Does anyone know if "The Sanctuary" is a real club/cafe downtown? I've been wondering for years. There are so many educated, cultured,...African-American 30-somethings that would love to actually attend such a place. I'd love to know if this place is real, or if others like it exist. Thanks a bunch!
sharecome to philly...and i'll show you dozens of clubs like this
....even christian ones...
It used to be in Chi.. like in late 90's .. then it was a booty club..
not no more.. what about Budda lounge?? Thats nice...
Check out the Spoken Word Cafe on the corner of 47th and King Drive or the programs at the DuSable Museum theater, very nice atmosphere caters to that 25-45 crowd. Great artists, comedians, musicians, etc.
shareHello, I directed love jones. "The Sanctuary" was a set built for the movie, but it was based on a club called Spices that used to be in the River North area, not far from Dejoie's. It was a poetry/performance spot that I used to go to all the time in the early 90s. There are plenty of places around the country like it, and I'm sure even a few more in Chicago have sprung up over the years to take its place.
shareHey Ted, can't believe you're actually writing on this site. I graduated from Columbia College in 04 and just wanted to say Love Jones should be part of the black canon when it comes to dvd collections. We need more stories like yours, im working on mine as we speak, about my years at Kenwood in Hyde Park. Being born and raised there on the south side of Chicago, and now living out in Cali (w/my boy from Kenwood) I realize we need more stories that show "the other side" of life, especially from the mid-west perspective. I wanted to ask though, I heard a rumor that you hated the ending and that you were forced to add it. Is that true and what would the directors cut look like if it were coming out? And what's in the works for the future?
shareThanks for the compliments. (Yeah, I'm here... I discovered the boards by accident because I was trying to get IMDb to change the spelling of the movie's title. It's actually all lower case, but they refuse to change it.) As to the rumor: untrue. The ending to the film was reshot for a reason of staging, not content. It is exactly as scripted. There are, however, a few songs in the film that were forced on me, but I won't mention which ones. And there are several scenes that were cut for time that might help the plot flow a bit better if restored. So a theoretical "director's cut" might have a few minor changes, but the movie is the movie, for the most part. It belongs to the audience now, anyway, not me.
I have friends who went to Kenwood, a few of them of the leggy female persuasion, and I remember them all fondly. Best of luck with your story.
Another Kenwood grad here (Class of '99) Mr. Witcher, still remembering clearly when rumors of sightings of Nia Long and Larenz Tate around the neighborhood echoed through the school hallways. It is incredible seeing your name on the board. I can only agree with my friend Maurice's previous statements about how important love jones is. What is great about the film as well is how well the sights and sounds of our beloved Chicago are captured. As an overworked-producer assistant by day and a struggling writer by night, that kind of stuff keeps the momentum going. My friends and I always talk about how much talent there is in Chi and how much we want to put that on display. Thanks. Look forward to hearing from you.
shareClass of '99? The adventure is just starting for you, my man. Stay on the grind, keep your head up, stay as positive and as enthusiastic as you can. You'll need it, believe me. If you really love it, you don't need my encouragement to stay after your dream -- and your efforts can very well be rewarded one day.
I'm glad you like the movie... I wanted to squeeze as much of the Chi milieu that I knew into it. I didn't really get close to my original conception. But movies are funny things, you know? So it is gratifying to know people were pleased with what we were able to accomplish. As I said, the movie isn't mine any more anyway. Best of luck to both y'all.
Mr. Witcher, I also loved your movie. I was just wondering if you were working on any new projects?
Thanks. Always working on new stuff, you know. We'll see what pops out next, if anything.
shareas a spices alumni (and hothouse, bop shop, lit-ex, etc.), i'd say you did a damn good job...but were we really that "sexy"? ha! it was good to see reggie doing his thing. the one thing i can say is that we set the trend for what was to come for chi poetry. it got lost, tho. cats started talking about sex too much just for their 15 minutes and all...a lot of us kinda got bitten in the ass by life...we gave so much to the art that we had to make it our first income or slow our roll. i don't think i've read a damn thing since the late 90's (shows, that is), but i have loads of flyers, start-up magazines and photos for memories. someone said something about the buddah bar - that wasn't even a notion back then.
anyway, good to see your presence and keep keepin' on.
you should see how a lot of us have grown.
i have found and keep in touch with a lot of us via myspace, believe it or not.
holla black.