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White Man

Original title: White Man's Burden
  • 1995
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
5.3/10
5.1K
YOUR RATING
John Travolta and Harry Belafonte in White Man (1995)
In an alternative America where African-Americans and White Americans have reversed cultural roles, a white factory worker kidnaps a black factory owner for dismissing him over perceived disdain.
Play trailer1:26
1 Video
95 Photos
DramaThriller

In an alternative America where African-Americans and White Americans have reversed cultural roles, a white factory worker kidnaps a black factory owner for dismissing him over perceived dis... Read allIn an alternative America where African-Americans and White Americans have reversed cultural roles, a white factory worker kidnaps a black factory owner for dismissing him over perceived disdain.In an alternative America where African-Americans and White Americans have reversed cultural roles, a white factory worker kidnaps a black factory owner for dismissing him over perceived disdain.

  • Director
    • Desmond Nakano
  • Writer
    • Desmond Nakano
  • Stars
    • John Travolta
    • Harry Belafonte
    • Kelly Lynch
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.3/10
    5.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Desmond Nakano
    • Writer
      • Desmond Nakano
    • Stars
      • John Travolta
      • Harry Belafonte
      • Kelly Lynch
    • 52User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:26
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos95

    Desmond Nakano in White Man (1995)
    Lawrence Bender in White Man (1995)
    Kelly Lynch in White Man (1995)
    John Travolta and Harry Belafonte in White Man (1995)
    Harry Belafonte in White Man (1995)
    John Travolta in White Man (1995)
    John Travolta and Harry Belafonte in White Man (1995)
    John Travolta and Harry Belafonte in White Man (1995)
    Harry Belafonte and Margaret Avery in White Man (1995)
    John Travolta, Kelly Lynch, and Andrew Lawrence in White Man (1995)
    John Travolta in White Man (1995)
    John Travolta and Harry Belafonte in White Man (1995)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Travolta
    John Travolta
    • Pinnock
    Harry Belafonte
    Harry Belafonte
    • Thaddeus
    Kelly Lynch
    Kelly Lynch
    • Marsha
    Margaret Avery
    Margaret Avery
    • Megan
    Tom Bower
    Tom Bower
    • Stanley
    Andrew Lawrence
    Andrew Lawrence
    • Donnie
    Bumper Robinson
    Bumper Robinson
    • Martin
    Tom Wright
    Tom Wright
    • Lionel
    Sheryl Lee Ralph
    Sheryl Lee Ralph
    • Roberta
    Judith Drake
    • Dorothy
    Robert Gossett
    Robert Gossett
    • John
    Wesley Thompson
    Wesley Thompson
    • Williams
    Tom Nolan
    Tom Nolan
    • Johansson
    Willie C. Carpenter
    Willie C. Carpenter
    • Marcus
    Michael Beach
    Michael Beach
    • Policeman #1 Outside Bar
    Lee Duncan
    • Policeman #2 Outside Bar
    Wanda-Lee Evans
    • Renee
    Lawrence A. Mandley
    Lawrence A. Mandley
    • Sheriff #1 at Eviction
    • (as Lawrence Mandley)
    • Director
      • Desmond Nakano
    • Writer
      • Desmond Nakano
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Quentin Tarantino urged both John Travolta and Kelly Lynch to act in the film. Tarantino's production company, A Band Apart, produced the film.
    • Goofs
      All entries contain spoilers
    • Quotes

      [Last lines. Mrs. Pinnock has just refused to accept from Mr. Thomas the money he owed her husband]

      Thaddeus Thomas: Why don't you keep it? I can give you some more if you think... if you think it's not enough.

      Marsha Pinnock: How much is enough, Mr. Thomas? How much will ever be enough?

      [turns, shuts the door and walks away]

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: White Man's Burden/Last Summer in the Hamptons/Wild Bill/The Journey of August King/Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      Dream Baby
      Written by Cindy Walker

      Performed by Hootie & the Blowfish

      Courtesy of Atlantic Records

    User reviews52

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    5/10
    Brave attempt at inverting social prejudices, falls just short of hitting the mark.
    I expected good things from this film as I tend to admire directors and screenwriters who take a visually arresting premise and manipulate it in order to prompt self reflection in the audience (The Elephant Man for example). In addition, I am a big fan of Travolta and the role seemed an artistically sound one for him to undertake. Initially, the widespread symbolism is interesting and inventive, yet becomes overbearing relatively quickly, and to me it seemed that the director underestimated his audience's perception and continually rammed home his point with the subtlety of Dolph Lundgren.

    The film ultimately left me frustrated because I thought the idea was a good one but the story simply wasn't multi-faceted enough to be engaging. Aside from the characters played by Travolta and Belafonte, most of the supporting cast was very underwritten, particularly the families of both men. However, the performances were very good, and I thought Belafonte conveyed the defeatism and inherent arrogance of his role particularly well.

    Overall though, I thought this was pseudo-art: it masqueraded as a deep and meaningful examination of the social relevance of race, but ended up as a very simplistic story disguised by delusions of self worth.

    5/10
    helpful•5
    2
    • philblyghton
    • Apr 8, 2005

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    FAQ17

    • How long is White Man's Burden?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 3, 1996 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • L'impossible rançon
    • Filming locations
      • Southern California, California, USA(Location)
    • Production companies
      • A Band Apart
      • Chromatic
      • Home Box Office (HBO)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $7,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $3,734,870
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,743,251
      • Dec 3, 1995
    • Gross worldwide
      • $3,734,870
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 29 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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