Shadrach (1998) User Reviews

A wonderful movie for children and grownups

[ALittaM · 7/10 · 27 October 1999]

This is movie portrays childhood, summer and the 30s in a wonderful and poetic way. An old man's will to be buried in the land he was born is no easy subject to put up in a movie, but the makers managed to give this story a very touchy style which helped it a lot. Children should watch it and learn what the Depression was like and how close we actually are to those days (the boy is alive nowadays and has met a man who has been a slave - history's not that far at all). And they would also learn a very deep lesson on life and its ways.

For once Andie McDowell stars in a role different from the high-class girl she used to play (think about Green Card and The Groundhog Day). And for once Harvey Keitel doesn't get on my nerve!

Worthy film

[fmwongmd · 7/10 · 26 March 2019]

Well done social and existential commentary about life and our culture well acted by John Franklin Sawyer,Andie Macdowell,Harvey Keitel and Scott Reira.

Sweet

[synash-79487 · 7/10 · 27 June 2021]

I stumbled upon this movie, bored and flipping through channels. I can't give a review on scenery, music, direction, acting, etc. Because I viewed "Shadrach" after viewing "12 Years a Slave", binge-watching "Underground" (the one with Jurnee Smollett), and seeing update after update about the Capitol Insurrection and the George Floyd trial. I was left exhausted, sad and angry because truth hurts. So I'm watching "Shadrach" and was curious about Paul's curious summer with the Dabney family and Shadrach. And it was just - sweet. It draws you in. The fact that most of the cast were newcomers made it all the more special. Is it a believable story? I don't know. Can a woman in an impoverished marriage with 7 kids and guzzles beer like Gatorade still look so great? If only. But there is love winning over hatred, privileged and dirt poor folk worshipping together and civility over law. Take a break from the world and watch something sweet.

Beautifully told warm human story

[khatcher-2 · 8/10 · 10 April 2002]

This beautiful story got overlooked somewhere; what you call a 'sleeper'. Most certainly undeservedly, as this is indeed a wonderful film.

One could say that 'Shadrach' is an 'amateur' production, as most of the cast and the director Susanna Styron had not made any other films previously. Albeit the inclusion of very well-known names in the cast such as Martin Sheen (invisible narrator), Andy MacDowell and Harvey Keitel, who must be considered the 'professionals' in the whole enterprise.

Hiro Narita's photography is excellent, capturing the essence of rural Virginia and the sweat on the actors' faces in all kinds of light. The music is correct lending great atmosphere to the development of the film.

I cannot remember Harvey Keitel in a better role: here he is a convincing poor Virginian trying to eke out a living selling a few bottles of illegal whiskey, father of seven children. No overacting: nicely controlled interpretation of a simple rough type with a bit of good heart. Commendable performance. Andy MacDowell is not bad, though how she could possibly have such a good-looking sexy figure after seven children escapes all reason!

And the old man of the film: John Franklin Sawyer, aged 91 when this film was shot, the only film he has ever been in, is magnificent: you really feel for this old man as the film progresses and you empathise with his desire to return to the soil that saw him born. Wonderful, but without being a soppy tear-jerker. A sober feat, brilliantly handled. Scott Terra and Ginnie Randall give authentic performances.

All this points a finger at Susanna Styron: masterful directing, comparable with other masters of greater experience. She knew how she wanted to develop the characterization of her actors, and the result is extremely satisfying. She knew how she wanted those old cars to appear, and how the little old houses should appear. A great accomplishment. This is because from this 'amateur' production, it is clearly evident the amount of effort and loving care with which everyone concerned were bent on so as to make this beautifully told story be so warm and human.

If you have the luck to find this film on any channel or on video, do not miss it: this film is richly rewarding. It deserves to be far better known than it is. My vote is a high seven out of ten.

A nice little film

[Bobs-9 · 8 December 1999]

