About this Event
4K RESTORATION! TORONTO PREMIERE!
Cooley High is one of the great coming-of-age movies of the 1970s, a non-stop blast of 60s Motown hits, and the #1 masterpiece in the stacked catalogue of iconic director Michael Schultz (CAR WASH, THE LAST DRAGON, KRUSH GROOVE), the first Black American director to helm a big budget studio picture. Marketed as the Black American Graffiti – and the loose, episodic structure, end of high school nostalgia rush and stacked soundtrack from a past era totally fit that comparison – Cooley High is all that and more, a wildly entertaining, deeply personal gem that’s finally been given the overdue restoration it deserves. Stompbox is proud to present the 4K Toronto premiere!
Chicago, 1964: it’s the end of high school for aspiring poet Preach (Glynn Turman) and his best friend, Cochise (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs), and they have a full slate of extracurricular activities: swinging dance parties, late-night joyrides, and the stumbling pursuit of romance. Of course, when you’re a young Black man in America, there’s no guarantee that your coming-of-age story will be free of complications. A profound influence on a generation of filmmakers that includes Spike Lee and John Singleton, director Michael Schultz and screenwriter Eric Monte — who drew on his own experiences growing up in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing project (non-Chicagoans will know it from Candyman) — arrived at something truly unique in 1970s cinema with Cooley High: an endearingly funny, tender, and authentic portrait of Black teens striving toward a brighter future, brought to life by a dynamic ensemble cast and set to a heavenly hit parade of Motown classics by The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Martha and The Vandellas, The Four Tops, and more. - DAVID BERTRAND
This screening is also Stompbox series curator David Bertrand’s birthday!
Trailer:
ABOUT THE FILM:
COOLEY HIGH
USA | 1975 | 107 minutes | 14A
DIRECTOR: MICHAEL SCHULTZ
CAST: GLYNN TURNMAN, LAWRENCE HILTON-JACOBS, GARRETT MORRIS
ABOUT STOMPBOX:
Stompbox is a music-on-film event, screening and performance series active since 2016, curated by David Bertrand.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, Canada
CAD 13.00 to CAD 16.00