IMDb >
Nothing But a Man (1964)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsNothing But a Man (1964) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 3 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Plot:
A devil-may-care young man is drawn to a grounded young woman, they part, he realizes he prefers stability to freedom... more | add synopsisAwards:
2 wins moreUser Comments:
The Defining Movie about a black man's struggles in the south moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Ivan Dixon | ... | Duff Anderson | |
| Abbey Lincoln | ... | Josie | |
| Julius Harris | ... | Will Anderson | |
| Gloria Foster | ... | Lee | |
| Martin Priest | ... | Driver | |
| Leonard Parker | ... | Frankie | |
| Yaphet Kotto | ... | Jocko | |
| Stanley Greene | ... | Reverend Dawson | |
| Helen Lounck | ... | Effie Simms | |
| Helene Arrindell | ... | Doris | |
| Walter Willison | ... | Car Owner | |
| Mel Stewart | ... | Riddick | |
| Milton Williams | ... | Pop | |
| Reverend Marshall Tomkin | ... | Revivalist | |
| Alfred Puryear | ... | Barney |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
95 min | Canada:91 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Black and WhiteSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Canada:14A (Ontario)Fun Stuff
Soundtrack:
Fingertips moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Nothing But a Man (1964) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Giant | The Liberation of L.B. Jones | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | Gone with the Wind | To Kill a Mockingbird |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |




Over the years the struggles of blacks in the racist south have been rendered in fiction by books like Faulkner's "Light in August" and films like "Hurry Sundown," (though blacks were relatively minor characters in this film), "Sounder," "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," "A Woman Called Moses" and "Ragtime." "Nothing But a Man" predates the other films and broke new ground by depicting the plight of a young black man who refuses to knuckle under to the times and the expectations placed on him.
Duff Anderson is a section hand earning good money on a railroad construction gang in the south of the 1960's. Carefree and aimless, he sends money to the woman who raises his little boy and meets his own absentee father for the first time since his childhood, only to be brutally rejected. Duff's life changes dramatically when he falls in love with Josie, whose minister father "gets along" by accommodating the white man and who wants nothing to do with rootless Duff. In spite of the minister's objections Josie and Duff are married, but Duff's attempt to unionize at his new job gets him fired and local whites threaten his life when he refuses to cow-tow to bigots. At the end of the story Duff's father dies after rejecting his son yet again, prompting Duff to admit "I'm just like him." But Duff is a far better man than his father could ever be, for at a time when nonstop adversity would have broken a lesser person, he takes custody of his little son and returns to Josie determined to be a husband and parent, the two roles at which his own father failed so miserably.
Everything in this film rings true, from the opening scenes with the railroad gang to the tearful reunion with his family at the end. The dialog is almost unrelentingly cynical, as Duff comes to see his courtship of Josie through the eyes of his railroad pals and his disapproving father-in-law and views his prospects for employment and success in the light of bitter experiences with back-stabbing co-workers, unsympathetic employers and white racists.
Ivan Dixon is superb as Duff and Abbey Lincoln is equally fine as the supportive wife who must share her husband's fate. The black-and-white filming underscores the seriousness of the subject matter and the bleakness of Duff's life. This is a classic film, not to be missed.