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Goodbye Uncle Tom

phildwyer

Plata o plomo
Banned
Jesus Christ, has anyone else seen this?

70s Italian film about US slavery, I really wish I hadn't watched it.

Anyone see something I'm missing here?
 
I see it's available on Google video, though I hesitate to post the link.

I guess it's brilliant in its way, but also the most disturbing film I've seen for a long time. I'd never heard of it until yesterday. I guess no-one else has--in which case you're lucky.
 
Hmmm, so it seems that no-one has seen it.

I can't find anyone in real life who's seen it either.

One mate said he'd rented it, but didn't watch it after reading the reviews.

I can certainly understand why it isn't too well-known. But, on reflection, I reckon it's a masterpiece that everyone--certainly all Americans--should be forced to watch.

I need to discuss it with somebody though. I'll try to find a board for fans of weird foreign films.
 
I have it on DVD as part of the Mondo Cane Collection Box set from Blue Underground, haven't watched it for years though. The set contains two versions of the film, standard 'English' version and the Director's Cut which is about 12m longer. There's a great documentary in the box set too that's well worth a look.

mondo_sleeves.jpg
 
I have it on DVD as part of the Mondo Cane Collection Box set from Blue Underground, haven't watched it for years though. The set contains two versions of the film, standard 'English' version and the Director's Cut which is about 12m longer. There's a great documentary in the box set too that's well worth a look.

mondo_sleeves.jpg

Very interesting, ta. As I understand it, the directors' cut begins with the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, and is made up mainly of news-reels from the 60's.

Is that right? In which case the final sequence, with the murderous preacher on modern Miami Beach, makes a lot more sense.

Did you...er... like the movie, if that's the right word?
 
It's an exploitation piece that does nothing serious to raise consciousness about slavery. It consists of a tordid tour of blacksploitation, via (actual) child porn, pseudo-documentary-drama, and badly edited tidbits.
It has as much relevance as an eye-opener on slavery as flicks like Salon Kitty do to the Holocaust.
It does not constitute cinema (nor humanity)'s finest hour.
 
It's an exploitation piece that does nothing serious to raise consciousness about slavery.

Agree with the first bit , disagree with the second--especially considering it was made in 1971.

It claims to be a documentary, and apparently all the dialogue is quoted from actual historical sources.
 
Was going to ignore the film but having watched the two yt vids and having studied History in Film which required a viewing of Birth of A Nation :eek: I'm going to watch this later and add my thoughts to the thread.
 
Was going to ignore the film but having watched the two yt vids and having studied History in Film which required a viewing of Birth of A Nation :eek: I'm going to watch this later and add my thoughts to the thread.

I'll be very interested to hear them.

Since I watched it, I've been through the whole spectrum of reactions, from disgust to admiration. At the moment I'm thinking it's brilliant, and in all probability extremely realistic. The revulsion people feel while watching it doesn't come from any particularly gory or explicit scenes--other movies are ten times worse in those regards--but from the attitudes expressed by the characters, black and white. I think it's salutary to find oneself disgusted by such attitudes.
 
I'll be very interested to hear them.

Since I watched it, I've been through the whole spectrum of reactions, from disgust to admiration. At the moment I'm thinking it's brilliant, and in all probability extremely realistic. The revulsion people feel while watching it doesn't come from any particularly gory or explicit scenes--other movies are ten times worse in those regards--but from the attitudes expressed by the characters, black and white. I think it's salutary to find oneself disgusted by such attitudes.

Watched the first 40 mins then had to stop for the Fred West program, what a great mood I'm in now :( Will continue tomorrow. My first thoughts is that it's made hard-hitting by the lightness of the music as well as what's shown, for some reason this seems quite disturbing matched to the images you're seeing. Will follow up tomorrow.
 
My first thoughts is that it's made hard-hitting by the lightness of the music as well as what's shown, for some reason this seems quite disturbing matched to the images you're seeing.

Yes, it adds to the uncomfortable feeling of complicity that the film forces on you.

I think "Roots" was much more offensive than this movie, partly because it didn't make any such demands on the viewer.
 
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