I've read quite a few reviews here and at other sites, and this movie sure seems to be taking its lumps (although I did read some favorable reviews). I don't know, though -- I rather liked it. It is a simple and straightforward story. It is certainly sentimentalized to some extent, but I am not one of those people for whom that is anathema. Despite its hard times, depression-era setting and poor white trash characters, there is a certain amount of idealization in the film. My gut feelings are that in real life Mr. Dabney, being a product of his time, would be more hard-hearted towards old Shadrach. Andie MacDowell is likeable as Mrs. Dabney, but she looked far too healthy and aerobically svelte to be the beer-guzzling alcoholic mother of a large, unwashed, lice-infested family living below the poverty level. Just having her clutch a beer bottle in almost every scene didn't quite pull off the illusion. Despite its simplification of complex social issues, its idealization of human nature fondly remembered in old age left me with kind of a warm fuzzy feeling. Some reviewers have rated "Shadrach" as being of "TV movie" quality, but I think a vice common to many TV movies is avoided here. Namely, trying to deal with tough, complex issues comprehensively in 90 to 120 minutes. The story is scaled down to its essence, and as such is nicely handled in an hour and a half. While Shadrach himself is sort of an enigma, trying to tell the story of his 99-year-long life in any sort of satisfying way could have expanded the film to epic, miniseries length. A film which touches on the issue of slavery in America, even obliquely, is bound to leave a certain amount of people unsatisfied if it does not proceed to rail at length about Man's inhumanity to Man. I just don't think that was the point of the film, though, and no film can satisfy everyone's expectations. I just see this as a sweet, sentimental, (and sure, rather unrealistic) view of events in a certain time and place, as seen through the eyes of a child. The fact that in a dream sequence young Paul sees Shadrach being presented with a Micky Mouse watch in the middle of the 19th century illustrates that we are seeing a child's-eye view of this story. I liked "Shadrach" enough to buy the video, and I think it's gotten sort of a bum rap.

Horrible!!!!

[MACDADI · 1/10 · 26 March 1999]

My girlfriend picked this one; as a southern born and raised African American I found this movie's plot and premise totally without credibility. To believe that class and racial biases would be so easily and comfortably suspended would only come from someone totally unfamiliar with the ante-bellum south. Totally absurd !!! I wonder how they got a good actor like Harvey Keitel and a good actress like Andie McDowell (who being southern knows better) to participate in this crap

Authentic and nostalgic

[cn1793 · 8/10 · 27 May 2000]

How refreshing it is to see a movie about northeastern North Carolina-southeastern Virginia that could actually have been filmed in the area and that features people who could actually have lived here! Well, it was a bit hard to believe that after living a hard life and birthing that many children, Andie McDowell's character would still look young, thin, and pretty. If I thought it would make me look like that, I'd take up drinking beer.

Amazingly, Harvey Keitel is believable as the irascible father, and his accent is even tolerable. Perhaps what is amazing is his versatility as an actor, since he was also believable as Baines in "The Piano," Auggie in "Smoke" and "Blue in the Face," the police detective in "Thelma and Louise," and all those heavies in all those gangster films.

What should you expect if you view this film? A glimpse at what this part of the world looked like before WWII and farm-to-market roads and typhoid shots and birth control; a child's-eye view of growing up in a rural family in the Depression; a story about doing what's right. I liked it.

Nice story but below par acting.

[barberoux · 4/10 · 11 December 2002]

"Shadrach" was not my favorite type of movie. I found it overly sentimental and the acting was below par. Harvey Keitel and Andie MacDowell were good but some of the other actors weren't at all believable. I also did not believe that Paul's parents would go away and leave him with the Dabney family, especially when they had a housekeeper living in the home. Their social classes were too far apart to consider this believable. It seemed the Dabney's lifestyle was too exaggerated. There was a scene in the beginning of the movie that showed Andie MacDowell getting out of a car after having sex with someone. Who was it? Her son? What was the scene supposed to show us? Why was the scene even included? It had nothing to do with the rest of the movie and was in fact never alluded to again. It seemed gratuitous and not fitting into the story at all. There were too many inconsistencies in the movie for me. The story concerning Shadrach was nice but I wasn't convinced that the Dabneys would have been as kind and generous as they were portrayed.

Very Nice

[BW-15 · 10 March 2000]

A great movie based on the short story by William Styron, himself a native of the Virginia Tidewater, where the movie and story take place. I found the film very moving and accurate in its depiction of eastern Virginia during the Depression era-Styron based the short story on an actual childhood experience of his. Also I found the scenery and way in which it was composed especially noteworthy. The setting was just perfect and outstanding in every regard (ancient Live Oak and Cypress trees). All in all, a very good film, good effort was put into it and it shows.

Legacy of the past

[Andreas_N · 8/10 · 14 November 2005]

Scott Terra is one of my favorites. This movie here is a very good one, and he plays a substantial role. The story is fairly simple, but it is the fine cast and the cultural burden of how to deal with an old slave that adds a sincere message to the plot. Harvey Keitel plays - apart from Scott - a significant character. The messages of doing the right thing, of confronting the legacy of our cultural past and of dealing with death and the brittleness of life, mingled with the many calm and quiet sequences of the movie, make it a valuable example of emotional and sophisticated film-making. Scott is in the center, and he comes to experience both the tragedies and the magical moments of life, symbolized by the events of one summer's experiences.

