Search - Nightjohn on DVD

ABSOLUTE KEEPER! A MUST-SEE! 10 STARS!

Angela Hailey | Washington, DC | 05/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I stumbled across this movie plumbing Amazon as I do for AA movies. This movie will DEFINITELY be going onto my christmas list! I won't rehash the plot, but let me add a few things. This movie is full of layers that might go unnoticed, especially to younger audiences, but they are powerful nontheless. It is rare to see a movie about antebellum south that shows characters with so many dimensions. For instance:



1. It is rare to see a movie address the much earlier abolition of the slave trade in England. One of the Master's guests make a point of leaving the table, unwilling to participate in the fruits of slavery, presumably not feeling charitable to those uncivilized enough to do so.



2. As the plantation is on the brink of bankruptcy, we see the master is as odious to his own family as he is to his slaves. He demands that his son work alongside the slaves, and is later surprised when his oldest son essentially removes him from handling his own affairs, in much the dismissive way he has always treated his family.



3. The black slave driver is shown to be on the fringes of society, as an unwelcome interloper, never in, never out, and always able to lose that status at the drop of a dime.



4. The prevalence of guns, pointed by both white and black men at the slaves demonstrates more than anything else the fact that many southerners lived in fear of their slaves. Often, these movies show caricatures of the races, but this movie shows how ambivalent and precarious positions of power could be.



5. When he talks about his wife, John describes a woman who made a sacrifice of sale to protect her child. It is a little known fact that many men in the south found themselves on the receiving end of violence at the hands of women that they "owned". Since history is written by the victors, it is very rare to read about an all-powerful white male who got his behind kicked by a black woman with a shovel--but it happened--alot.



5. Although there is a definite 'feel-good' component to the movie, Sarny actually survives by her wits more than luck, and as we see her in the last scene, she is leaving determined to make her own luck.



As an African American woman, I found this movie incredibly deep and relevant. The final scene alone is worth the price of the movie. Finally, slaves are shown in their roundness, capable not only of just trickery and sabatoge, but cunning, patience, and vision. I cannot express the correctness of the pro-literacy message, one I spout on a daily basis. I will recommend this to everyone I see--everyone deserves to see it!



"