Memorable and poignant, Nothing But a Man is one of the glories of independent film; groundbreaking rather than earth shattering, its refusal to sentimentalize or overstate demonstrates true integrity. The film apprehends the simple existence of an ordinary couple in difficult circumstance, and the performances of Ivan Dixon and lovely jazz singer Abbey Lincoln are superbly naturalistic, and a well chosen and evocative supporting cast lends absolute credibility. The direction, editing, and cinematography are all fine, and the dialog is simply and beautifully convincing. Don't miss this rarely shown and extraordinarily rewarding film that, along with Point Blank, Pretty Poison, Rachel,Rachel, The Naked Kiss, Night of the Living Dead, Lolita,Rosemary's Baby,and They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, remains one of the absolutes of 60's American cinema. The multi-talented Ivan Dixon directed The Spook Who Sat By the Door(73) and was on the 60's TV series Hogan"s Heroes.
Review of Nothing But a Man
Nothing But a Man
(1964)
Nothing, but one of the must see American films of the 60's.
26 February 2009