Klansman (1974)

A local Sheriff tries to keep the peace as racial strife hits his small Alabama town as tensions boil over when a black man is accused of raping a white woman.

Director:

Terence Young

Writers:

William Bradford Huie (novel), Millard Kaufman (screenplay),

Stars:

Lee Marvin, Richard Burton, Cameron Mitchell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lee Marvin	...	Sheriff Track Bascomb
Richard Burton	...	Breck Stancill
Cameron Mitchell	...	Butt Cutt Cates
O.J. Simpson	...	Garth
Lola Falana	...	Loretta Sykes
David Huddleston	...	Mayor Hardy Riddle
Luciana Paluzzi	...	Trixie
Linda Evans	...	Nancy Poteet
Ed Call	...	Shaneyfelt
John Alderson	...	Vernon Hodo
John Pearce	...	Taggart
David Ladd	...	Flagg
Vic Perrin	...	Hector
Spence Wil-Dee	...	Willy Washington
Wendell Wellman	...	Alan Bascomb

Storyline

A small southern town has just been rocked by a tragedy: a young woman has been violently raped. The white town fathers immediately declare that the attacker had to be black, and place the blame on Garth, a young black man. Assuming that the men in white sheets aren't intent on holding a fair and impartial trial, Garth takes to the woods as the Klansmen lynching party hunts him down.

---

Plot Keywords:

ku klux klan | false accusation | redneck | female nudity | sex | 

---

Taglines:

Welcome to scenic Atoka County. Pop 10,000. Cross burnings. Rape. Murder. Arson. Its a great place to live...... if THEY let you.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1974 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

The Klansman

Filming Locations:

Oroville, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Atlanta Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min 104 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Co-writer Samuel Fuller was originally set to direct, but walked off the project.

---

Connections

Referenced in Terence Young: Bond Vivant (1999)

---

Soundtracks

"The Good Christian People"
by Mack Rice and Bettye Crutcher
Sung by The Staple Singers (as The Staple Singers)

User Reviews

Caveat Emptor

I vote one star strictly for the DVD version; the original film I would give three stars just because it was so bad. The DVD version of this film is a nightmare. When this film was released I was the night projectionist in a grind house in downtown San Diego, California. It was so incredibly offensive that I immediately put it in my "Cult Classics" list. Imagine my horror upon watching the DVD!! The soundtrack is perfectly horrible (which is a shame as the opening song by the Staple Singers is a great period piece) and the "editing" is a hatchet job, to say nothing of being a close relative to book burning. The pitiful Pollyannas who did this have completely robbed the film of its impact. What kind of world do these people think we're living in anyway? I strongly advise against purchasing the DVD until it is completely restored to its original content.