Dutchman (1966)

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) (as LeRoi Jones), Amiri Baraka (screenplay) (as LeRoi Jones)

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 white woman relationship | subway | racist | racism | new york city | 

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Taglines:

All the urgency and tension of the Award Winning Play by LeRoi Jones is now on film.

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was released theatrically in Italy in 1975 as a double-bill with Simón del desierto (1965).

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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

Revolutionary Play Adapted to Screen

When you first watch the movie, it seems pretty out there, with okay acting and an overly tragic ending seen miles in advance. . .But the script (orignially a two act play) helped shape our nation and our literature today.

The play's by Amiri Baraka, who still writes today. At the time of it's debut on Broadway, Baraka was a highly acclaimed playwright/poet -- still is for that matter. Written in 1964 at the turning of a nation the play held up the ideals of many African-Americans as well as the feelings of many European-Americans in the nation. It ruffled feathers, screams out the beliefs of both sides, and was honest. The play was somewhat autobiographical (Baraka was born LeRoi Jones in New Jersey, went to college, and was married to - though soon after this play divorced - a white woman), and shows the starts of a man who was on his way to becoming an inspirational factor of the Black movement.

This version of the play is worth viewing if you are interested in the tensions of this time period, or knowing a bit more about African-American ideas of the time. I gave it a six due to its historical connections rather than acting or directorial credibilities.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1967 (UK)

Also Known As:

Il treno fantasma

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dutchman Film Company, Gene Persson Enterprises, Kaitlin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

55 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1