Anthem (1991)

• Year: 1991
• Released: 21 Jul 1993
• Country: United States
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136710/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anthem
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: Not Rated
• Genre: Short
• Runtime: 9 min
• Writer: N/A
• Director: Marlon Riggs
• Cast: Djola Bernard Branner, Jesse Harris, Willi Ninja
• Keywords: lgbt, gay pride,

	6.2/10
	80% – Critics
	60% – Audience

Anthem Storyline

Almost a tone poem, this is a collage of sounds and images: gay, Black men dance, sing, and recite poetry. They call each other to arms to parade and flaunt their race and sexual orientation. They call on each other to rewrite history, to pervert the language, to “be freaky and free,” and to confront America in order to redefine it in a way that gives them standing as equals.

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Anthem Movie Reviews

I too, sing America

I’m always worried when watching queer cinema of the 20th century that it will be a depressing reminder of the plague, but I should know that Marlon Riggs doesn’t do depressing. He shows a realistic understanding of the world, but it is always uplifting. The fact that he is always intersectional in his work just makes it all the better.

This is an anthem to the United States that is, was, and could be. And equally and anthem to the gay, black citizens who are, were, and will continue to defy the America that attempts to erase them.

Certainly better than its IMDb rating

This classic short poetry film is on the subject of gay African American issues of the day, and is still relevant today.

It addresses macho culture, being out, HIV/AIDS, and same-sex marriage, to name a few topics, and you don’t have to be a US or black person to relate to it.

I’m not a poet, but my layman’s assessment is that the poetry is of high quality, yet accessible to average people. The film also contains music and dance, and flag imagery to tie it together.

I’m shocked that so few people have seen this important short, and fewer still have appreciated it.