It was later screened at other film festivals and museums over the years. Steve Buscemi and director Steven Soderbergh would eventually watch it one of those screenings and in 2002, they teamed up to get it a proper wide release, This lead to William Greaves reuniting as much of the original cast and crew in 2003 to add more layers of POV and observation in 2003’s “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take 2½”
#LaEsoterica #SymbiopsychotaxiplasmTakeOne #Symbiopsychotaxiplasm #BlackHistoryMonth #WilliamGreaves
William Greaves so believed in “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One” that he personally took it to be screened for considered to debut at Cannes Film Festival. Unfortunately, it was projected with the reels out of order and was subsequently rejected. Greaves abandoned the project.
#LaEsoterica #SymbiopsychotaxiplasmTakeOne #Symbiopsychotaxiplasm #BlackHistoryMonth #WilliamGreaves

William Greaves hired 3 film crews to document everything.

1st Film Crew: films the actors in an effort to document the audition process

2nd Film Crew: documents the 1st film crew

3rd Film Crew: document anything that fits into the documentary's overarching theme

William Greaves; plays a director whose aim is to sow dissent between the actors, all of the film crews and the concept as a whole

#LaEsoterica #SymbiopsychotaxiplasmTakeOne #Symbiopsychotaxiplasm #BlackHistoryMonth #WilliamGreaves

Essentially, “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One” (1968) was intended to be the first of a quartet of films that examined human relationships w/r/t POV surrounding a single event
#LaEsoterica #SymbiopsychotaxiplasmTakeOne #Symbiopsychotaxiplasm #BlackHistoryMonth #WilliamGreaves
And now our feature presentation: “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One” (1968) directed by William Greaves (https://youtu.be/gN1tjjJyazA?si=uAmijV0Yt4FDFTd0)
#LaEsoterica #SymbiopsychotaxiplasmTakeOne #Symbiopsychotaxiplasm #BlackHistoryMonth #WilliamGreaves

Cannot WAIT to see this: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM by William Greaves (put together from 1972 footage by his son David).

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jan/30/once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-documentary-review

#williamgreaves #blackcinema #nyc #harlem #onceuponatimeinharlem

Once Upon a Time in Harlem review – remarkable Harlem Renaissance documentary

A once-in-a-lifetime dinner party from 1972 is transformed into a thrilling and inspiring hang-out movie

The Guardian

‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem’ Review: William Greaves’ Footage of Harlem Renaissance Luminaries Is a Vital Historical Artifact

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-review-william-greaves-1235175513/

‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem’ Review: William Greaves’ Footage of Harlem Renaissance Luminaries Is a Vital Historical Artifact
#IndieWire #Criticism #Movies #Film #OnceUponaTimeinHarlem #Reviews #Sundance #WilliamGreaves

https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-review-william-greaves-1235175513/

'Once Upon a Time in Harlem' Review: William Greaves' Lost Footage

William Greaves' footage from a cocktail party of Harlem Renaissance luminaries is shown in 'Once Upon a Time in Harlem.' Read our review

IndieWire

‘Once Upon A Time In Harlem:’ The Story Behind Williams Greaves’s Unreleased Opus, Which Debuts At Sundance After Five Decades Under Wraps
#News #OnceUponATimeInHarlem #Sundance #SundanceFilmFestival #WilliamGreaves

https://deadline.com/2026/01/once-upon-a-time-in-harlem-william-greaves-sundance-2026-1236690051/

‘Once Upon A Time In Harlem:’ The Story Behind Williams Greaves’s Unreleased Opus, Which Debuts At Sundance After Five Decades Under Wraps

'Once Upon A Time In Harlem' is an oral history of the Harlem Renaissance shaped around a party Greaves hosted at Duke Ellington’s home in Harlem.

Deadline

#Bales2025FilmChallenge of February 1: #film​making

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (#WilliamGreaves, 1968)
During a screentest for a documentary in a documentary in a film, Greaves attempts to cast the leads for his upcoming piece Over the Cliff, while a documentary crew records their progress.

https://write.underworld.fr/settima/section-class-boxinfo-markdown-1-wz6x

#cinemastodon

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (William Greaves, 1968)

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (William Greaves, 1968) Feb 1 Filmmaking Don Fellows – testing as "Freddy" – and Patricia Ree Gilbe...

settima