The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974) (TV)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

John Korty

Writers:

Ernest J. Gaines (novel)
Tracy Keenan Wynn (writer)

Release Date:

31 January 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Story of a black woman in the South who was born into slavery in the 1850s and lives to become a part of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

Plot Keywords:

Civil Rights | Slavery | Journalist | 1960s | Racist

Awards:

Won 8 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Cicely Tyson	...	Jane Pittman
Eric Brown	...	Jimmy - Age 7
Arnold Wilkerson	...	Jimmy
Richard Dysart	...	Master Bryant (as Richard A. Dysart)
Joel Fluellen	...	Unc Isom
Will Hare	...	Elbert Cluveau
Katherine Helmond	...	Lady at House
David Hooks	...	Colonel Dye
Elinora B. Johnson	...	Mary
Warren Kenner	...	Job
Dudley Knight	...	Trooper Brown
Derrick Mills	...	Little Ned-age 5
Michael Murphy	...	Quentin Lerner
Odetta	...	Big Laura
Rod Perry	...	Joe Pittman

Runtime:

120 min | USA:112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | Portugal:M/6

Filming Locations:

Ashland-Belle Helene Plantation - State Highway 75, Geismer, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Tomorrow Entertainment

Trivia:

Originally shown on US TV with only one commercial break.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Sanford and Son: Matchmaker, Matchmaker (#4.2)" (1974)

superb acting from Cicely Tyson makes this movie unforgettable

To be honest, I haven't seen this film for years but it is among the most moving I have ever seen. Most of all, it was a tour de force of acting by Cicely Tyson, giving the performance of a lifetime, in my view. This is the woman who had seen it all from civil war days to the beginning of the civil rights era. The grace, wisdom and integrity that comes through the character is phenomenal. The scene where Cicely Tyson describes the tree she loves would move even the most jaded cynic.... Though I am no historian by trade, it seems to me that this film takes us through some of the most important eras in the history of America, as seen through the eyes of the character Miss Jane Pittman. I remember I was only 20 when I saw it, but I have no doubt that this film will retain its vigor and relevancy for decades to come....