DUTCHMAN

US, 1967, 54 minutes, Black and white.
Shirley Knight, Al Freeman Jr.
Directed by Anthony Harvey.

Dutchman is a short allegory by angry black playwright, Leroy Jones. His allegory comes across strongly in the range of dialogue between his two characters - from easy introductions, to seduction, to domination, to hatred, humiliation and murder. The film works on the level of interaction of man and woman. But it is clear by the end that the main force is in an audio-visual symbol of America's race problem. There is bitterness and hatred in the final speech of Clay and his murder.

It would be a mistake to consider Dutchman as realism. The train ride is a ritual allegory of human relationships and its logic and impact work accordingly.

The two characters make an impact on the audience, especially the cheap, yet well-informed, vicious prostitute. This was English film editor, Anthony Harvey's first feature film and it led to his being asked to direct his popular and critical success, The Lion in Winter. Dutchman is well worth seeing and discussing but it is strong, impassioned and disturbing cinema.

1. What is the film about?

2. What do the two principal characters represent?
- man and woman;
- Adam and Eve;
- good and evil;
- black and white;
- victim and aggressor?

3. Why does all the action take place in the subway?

4. What is the symbolism of:
- the train;
- the underground;
- the prostitute (over-developed Lolita-type)
- the eating and sharing (temptation?) of apples;
- the silent passengers?

5. What is the meaning of the themes of:
- woman dominating man?
- woman seducing man?,
- man rebelling against woman?
- man goaded into domination?
- white America likened to a prostitute seducing, dominating,
taunting and eventually, killing black America with spite, which threatens her?

6. How strong is black feeling in this allegory? The black man was foolish to have been tricked by the white.

7. Is there any tolerance for or forgiveness of white attitudes to blacks?

8. How pessimistic is Leroy Jones? The process is about to begin again as the film ends and the train continues to go round the under-ground, not emerging into daylight. Both black and white seem trapped on the train.