film

Two Dollars and a Dream

User Rating	1 2 3 4 5
Producer(s)	Stanley Nelson
Director(s)	Stanley Nelson
Release Date	1989
Runtime	56 min
Format(s)	16mm, video
Youth Media	no

Film Description

This is a biography of Madame C.J. Walker, the child of slaves freed by the Civil War, who became America's first self-made millionairess. By interweaving social, economic and political history, it also offers a view of black America from 1867 to the 1930's.
Mrs. Walker's fortune was built on skin and hair care products. She parlayed a homemade beauty formula into a prosperous business, marketing her products from coast to coast. Her daughter, A'Leilia Walker, was an important patron of the Harlem Renaissance. The two women lived in royal style, complete with a mansion and chauffeured limousines.
This little known story is both entertaining and informative. It combines interviews, historical stills and unique film footage including scenes from Harlem's famous Cotton Club. The film is punctuated with the music of Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and other masters of that era.