About

Lessons of the Hour
Lessons of the Hour is a poetic portrait of the orator, philosopher, intellectual and self-liberated freedom fighter Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), who was born into slavery in Maryland, USA. He campaigned across Britain and Europe against slavery and for freedom and social justice. Filmed at sites in London, Edinburgh and at Douglass’ home in Washington D.C., Julien’s film combines tableaux vivants which imagine scenes from Douglass’s public and private life, with footage from the present day.

In the film, the character of Douglass interacts with other cultural icons of …