Saw it after a good 3 years and the Film still packs a helluva wallop !
There is no denying the fact that Jewison scores a home run with this brilliant,multi layered Film that hits all the right notes with the precision of a Sten gun and then some.
That it won a clutch of Oscars is almost besides the point. The American South was still a pretty lousy place for the blacks in the '60's and to come up with this complex, ultra realistic tale on the inter-relationships between the two races was and still is, a staggering achievement.
Any Film having a clean shaven,almost handsome Oates has gotta be somethin' special ;-) :-D.
But the Film is primarily driven by stunning performances by Steiger and Poitier. Steiger's ripping effort is a study of the human condition laid bare. There he was, now furiously chewing gum....Now rolling eyes and grinning...Temper building to a burning crescendo to mask his all too human failings....He was all over the damned place ! Little wonder he snagged the Oscar !
Contrast this with Poitier....The grim,no nonsense Black who sees eye to eye and never backs down. He is smart enough to know when he's licked but that piercing glint hints at an irrepressible urge to assert himself...The vestiges of a colonial hangover.
The Direction is sharp as a tack and atmospheric. There ain't a flaw in this crackerjacker of a Film.
Fab. fab. fab. !!!
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