What a horrible movie.

[Jeff-111 · 2/10 · 4 January 2000]

We rented five movies for New Year's Eve weekend and watched this one first. All I can say is that there was no place to go but up after watching this one. It was pointless and vulgar. Harvey Keitel's script must have been easy to write -- just make two out every three words a curse word. Andie McDowell is surprisingly good in a character roll, but the movie has nothing else to recommend it.

I saw it the same day as "Beloved"

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 22 April 2007]

"Shadrach" is one of those small movies that not enough people have seen, especially since it forces us to confront our past as a nation. Portraying an ex-slave (John Franklin Sawyer) reuniting with the descendants of his former owners in 1935 so that they may bury him in the area where he was born, it puts a humanizing face on what could otherwise be a very ugly story. We not learn about the issue of slavery, but about how a number of slave-owning families got impoverished after the Civil War, as they lost their livelihood.

Harvey Keitel, as the patriarch, gives one a sense of the frustrated Old South: he's not a racist, but he is uncertain about bringing a black man along. But still, we understand that , for all his faults, he wants to keep his family together. Andie MacDowell is equally good as the matriarch, a hopeful woman wondering how to make her way in the Great Depression. And of course, we see the ubiquitous reminders of the Jim Crow South: separate seating for blacks and whites in the movie theater, and white churches won't bury Shadrach.

All in all, I really recommend this movie. I did in fact go to see it the same day in October, 1998, that I went to see "Beloved", also dealing with slavery.

Noble human story

[HokieDarrell · 25 April 2003]

Expanded from the short story of the same name from the little book "A Tidewater Morning" by William Styron, Shadrach is a wonderful film. If you haven't read the short-short story, you are in for a treat. When we are young, we feel a pull to leave; when we are old we are pulled back to where we came from. To walk from Alabama to Virginia to be buried where you grew up. A 100 year old former slave. That's a story.

Realistic and tear jerking

[joeestlinbm · 10/10 · 13 February 2005]

I feel sorry for anyone who didn't like this movie. It's probably one of the best I've seen. Harvey Keitle played his part perfectly, right down to the accent. His character tried to give the impression that he was a hard man, but I really believe he was as soft hearted as his little girl. He just was ashamed to admit it. His rough tenderness made its self apparent in the last part of the movie, when he announces that Shadrachs wish would be granted. This is a movie I'd recommend for almost anyone. I think parents should be discreet when letting children watch it, because it does contain some rather unacceptable language. The language has it's place in the movie, but you still might not want your kids hearing it.

Actually, death ain't much

A fine movie

[sonofhades · 8/10 · 5 January 2002]

I was a bit surprised with the quality of this movie. I was only going to watch it due to Andie MacDowell being on it, but even the kid actors did a fine job. Certainly a drama movie worth watching. If you like drama movies, go rent this one, if only to see Andie in a different kind of role than usually. Nothing romantic about her character ;)

A true portrayal of race attitudes in the Jim Crow South. SPOILER

[alanjunior · 1 July 2004]

In the South I grew up in, many if not most Whites viewed Blacks paternally, they weren't at all rabid lynchers. They felt a responsibility for their employees and families. The Dabneys are an old tidewater plantation family that fell on hard times after the Civil War and moved to North Carolina but have managed to hold on to the old Virginia property. Shadrach, a former slave who was sold south by Dabney's grandfather around 1860, just before the war, shows up at the Dabney's Wilmington NC house, having walked there from Alabama. He wants to be buried on Dabney land. The story takes place about 1935, making Shadrach close to 90 years old. The Dabneys honor Shadrach's wishes because they have to. This adaptation hews pretty closely to Styron's short story until the second half, when a plot element is added to create a conflict and to stretch the story. Unfortunately, the reason given is invalid. Virginia is full of old family plots on private land, and as long as the owner of the land consents, anyone can be buried there. This is still a good, small film, and the portrayals are dead on, especially Andie MacDowell. I think every one of us who comes from the South knew the Dabneys.

Surprisingly good

[HotToastyRag · 8/10 · 28 July 2019]

Narrated in Martin Sheen's soothing Southern twang, Shadrach chronicles a young boy's adventure when he stays at a friend's house while his parents go out of the state for a funeral. Set in the early 1930s, before the repeal of Prohibition, Harvey Keitel makes corn moonshine, while his wife Andie MacDowell manages their brood of children and cools off in the summer heat with an unlimited supply of beer. While playing outside one afternoon, Scott Terra and Jonathan Parks Jordan discover John Franklin Sawyer-in his first and only movie-sitting in the backyard. He's ninety-nine years old and has walked hundreds of miles to return to the plantation on which he was born into slavery. He wants to be buried on the land of his family.

