I suppose Johnny Nash may sometimes get a little tired of everyone mentioning "I Can See Clearly Now", as if it's the only hit record he ever had. But recently I heard that wonderful song again (possibly one of the best recordings ever made) and decided to do a little online research about Johnny. There's not much there; apparently he's a very private person. But, I discovered he had made one film -- this one -- and decided to order it.
Apparently this film was seen as being very provocative back in 1959 and had trouble being distributed, even though it was produced by Burt Lancaster's company. Today, of course, it seems pretty tame.
There are problems here. And I blame them entirely on the director and the screenwriters. Some of the dialog -- particularly in the opening scenes of the film -- is just pathetic. Fortunately, it improves. Some of the staging is a bit awkward, again, particularly early in the film.
In terms of the acting, Johnny does okay here. I think he could have turned into a very good actor. I wonder why he didn't go further in that field.
Estelle Hemsley is superb as the grandmother (despite some of the dialog) and was nominated for a supporting actress award. Ruby Dee was building her career at this point, and is quite good as a maid. Frederick O'Neal, as the father...well, I was not impressed, and it seems as if he was more important in terms of the profession of acting than he was at actually acting...at least based on this film. One of my favorite supporting actress is here -- Beah Richards -- who I particularly remember from "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner"; here she plays the mother.
The underlying problem of this film is that it can't ever quite decide what it's trying to accomplish. It switches back and forth between being the story of a Black youth during the time of desegregation who is trying to fit into a mostly White culture. Other times, it becomes a coming of age story, a rather unseemly one at that.
Some of the later scenes are quite powerful, particularly when his mother (he is 18) tells him that he should know his place. That he should never talk back to a White woman...even if she is wrong in teaching about racism. About how his behavior could result in a lynching in the South. And how she wishes he had never been born.
While it's not a perfect movie, it really got me thinking about what we rarely see in films -- the story of the kids that lived through desegregation. Not the history part of it,, but the human part of it.
I felt that the ending was not well thought out. I guess it was saying that he finally realizes his home town situation is his past, that his future is education...at the state college, and although it is unsaid, the impression is that he realizes he will meet other Black students there.
The value here is not in what is, but how the film may get you thinking. Recommended.
And Johnny, thanks for being a special person.
Apparently this film was seen as being very provocative back in 1959 and had trouble being distributed, even though it was produced by Burt Lancaster's company. Today, of course, it seems pretty tame.
There are problems here. And I blame them entirely on the director and the screenwriters. Some of the dialog -- particularly in the opening scenes of the film -- is just pathetic. Fortunately, it improves. Some of the staging is a bit awkward, again, particularly early in the film.
In terms of the acting, Johnny does okay here. I think he could have turned into a very good actor. I wonder why he didn't go further in that field.
Estelle Hemsley is superb as the grandmother (despite some of the dialog) and was nominated for a supporting actress award. Ruby Dee was building her career at this point, and is quite good as a maid. Frederick O'Neal, as the father...well, I was not impressed, and it seems as if he was more important in terms of the profession of acting than he was at actually acting...at least based on this film. One of my favorite supporting actress is here -- Beah Richards -- who I particularly remember from "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner"; here she plays the mother.
The underlying problem of this film is that it can't ever quite decide what it's trying to accomplish. It switches back and forth between being the story of a Black youth during the time of desegregation who is trying to fit into a mostly White culture. Other times, it becomes a coming of age story, a rather unseemly one at that.
Some of the later scenes are quite powerful, particularly when his mother (he is 18) tells him that he should know his place. That he should never talk back to a White woman...even if she is wrong in teaching about racism. About how his behavior could result in a lynching in the South. And how she wishes he had never been born.
While it's not a perfect movie, it really got me thinking about what we rarely see in films -- the story of the kids that lived through desegregation. Not the history part of it,, but the human part of it.
I felt that the ending was not well thought out. I guess it was saying that he finally realizes his home town situation is his past, that his future is education...at the state college, and although it is unsaid, the impression is that he realizes he will meet other Black students there.
The value here is not in what is, but how the film may get you thinking. Recommended.
And Johnny, thanks for being a special person.