"A Great Day in Harlem" echoes half a century on.......................

Rating: 8/10 (8 March 2011)

The back story - if you like - of "The Terminal" is rather less celebrated than the "Man without a country" type plot that has been well - covered by writers on this site. Back in 1958,"Esquire" magazine commissioned Art Kane to take photographs for a special Jazz edition.It was his idea to get together all the top jazz musicians who were in New York on the actual day of the photograph and picture them outside a Harlem Brownstone. The resultant portrait became one of the most iconic of all jazz photos and was the subject - 30 years later - of a TV programme known as "A Great Day in Harlem". Victor Navorski (Mr T.Hanks) had flown to New York To complete his late father's collection of autographs from all the musicians shown in Kane's photograph.That collection was in the tin of peanuts he guarded so fiercely. Saxophonist/composer/educator Mr Benny Golson was leading a quartet at a New York hotel.His was the last signature Victor needed. JFK's crystal - like appearance resembles Superman's Fortress of Solitude as our hero refines his game plan,righting wrongs,uniting star - crossed lovers and jumping over tall buildings in his spare time. Despite the worst efforts of the Lex Luthor - like Mr S.Tucci,Victor is able to escape from his glass prison and meet Mr Golson. He then returns to Krypton where no doubt everyone is as compassionate,honest,multi - talented,decent and forgiving as he. Mr Hanks is really very good in this movie.Not,as some have suggested,patronising or even racist. As a European male myself,I feel more than happy that we have been presented not as pimps,drug dealers,robbers and fraudsters but as polymaths who could teach the Yanks a thing or two about what is actually important.