Finlay Jr.
Andrew Bates Jr.
Randolph Henry
Beatrice Wendin
Tina Hedstrom
Crew
Henri Alexander
Bob Anderson
Kristina Andersson
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou
Andreas Bellis
Sten-goran Camitz
Kjell Gustafsson
Gunner Hagg
Herman Howell
Jack Jordan
Quentin Kelly
Ted Lindahl
Susanne Linnman
Bengt Lothner
Margaretha Lundberg
Hakan Lundstrom
Hans Ohrstrom
Hugh A. Robertson
Tage Sjorborg
Eva Stjerne
Sven Olaf Waldorf
Leif Westerlund
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of the film was Georgia. As noted in reviews and news items, it was shot on location in Stockholm, Sweden. According to the Los Angeles Times review, some American soldiers who had deserted during the Vietnam War played themselves in the film. While some reviews identify "Michael Winters" as a veteran, others describe him as a deserter.
Reviewers noted that Georgia, Georgia marked the first film in a partnership between Jack Jordan, an African-American producer, and white producer Quentin Kelly. The film was the first screenwriting effort for Maya Angelou, who was also an actress and directed the 1998 film Down in the Delta, but is best known as a prominent American poet. Although some sources state that Georgia, Georgia had the first original screenplay written by a black woman, there had been others dating back to the 1930s.
Georgia, Georgia also marked the feature film debut of actor Dirk Benedict, who went on to portray "Lt. Starbuck" in the 1978 television series Battlestar Galactica. Modern sources add Vibeke Løkkeberg to the cast. The New York world premiere on March 10, 1972 benefitted sickle cell anemia prevention. In an editorial about the film, Los Angeles Times critic Charles Champlin noted that Georgia Georgia had "disappeared from local screens pretty quickly," despite what he deemed its excellence and ability to rise above stereotype.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 1971
Released in United States 1971
