Dutchman (1967)

A sinister, neurotic white girl Lula, with the provocation of her lovely, half-naked body and of her startlingly lascivious speech, lures to his doom a good-looking young black man Clay, a ... See full summary »

Director:

Anthony Harvey

Writers:

Amiri Baraka (play), Amiri Baraka (screenplay)

Stars:

Shirley Knight, Al Freeman Jr., Frank Lieberman

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Shirley Knight	...	Lula
Al Freeman Jr.	...	Clay
Frank Lieberman	...	Subway rider
Robert Calvert	...	Subway rider
Howard Bennett	...	Subway rider
Sandy McDonald	...	Subway rider
Dennis Alaba Peters	...	Subway rider (as Denis Peters)
Keith James	...	Subway rider
Devon Hall	...	Subway rider

Storyline

A sinister, neurotic white girl Lula, with the provocation of her lovely, half-naked body and of her startlingly lascivious speech, lures to his doom a good-looking young black man Clay, a stranger whom she has picked up in the subway and whom she mocks for wearing the clothes and employing the voice and manners of the conventional white intellectual. The man, who, at first seeing no reason to resist the girl's advances, perceives too late that he is being used by her, drops his "white" disguise, and launches a wild and bitter counterattack on her and on the entire white race.

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Plot Keywords:

black man | subway | black man white woman relationship | racism | victim | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1967 (UK)

Also Known As:

Intoleranza: il treno fantasma

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dutchman Film Company, Gene Persson Enterprises, Kaitlyn Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

55 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Goofs

Lula's hair and makeup vary wildly from shot-to-shot, even though story takes place entirely during one subway ride.

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Connections

Featured in Changing Stages (2000)

User Reviews

Subway Politics

Strange, allegorical drama about the struck-up-on-the-spot relationship between two passengers in a New York City subway car: a black man (Al Freeman Jr.) and a white woman (Shirley Knight) flirt with each other and engage in adult banter. As they alternately beguile and exasperate each other, their conversation reflects the sexual and racial tensions between them. The film is set entirely in the subway car, making for a claustrophobic atmosphere. Knight overacts some of the time (ok, a LOT of the time), laughing loudly, rolling her eyes, and touching Freeman in places where the NYC Transit Authority would probably prefer its patrons to not be touched, but she's never less than interesting and Freeman's more-subdued performance balances things out (although he gets to deliver a blistering, angry monologue near the end). DUTCHMAN's shocking climax is a disturbing culmination of the provocative racial and social themes presented in the film; the film's hour-long length allows for these ideas to have immediate impact.