Harmony and Hustle: The Five Heartbeats

Free admission. No advance reservations. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. The box office opens one hour before the event.

In person: Introduction by Artel Great, associate professor, San Francisco State University School of Cinema, and author of The Black Pack: Comedy, Race, and Resistance.

Screening 1 of 2

Harlem Nights trailer

Year: 1989
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Runtime: 2 min.
35mm. Color.

The only film written, directed, produced by and starring Eddie Murphy, this film, set in 1930s Harlem, imagines a world of Black nightlife, entrepreneurship and survival amid gangsters and corrupt cops.

Screening 2 of 2

The Five Heartbeats

Year: 1991
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Runtime: 122 min.
35mm. Color.

Robert Townsend pens a soulful love letter to Black popular music in this film loosely inspired by Motown-era vocal groups. Following a fictional quintet from 1960s chart success through industry exploitation, infighting and addiction, the film delivers a clear-eyed critique of a business that profits from Black genius while denying Black ownership. Featuring a pop-history–rich script by Townsend and Keenen Ivory Wayans and a pitch-perfect ensemble performance, this story bridges generations of Black artistry and cinema as it beautifully reveals the spiritual power of brotherhood and Black music.

Director: Robert Townsend. Screenwriters: Robert Townsend, Keenen Ivory Wayans. With: Robert Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon Robinson, Harry J. Lennix, Tico Wells, John Canada Terrell, Harold Nicholas, Diahann Carroll.