Martinique, in the early 1930s. Young José and his grandmother live in a small village. Nearly everyone works cutting cane and barely earning a living. The overseer can fine a worker for ...
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Title: Black Shack Alley (1983)
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7 wins & 1 nomination.
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
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Garry Cadenat | ... | Jose |
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Darling Légitimus | ... | M'Man Tine |
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Douta Seck | ... | Medouze |
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Joby Bernabé | ... | Monsieur Saint-Louis |
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Francisco Charles | ... | Le Gereur |
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Marie-Jo Descas | ... | La Mere de Leopold |
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Marie-Ange Farot | ... | Madame Saint Louis |
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Henri Melon | ... | L'instituteur - M. Roc |
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Eugène Mona | ... | Douze Orteils |
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Joël Palcy | ... | Carmen |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Serge Abattucci | ||
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Samuel Abraham | ... | Un enfant |
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Albert Adea | ||
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Jose Aloha | ||
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Dominique Arfi | ||
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Martinique, in the early 1930s. Young José and his grandmother live in a small village. Nearly everyone works cutting cane and barely earning a living. The overseer can fine a worker for the smallest infraction. The way to advance is to do well in school. José studies hard and succeeds in an exam allowing him to attend school in the capital. With only a partial scholarship, the tuition is very costly. José and his grandmother move to Fort-de-France to make José's studies easier... Written by David Carless
Plot Keywords:
french caribbean | french antilles | grandmother | raised by grandmother | martinican |Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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Details
Release Date:
21 September 1983 (France) See more »Also Known As:
Street of the Black Shacks See more »Filming Locations:
Fort de France, Martinique, Départements d'Outre-Mer, FranceCompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Fujicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Connections
Referenced in At the Movies: Black Rain/Heavy Petting/In Country/A Dry White Season/Heart of Dixie (1989) See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Martinique, in the early 1930s. Young José and his grandmother live in a small village. Nearly everyone works cutting cane and barely earning a living. The overseer can fine a worker for the smallest infraction.
I know nothing about Martinique, but imagine that what this film depicts is not all that far off from the world of Haiti, which is more familiar to me. The overall story seems the same: poor folks who must work the sugar cane fields to survive. Not quite slaves, but not all that much better off.
The film shows the way out as education, which is fair. But the only real way out is to leave. It is a story bigger than Martinique. We see it in the slums, we see it on Indian reservations. No amount of education can make a home more bearable if the home has little to offer. It's an awful conflict.