Thursday 27 February 2014
Michael Roemer | USA, 1964 | 91 mins
Michael Roemer fled Nazi Germany and many years later, with the experience of persecution seared on his soul, embarked on a journey across the southern United States with his cinematographer, Robert M. Young, in search of a story to tell about the early civil rights era.
At a superficial level Nothing But a Man tells the love story between Duff (Ivan Dixon), a railroad worker in Alabama who has just hit town, and Josie (Abbey Lincoln), the preacher’s daughter he starts dating. However, the trials and tribulations of life, as experienced by the vast majority of black Americans, rapidly emerge and Duff responds with courage, dignity and self-respect.
The non-sensationalist approach to racial discrimination, superb acting from the main characters, wonderful cinematography and the best of Motown as a sound track combine to fashion a gripping drama. Acclaimed at various film festivals on its original release, the film all but disappeared, perhaps because of its wholly implicit, yet understated depiction of racism in the ‘Land of the Free’.
Widely-reported to be Malcolm X’s favourite film, we should be truly grateful that word of mouth among black communities and the work of film historians have combined to salvage this masterpiece from obscurity.