Dutchman

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.