Manic Impressive
11th January 2014, 19:40
This film was recommended to me by a comrade as it was only recently released for the first time in the UK a few months ago, despite the film being made 49 years ago. Although it had been re-released in the states in '94 the film remains largely unknown. A forgotten masterpiece about a railroad worker in the Jim Crow south in 1964. Made with an almost entirely amateur african american cast. The film deals with race, class and gender like no film I've seen. Written and directed by a German born, Jewish holocaust survivor after a trip to Alabama. Shot in New Jersey on a shoe-string budget, a nice fact about it is everybody who worked on the film was paid the same regardless of the size of their part. It was shot in the North as a project like that shot on location would have been a legal impossibility.
The plot is essentially a love story between a young man and woman from different social classes. We see the main character, Duff dealing with racism and unemployment, being blacklisted after hinting at unionizing his work place. As a result of the constant shit he has to put up with he increasingly takes out his frustrations on his lover.
The film stands not just as a powerful piece of art but as a historical document. Which sadly is all too relevant today.
35Wt05hxZcA
I thought I'd share this as I'm sure some of you will enjoy it and I hope after watching we can have a discussion about the many themes of the film. Enjoy.
The plot is essentially a love story between a young man and woman from different social classes. We see the main character, Duff dealing with racism and unemployment, being blacklisted after hinting at unionizing his work place. As a result of the constant shit he has to put up with he increasingly takes out his frustrations on his lover.
The film stands not just as a powerful piece of art but as a historical document. Which sadly is all too relevant today.
35Wt05hxZcA
I thought I'd share this as I'm sure some of you will enjoy it and I hope after watching we can have a discussion about the many themes of the film. Enjoy.