A Different Image
1982 American film
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A Different Image is a 1982 American film that was directed, written, and edited by Alile Sharon Larkin that explores body image and societal beauty standards through the eyes of a young Black woman on a journey towards self-worth.
Women Make Movies
Michael Adisa Anderson
| A Different Image | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alile Sharon Larkin |
| Written by | Alile Sharon Larkin |
| Produced by | Alile Sharon Larkin Women Make Movies |
| Starring | Margòt Saxton-Federella Michael Adisa Anderson |
| Cinematography | Charles Burnett |
| Edited by | Alile Sharon Larkin Charles BurnettRef? |
| Music by | Munyungo Jackson |
Release date |
|
Running time | 52 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Summary
Alana (Margot Saxton-Federlla), an art student, explores sexuality, Western ideals of beauty, and her own self-worth in 1980's Los Angeles.[1] Vincent (Adisa Anderson), her long-time friend, feels pressured to turn their platonic relationship into a sexual one which further intensified Alana's frustration with western, patriarchal beauty standards and gender norms.[2]
Cast
- Margòt Saxton-Federella as Alana
- Michael Adisa Anderson as Vincent
Production
Creating a Different Image: Portrait of Alile Sharon Larkin is a 1989 documentary about the making of A Different Image[3]
Reception
The film is considered as a groundbreaking foray into a realistic character portrait of a young Black woman. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times heralded it as "...extraordinary, a fresh and clear expression of an acute sensibility.[4]"
Awards and recognition
Screenings
- UCLA's L.A. Rebellion Film Series, UCLA Hammer Museum, 2011[7]
- Madeline Anderson Shorts, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 2013[8]
- Afterimage: Madeline Anderson, Berkeley Art Museum, 2016[9]
- One Way or Another: Black Women's Cinema, 1970–1991, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 2017[10]
Preservation
The Black Film Center/Archive preserved A Different Image, which included 16mm original color reversal A/B rolls and full-coat magnetic track elements. They produced a 16mm color internegative, a soundtrack negative, and two new 16mm projection prints.[11]
The script of the film was published in a 1991 compilation of collected works called Screenplays of the African American Experience.[citation needed]