India, Oct. 21 -- A review published on Oct. 21, 2026, describes “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” as a documentary that unfolds over a single day in August 1972, when filmmaker William Greaves convened figures associated with the Harlem Renaissance at Duke Ellington’s townhouse to reflect on its legacy.
Origins of the footage
The review says Greaves invited luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance to gather in August 1972, with a small camera crew that included his son, David Greaves. The plan was to shoot the event on 16 mm for a film titled “From These Roots.”
It adds that Greaves ultimately made the 1974 documentary largely with archival photographs, and spent years debating what to do with the townhouse footage from 1972, but never found a h...