Miss Evers' Boys (1997) (TV)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writers (WGA):

David Feldshuh (play)
Walter Bernstein (teleplay)

Release Date:

22 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

A Government Lie. A Woman's Secret. A Story That Must Be Told.

Plot:

The true story of the US Government's 1932 Tuskeegee Syphilis Experiments, in which a group of black test subjects were allowed to die, despite a cure having been developed.

Plot Keywords:

Syphilis | Public Health | Based On Play

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 16 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Alfre Woodard	...	Eunice Evers, R.N.
Laurence Fishburne	...	Caleb Humphries
Craig Sheffer	...	Dr. Douglas
Joe Morton	...	Dr. Sam Brodus
Obba Babatundé	...	Willie Johnson
Von Coulter	...	Hodman Bryan
Thom Gossom Jr.	...	Ben Washington
Ossie Davis	...	Mr. Evers
E.G. Marshall	...	The Senate Chairman
Robert Benedetti	...	Senator
Peter Stelzer	...	Senator
Donzaleigh Abernathy	...	Nurse Betty
Tommy Cresswell	...	Dr. Larkin
Judson Vaughn	...	Dr. Davis
Larry Black	...	Dr. Hamilton

MPAA:

Rated PG for theme and related elements.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Anasazi Productions

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Show Me Lord

A film about science, well how INTERESTING!

First of all, I must say that this was one of the best TV movies I've ever seen. Not only were there quality actors (Alfre Woodard, Laurence Fishburn, Joe Morton), but the people involved succeeded in making this an honest drama and not one where the schmaltz comes dripping out of your screen. As for the film itself I must say that all the cast and crew were great and I had no complaints about the film, but one. I really missed that sarcastic edge in the end. I mean, if I was a director I would have blacked out the screen in the end and would have inserted the conclusion of the experiment there. You know a black screen with something like: ‘Compared to whites, blacks do not react differently to syphilis.' taken from … and so on. I would have really liked that, because I (as a first year psychology student) have read about a lot of experiments even now, some of which were morally more acceptable than others, but never in my life have I read something as terrible as this. Do not get me wrong, I understood the intention at the beginning of the experiment, but I think it was unhuman to go along with it. Even if some men had died from getting pene - something (an anti biotic), it would have been better than the terrible death they faced through syphilis. But what about science you ask? Screw the data!

7 out of 10