‘Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hand’ is a documentary that uses archive interview recordings to explore the life, career, art, and legacy of the African American contralto and civil rights pioneer Marian Anderson. Marian Anderson’s singing and speaking voices may be heard throughout the film, giving viewers a different perspective on the woman behind the music.
Rita Coburn, who has won Emmys and Peabody Awards, directed the film. The documentary uses 34 cassette tapes of interviews conducted in the 1950s, while Anderson was preparing to publish her book, “My Lord, What a Morning,” as well as other archival interviews, to highlight Anderson’s voice and point of view.
New interviews with fellow Black opera singers Denyce Graves and tenor George Shirley, who also participated on the film’s humanities advisory board, are included in the film. B’nai Bridges (mezzo-soprano), Martina Arroyo (soprano), Angela Brown (soprano), Laura Roosevelt (Eleanor Roosevelt’s granddaughter), Sandra Grymes (Anderson’s niece), Ph.D. (Author, “Marian Anderson: The Sound of Freedom”), Raymond Arsenault, and Jillian Pirtle (author, “Marian Anderson: The Sound of Freedom”) are among those interviewed (National Marian Anderson Museum).
Anderson, most known for her concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, designated the Washington, D.C. monument as a place of protest after being discriminated against at the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Constitution Hall because of a “whites only” musical policy.
She received interracial backing from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the NAACP, Howard University, and other leaders, and defied the time’s conscience by performing in front of a mixed crowd of nearly 75,000 people. The concert was broadcast to millions of radio listeners across the world and served as an inspiration to the rising civil rights movement, prompting a 10-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr. to write a winning oratorical based on the event.
Anderson’s career was propelled by her brilliance but also steered by the constraints imposed by racism and segregation. She was affectionately known to audiences as “The Lady from Philadelphia” and “The People’s Princess.” She overcame shame, discrimination, and financial difficulty to become a voice for justice, a globally acclaimed master of her profession, and the first African American to sing the main role at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955.
Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands is a documentary about one of the world’s finest singers, whose career offers a glimpse into a period of seismic cultural change, balancing her public accomplishment with her personal problems and tenacity.
Is “American Masters: Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands” on Netflix?
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Is “American Masters: Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands” on Hulu?
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Is “American Masters: Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands” on Prime Video?
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Is “American Masters: Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands” on HBO Max?
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Is “American Masters: Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands” on PBS?
“Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands” airs on WXXI-TV and PBS on Tuesday, February 8 at 9 p.m.
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