Film Review
The Defiant Ones was one of
the most effective racially themed dramas to come out of America in
the late '50s, early '60s, a time when the race issue had risen to the
top of the socio-political agenda in the United States thanks to the
work of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. The
film may appear naively optimistic and a tad contrived by today's
standards, but when it was released it was generally well-received,
winning Oscars for its screenplay and cinematography.
This is the film that secured Sidney Poitier's standing as Hollywood's
leading African-American actor, making him an overnight star. The
humanity and realism that Poitier brings to his performance in this and
his subsequent films contributed significantly to the cause for racial
equality, and not only in the United States. Here, he is effectively partnered with Tony Curtis, who
is just as impressive in his portrayal of a hardened racist thug who is
compelled to overcome his racial prejudices in order to survive.
Many regard this as Curtis's finest hour; it is certainly his best
dramatic role.
The Defiant Ones was directed
by Stanley Kramer, a leading independent filmmaker who tackled a wide
range of important social issues in the films he produced and directed
around this time. He would return to the race theme in a later
film,
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
(1967), which again featured Sidney Poitier championing the cause for
racial tolerance, albeit from a lighter perspective. Whilst this
later film is better known and more accessible for a mainstream
audience,
The Defiant Ones is
without doubt its superior, despite the all to obvious symbolism and
clunky narrative. The authentic performances from Poitier and
Curtis bring a sobering reality to what was, at the time of the film's
release, an unpalatable truth: a person's worth is not revealed by
his skin colour but by what he does and how he treats his fellow man.
© James Travers 2009
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Next Stanley Kramer film:
Inherit the Wind (1960)
Film Synopsis
A party of convicts in a chain-gang are being transported under armed
guard when their van falls over the edge of a ravine. Two of the
convicts, a white man named Jackson and a black man named Cullen, are
uninjured in the accident and go on the run, chained together.
The men's first priority is to find tools to remove their handcuffs,
but when they attempt to break into a general store in a small town,
they are captured and nearly lynched. One of the townsfolk helps
them to escape and they continue their flight across open
country. They then run into a young boy who takes them back to
the small farmstead where he lives with his mother. The latter
takes an instant liking to Jackson and plans to head south with him, hoping
to start a new life. The woman
tricks Cullen into crossing a swamp in order to get to the railway,
knowing full well that he will drown in the attempt. Realising
that his friend is in danger, Jackson hurries to his
aid....
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.