This is quite an odd request, and as the white family accepts the former slave into their home and try to make his last days pleasant and comfortable, the audience is treated to a surprisingly moving film. Harvey Keitel is absolutely hilarious, spewing more obscenities than regular words and making the audience laugh nearly every time he opens his mouth. Andie MacDowell is incredible in an against-type role she's never played before. Low-class, swilling beer in the afternoon, cozying up to her husband at night-how fun is it to see the glamorous model in such an unglamorous role? She just can't help looking beautiful, but it's her acting that shines in this movie instead of her pretty face. She's kind and sensitive, worn-out but not beaten, and shows a subtle maturity she doesn't usually show in her other movies.

I enjoyed this movie and felt it had more to offer than others of its kind. The flow is engaging, the ups aren't corny, and the downs aren't upsetting. Check it out!

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to racial language, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

Great movie

[florapost-16171 · 10/10 · 6 August 2019]

This movie is deeply affecting with excellent acting. You go in not sure where you will end up and it is through the sorrow and suffering that the strongest survive to help the weak.

An excellent film about human dignity.

[DrJohn-2 · 9 March 1999]

I knew nothing of this movie, and chose it based on its stars, whom I have enjoyed in the past. The movie was an immensely pleasant surprise. I was most taken by intrinsic goodness and respect for dignity of the obviously low class, hard cussin', hard drinkin', smelly, Dabneys. Excellent.

Tries hard, but it is really just The Waltons with swearing...

[The_Limey · 29 April 2003]

OK it looks nice, and in Keitel and MacDowell it has two solid actors as leads. In the end though it is a rather tired, and illogical, attempt at spinning a southern yarn, set in the depression, about a large brood, and an old black man who returns to the family of his former owners to die.

The idea is fine, but the execution is lazy. Keitel is supposed to be a 'diamond in the rough', the kind of character who appears gruff and uncouth, but who at heart cares about people. This is portrayed by having him say 'god damn' and 'sh*t' in every single sentence. MacDowell is supposed to be an overworked, harrased mother of many. This is portrayed by having her drink beer in every single scene, and say 'suge' in every single sentence.

This leads to an awful lot of this...

Husband: God Damn, sh*t, I ain't got time to be burying some old black man.

Wife: Calm down suge, have a beer.

It tries, it really does, and i is certainly not a bad movie, but it has very little to offer beyond a simple story, decent actors, and some wonderful locations.

Good ... but far from great

[BarbaraB-2 · 28 September 1999]

The acting in this film is first rate. Keitel and McDowell are both superb, as are most of the supporting performers. Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn't quite live up to their talent. The plot is too small, too contrived, and the actions by Keitel are in contradiction to his characterization. Although it has its moments and is a gentle little film that can help you pass a couple of hours, it won't stick with you and it's not nearly as heart-warming or touching as the blurb on the box would lead you to believe! More likely, as it ends you'll shrug and say, "Oh well, that was okay."

Of course, I kept thinking about how typically American the film was. Only in this country would a coarse, poverty stricken, beer-guzzlin' mountain woman be played by the gorgeous Andie McDowell!

Very funny and moving.

[pup-3 · 22 September 1998]

This story, told in the narrative, is a very funny and heart-warming picture....great for the whole family. Andie McDowell is almost unrecognizable as the beer guzzling mother, but she and Harvey Keitel give great performances. Well worth the effort of seeing.

Nice way to spend a rainy day!

[sizzle-3 · 1 December 1999]

Harvey Keitel makes every movie he is in special. Miss MacDowell is still one sexy lady no matter how you dress her down. This was a class movie all the way. A fine lesson in humanity for all. A rainy day was not waisted here.

Great !

[monica-6 · 6 October 1998]

Our family really enjoyed this movie. Great acting by the kids and always dependable Andie/Harvey duo.

It is a wonderful piece ready for...the Oscar!

The movie's flaw ** CONTAINS SPOILERS **

[RDWIN1 · 6 November 2003]

This movie has been praised for excellent performances and authentic settings. The direction of the visuals was great. But the pacing is too slow. Too steady. When is the climax of this movie? Is it when Shadrach dies? Or when he is buried as he wished on Dabney land? The plot drifts and plods along until it runs out of film. Still a nice, sentimental story. Worth watching but misses greatness.