The performances are so fresh and natural yet so subtle and delicately judged. The film tells the story of duff anderson, an africanamerican railroad worker in the early 1960s who tries to maintain his respect in a racist small town near birmingham, alabama, after he marries the local preachers daughter. For roughly its first half hour, michael roemers 1964 film nothing but a man newly available on dvd for the first time fully lives up to its reputation as a classic, conceptually. More significantly, troys metaphor foreshadows an inevitable fall into the role of a tragic figure. Tell the world what you think about nothing but a man. Wilsons use of the fastballdeath metaphor depicts troy as a common man capable of thinking with the heroism of a mythical figure. Nothing but a man is a movie about the relentless oppression of blacks by whites in the 50s and early 60s in the united states, whether it is in the north or the south.
Tcm messageboards post your comments here add your comment share. Arguably, the point of a serious man is to create confusion. I stress the playful charm of this is not a film by jafar panahi and mojtaba mirtahmasb because the circumstances surrounding this singular work and most attempts to describe it inevitably portend something grimmer. Nothing but a man and lilith presented the new york. Directed by michael roemer 35 mm blackandwhite film 95 minutes duart productions. The contrast with the working mans cafe down the road is clear in stanza six. Nothing but a man is a 1964 american independent drama film starring ivan dixon and abbey. When a man thinks he can beat death, the inevitable discovery of that feats impossibility awaits him. T his rerelease of the 1964 film nothing but a man, the pioneering drama about africanamerican life, is an enormous pleasure.
Just like the actors, the stunning black and white photography was natural and restrained. The film s gritty look reflects the obstacles duff faces, and roemers semidocumentary style lends nothing but a man a universal resonance, making us feel as if were watching not just one man s story, but the story of hundreds or thousands of men, all of whom are filled with a wrenching combination of hope and despair. Almost without exception, movies about the minority experience in 1960s america were smoothedover paeans to the triumph of the human spirit, starring or costarring whites. Fans of nothing but a man and dvd collectors will especially appreciate this firstclass insert.
This 1964 cinematic masterpiece presents the portrait of an imperfect man traversing the difficult terrain of. The film has not received sustained critical attention in film studies or indepth historical analysis. Killer of sheep became a legend while hardly being seen. Nothing but a man 1993 africanamerican rail worker duff anderson ivan dixon has left his 4year old son with a nanny, and now drifts through life with little ambition. Jul 23, 2018 the film smartly underlines and explores the idea that all of us desperately need something real. Lauded by critics at the venice and new york film festivals when it first premiered. Nothing but a man 1964 is a compelling film that depicts some of the racial and social challenges in the life of an african american railroad worker in the early 1960s. Nothing but a man is a film more famous than familiar. Michael roemer director, cowriter, and coproducer, a jew having narrowly escaped germany during its most dangerous time, had been met at harvard with. Director michael roemer on his seminal 60s drama nothing but. He eiji okada in hiroshima mon amour 1959 the importance of bearing witness preoccupied alain resnais 19222014 in the years prior to directing his first feature length film.
Praised by critics and film scholars for decades as a masterpiece, it is a film that still languishes in obscurity, waiting to catapulted to its rightful place as a classic of american cinema. But that doesnt mean that were not responsible to try and live a good life just because its meaningless. The film states that, most simply put, we all lead fake lives, all controlled and manipulated by the media, the people around us, and possibly a higher power. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the politics and poetics of black film. Nothing but a man is a 1964 american independent drama film starring ivan dixon and abbey lincoln, and directed by michael roemer, who also cowrote the film with robert m. Hiroshima mon amour, the result of that concern, remains one of cinemas most profound meditations on the horror of war, suffering and forgetting. Life and nothing but martha hanna university of colorado, boulder. A landmark independent film, nothing but a man is the first dramatic story featuring a largely black cast created for an integrated audience the work of black filmmakers such as.
Nothing but a man, 1964 for all the world to see umbc. Brilliant is not a word to be taken lightly, but in the case of 1964s nothing but a man, brilliant barely begins to scratch the surface. Nov 09, 2012 his other film, 1964s nothing but a man, is often compared by critics to the slicker, middleamericafriendly films sidney poitier was making during the same era. But, says film buff and labor historian toni gilpin, there are. Fast forward 50 years and critics are acclaiming michael roemers motownfuelled drama of life in 1960s alabama as a lost classic. Financial analysis of nothing but a man 2012 including budget, domestic and international box office gross, dvd and bluray sales reports, total earnings and profitability. Programmer geoff andrew explains why the time is now for nothing but a man. Sep 26, 20 t his rerelease of the 1964 film nothing but a man, the pioneering drama about africanamerican life, is an enormous pleasure. Smith abstract the independently made 1964 film nothing but a man is one of a handful of films whose production coincided with new civil rights insurgency and benefited from ac tivists input.
