Harlem Renaissance figures captured in 1972 documentary reunion

The documentary ‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem’ captures a historic 1972 reunion of key figures from the Harlem Renaissance. Filmed by William Greaves in an apartment borrowed from Duke Ellington, the footage documents a gathering of influential poets, musicians, painters, and intellectuals including Eubie Blake, Romare Bearden, and Aaron Douglas.

The film records candid interactions among the luminaries as they reminisce about their contributions to the movement, air long-standing grievances, and debate the timeline and nature of the era. Participants offer varying perspectives on the movement, with some defining it as a period that peaked in 1921 and others describing it not as a renaissance, but as a ‘awakening.’