Movielogr
Goodbye Uncle Tom (1971)
Directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi
Twitter Facebook Google+Most recently watched by philipjablon, schofizzy, sleestakk, tylermager, Javitron
Overview
Two documentary filmmakers go back in time to the pre-Civil War American South, to film the slave trade.
Length 136 minutes
Actors
Stefano Sibaldi | Susan Hampshire | Dick Gregory | Gualtiero Jacopetti | Ernest Kubler | Franco Prosperi | Shelley Spurlock
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/15/2014 | TV | Other | Borrowed | 4.5 stars |
| (Average) 4.5 stars |
Viewing Notes
Wow.
This film is unrelenting, shocking, eye-opening, oddly comical at times, built around a great style. I know this isn’t 100% accurate, but I know a large part of it is rooted in truth and the horrible things done to slaves. Riz Ortolani’s score is catchy and wonderful - as per usual.
It is weird that you’ll have these sobering moments of shock from the cruelty towards the slaves and then we get the purely exploitative quality of films of that era with gratuitous boob shots. Although, I know there was a lot of sex involved with some of the prettier girls out there, so it does make some sense. The scene with the wives talking about how their husbands would never sleep with blacks, and their getting lighter is a product of being “domesticated” in the States. HA! Stupid white people.
The ending is, while amazing, a little odd. I understand what the filmmakers were going for, but I’m not quite sure why they did this dramatic time/tone shift for the last 10-15 minutes.
Other than a few overlong scenes, this should be seen by most anyone. Fantastic.
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