Free chapter 2 summary of beloved by toni morrison. Nothing and nobody we see is the complete and utter truth. A lthough he only made two fiction features, filmmaker michael roemer benefited greatly from an early 90s rediscovery, thanks to the fortuitous unearthing of a movie he made in 1969, the plot against harry, a wry, dry comedy starring martin priest. The performances are so fresh and natural yet so subtle and. Nothing but a man is a 1964 film directed by michael roemer. Few motion pictures of the period better captured the everyday tyranny of jim crow. My quest to find the real john henry nelson, scott reynolds, aronson, marc on. A landmark independent film, nothing but a man is the first dramatic story featuring a largely black cast created for an integrated audience the work of black filmmakers such as oscar micheaux. This rerelease of the 1964 film nothing but a man, the pioneering drama about africanamerican life, is an enormous pleasure. However, this film is complicated by several factors. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing nothing but a man near you. The director michael roemers film nothing but a man was made in. Zens analysis, but also think the nothing man is cop, who maybe came home when alot of other cops didnt. Director michael roemer and cinematographer robert m.
Its absurd to try and be a serious man when life is nothing but a meaningless maze, but we still try. It was malcolm xs favourite film, but never saw a release in the uk. A black man and his schoolteacher wife face discriminatory challenges in 1960s america. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. This is a spoof that shows the inside action on a film set. A proud black man and his schoolteacher wife face discriminatory challenges in 1960s america. But that doesnt mean that were not responsible to try and live a. Since its release in 1964, it has been cited as one of the first and best of a new era of. While unmistakably a film about the plight of the black american worker, a theme that would be a capstone in charles burnetts killer of sheep, nothing but a mans production history proves that such a singular reading could not suffice.
A somber and restrained film, but with glimmers of hope that are eventually ground to the nub. But after watching the film a second timeits just been released on dvdit seems worthwhile to revisit some of the questions it. Ultimately, there is no point to anything, and if god exists he isnt helping. By the time i was seventeen, i was a selfproclaimed film buff. While unmistakably a film about the plight of the black american worker, a theme that would be a capstone in charles burnetts killer of sheep, nothing but a man s production history proves that such a singular reading could not suffice. Ivan dixon as duff gives one of the greatest performances in the history of cinema and abbey lincoln as josie, the preachers daughter he tries to settle down with, is just about perfect in control of nuance. Director michael roemer on his seminal 60s drama nothing but a man he fled the nazis for a british boarding school then made a shocking drama about segregation in the deep south. Michael roemer director, cowriter, and coproducer, a jew having narrowly escaped germany during its. The timeline below shows where the character don john appears in much ado about nothing.
The film follows the relationship between the africanamericans. But essentially it is a drama of the emotional adjustment of a man to the ageold problem of earning a livelyhood, supporting a family and. The first of which is that the director, michael roemer, is not black but white. Nothing but a man studies in the cinema of the black diaspora kindle edition by wall, david c. Nothing but a man is a subversive look at the jim crow south, where all the white folk dont mind coexisting as long as they can keep african americans docile and under their thumb. Nothing but a man was released in 1964, directed and written by michael roemer, a jewish man who fled germany after the night of broken glass, which took place in 1938 and was called kristallnacht, just as the jews were getting set up to be killed. His other film, 1964s nothing but a man, is often compared by critics to the slicker, middleamericafriendly films sidney poitier was making. Young who also brought us the equally impressive mexican film alambrista. He was a director ahead of his time, producing and writing a movie about the. From the era when american films almost never put black characters at the center of a movie, nothing but a man stands like a beacon of intelligence and sympathy. The film follows the relationship between the africanamericans duff anderson ivan.
See what the critics had to say and watch the trailer. An independently made blackandwhite film released late in 1964, nothing but a man is often listed in the 1970s surveys of black film, but does not fit comfortably into that category. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Moreover, nothing but a man 1964 also earns a political heft when it decides to fully dedicate itself to some specific characters found in the film while following their day to. Reviews analyses cannot be changed once submitted please post carefully. I cannot remember, indeed, why i was able to see it in 1977. The direction is superb in its control and the cinematography creates a gripping docurealist vision. Revisiting a serious man, the most puzzling of the best. The railroad workers relaxing in their quarters in nothing but a man nothing but a man nothing but a man is an impressive study of black masculinity and the oppressive racial climate of 1960s america.
