nothing but a man - one of the all time greats - me thinks.

If you did not live through this period in the South, it might seem out there. But this was as faithful to some of the worst things I saw as a kid that it is uncomfortable to watch and remember. It is a shame so few films today are as impartial with the truth as this incredible film was/is. Really appreciate that you posted this. Thanks Kevin - I would never have found this on my own - brilliantly written, acted and filmed - authentic!

B
 
Sorry you went through those times Say.
Was watching an interview with Ivan Dixon the lead actor and he talked about being in the film business for 40 years and it was all junk work he did with the exception of nothing but a man.
Thank God they had a decent budget to shoot with even though it was an indy film.
I usually watch a film a night. But I've not been able to watch anything for the last couple of nights since watching it again.
What a medium in the right hands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzAggNO0zMo
 
Hey Kevin, no worries. I was not the object of the awful behavior, just a white kid from the north who grew up in a Southern town witnessing what is in the movie a number of times. When I asked my parents about what I saw, they had no explanation except to caution that one must judge folks on their character and not their appearance (they were not kind in their review of the folks creating the hate). In an odd way, I am fortunate to have the memories I have, because it has helped me keep my eyes focused on what is important - talent, honesty, drive and respect. In a way, this movie also reminds me of Little Big Man where the Indians are human beings and the whites, well not so much.

I have seen things change in my part of the world, but I wonder how much. I pray it is more than we think in spite of the current climate. I can only do what I do by behaving properly in my own direct relationships.

Great movie with a really important historical message.
 
Hey say - I hear ya. I've been thinking of the film all week. There are very few films I've seen - maybe 3 or 4 - where I can not see the camera at work. Obviously the film is being shot on a camera, thru a lens, with a crew, etc.
But the intimacy of this film doesn't allow me to glimpse the 4th wall where the director, grips, sound, etc is. Very strange.
As far as the whole topic of race goes - brotha...
 
Amen. I am not a filmaker by trade - primarily a stills guy who loves the whole motion/continuity/story thing. Yes, nothing gets in the way here. It is brilliant on every level.

I have a theory about the true American soul. We have a divided nation in so many ways that is under stress from more directions than I think I can comprehend. But when I feel down, I think about what the Jim Crow era really means to me (besides the obvious evil of unequal separation). It signifies a time when the fabled (but very real) courage was everywhere in the African-American communities just in order to to survive on a daily basis. And it was courage dispalyed very much as the main character in this film displays it. I have never ever experienced anything directed towards me the way it was common to have happen to a person of color during that period. And their strength and accomplishments speak for themselves. When I feel overwhelmed I think of the courage of this era and that which I saw as a kid and it inspires me to overcome the small obstacles that I have faced. We have much to be thankful for in this country - but the courage of that era is not one that is commonly thought of as American. But for me it is as American as it gets. The African American communities of the Jim Crow era (which gave birth to Dr Martin Luther King) represent my symbols of what it means to be a courageous American. Yes, of course, there are many others, but for me, from what I saw as a kid - there is something special about the strength and resilience that is portrayed in this film.

Sorry for the long script, but you can see the film brings things to the surface. Grateful to you for posting it.
 
I hear ya loud and clear Say. I grew up in the Bronx and as a kid and young man was as racist as one gets. Then I would see those news clips of the sit-ins at Woolworths where the young black people would get beaten, and the black kids going to school with angry whites shouting at them, the dogs and water hoses on blacks, the dignity of MLK, and a sea change slowly took place in me. My stepfather had a small fish store in Harlem and there was a guy who worked there on the weekends with us. An old black guy who lived right above the store. His name was Joe Greene. He didn't have a mean bone in his body, enjoyed his bottle a little too much, the guy was skinless. And he would ask about my day, my life, etc. I couldn't understand why he gave two shits about me. But ya already know the end of this story. We became friends me and him. When I went back to my gang on the weekends and we were all drinking, getting high, and talking about starting some trouble - which usually had to do with fighting blacks and latinos in my neighborhood - when I would hear racial slurs - I would think of Joe.
 
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