Nothing but a man was beautifully shot with a documentary realism by robert m. In addition to its marvellous performances and perspicacious treatment of difficult themes, nothing but a man is a technical triumph. Nothing but a man is one of the most sensitive films about black life ever made in this country. Nothing but a man 1963 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Since its release in 1964, it has been cited as one of the first and best of a new era of films about african americans, but even at the time its release was spotty, and today there are few people who have seen it. Commonly listed in 1970s surveys of black film, the film. You can take your food with you, there are plastic tables and no serviettes as people wipe their fingers on their jeans, spit a little on the floor and this is all second nature to them its in the bone. But the real journey of nothing but a man is that of duffy looking into himself and not liking what he sees. This 1964 cinematic masterpiece presents the portrait of an imperfect man traversing the difficult terrain of his relationship with the woman who loves him.
Don john, the bastard brother of don pedro, exhibits a lot of negative attributes in shakespeares much ado about nothing. The movie focused on a black couple, duff, played by ivan dixon, and josie, played by jazz vocalist abbey lincoln. After meeting his father and coming to this shocking truth, the relatively minute dimensions of selfloathing that he experiences worsens and increases exponentially. Director michael roemer on his seminal 60s drama nothing. Oct 01, 20 director michael roemer on his seminal 60s drama nothing but a man he fled the nazis for a british boarding school then made a shocking drama about segregation in the deep south. Civil rights, labor, and sexual politics on screen in. Nothing but a man nr by hal hinson washington post staff writer july 10, 1993 it may be that the best film to come out so far in 1993 was actually made in 1964. Film analysis about women in the movie pretty woman essay. Analysis of the film inside man essay 2056 words bartleby. Sep 26, 20 this quietly aweinspiring film has waited 50 years for a british cinema release. Duff anderson is a black man who works on a railroad section gang a mobile group of workers that repair tracks in the jim crow south. Aug 15, 2002 nothing man lyrics explanation archived. Youve probably noticed that hollywood doesnt turn out many movies about unions. Film analysis about women in the movie pretty woman essay 1204 words 5 pages the hollywood movie pretty woman 1990 is about a prostitute in hollywood, marrying an extremely rich businessman, in spite of her mutual distrust and prejudice.
Mar 10, 2017 part 1 of the multipart series examining the historical facts behind the 1999 film the th warrior in part 1 we explore the accuracy in representing arabs and scandinavians on screen. No other film dramatizes so profoundly the plight of a man whose basic human pride will not be compromised under any circumstances. This quietly aweinspiring film has waited 50 years for a british cinema release. Analysis of the film inside man essay 2056 words 9 pages patrick carruthers neupert film studies the true inside man inside man was released in 2006 and would later become the highest grossing film for the director spike lee. The character of don john in much ado about nothing from. Civil rights, labor, and sexual politics on screen in nothing but a man 1964 judith e. The nothing mens makers have delivered what seems at first a topical testosteronelaced blue collar drama of male ego on a slow burn only to deftly, almost surreptitiously flip the film upside. Civil rights, labor, and sexual politics on screen in nothing. A true landmark of american cinema, nothing but a man brought to fiction filmmaking the look and style of the new cinema verite documentary, from which both director michael roemer the plot against harry and cinematographer robert m. One of the many reasons this film stands out from other films with black casts is its exceptional and complicated portrayal of an african american romantic relationship. Nothing but a man is an extraordinary film that paints a vivid picture of the challenges faced by african americans in the south of the early 1960s. For allegedly promoting antiregime activities, in 2010 panahi was banned from making films for 20 years and sentenced to six. Antonins stories and life and nothing but fiction and. Sep 27, 20 enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing nothing but a man near you.
Get a detailed summary and analysis of every chapter in the book from. Written and directed by two white men and performed by an allblack cast, nothing but a man michael roemer, 1964 tells the story of a drifter turned family man who struggles with the pressures of smalltown life and the limitations placed on him and his community. Meaty cast and crew biographies and selected filmographies follow, but probably the finest supplement is a beautifully designed 18page booklet featuring an indepth analysis of the film, a history of its production, and several rare photos. Nothing man was shot in 2012 with a selfsourced budget of.
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