MINSTREL MAN
US, 1977, 100 minutes, Colour.
Glyn Turman.
Directed by William A. Graham.
A very interesting and entertaining movie, a piece of Americana. While it tells the story of a family with its complications, it also shows visually and offers insight into the black minstrels late 19th century and at the turn of the 20th century. It shows the origins of their style, the particular kind of entertainment and the effect that it had on black audiences and on white audiences used to whites dressing up as blacks. The film moves at a good pace, tries to draw the characters with some depth and shows an unusual piece of American History. Vigorous entertainment.
1. How enjoyable and interesting a telemovie? The history of
American music, theatre? Black music and entertainment? done by blacks, by whites in black and white minstrel shows? The themes of racism in the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries?
2. The impact of the telemovie and its style? for home audiences, for an American audience, overseas audience?
3. The point of view of the film: the portrayal of the blacks, their social status in the 19th century? Prejudice? Rights? The inherent violence of the situation? The dignity of the blacks and their need to find a place in the United States society? as communicated through this kind of history and story?
4. How well did the film show the audience the minstrel history: the music, the songs, the humour, the joke routines, the whites and their make-up, the blacks and the stereotypes? Audience expectations of this kind of entertainment?
5. The Brown family as an example of these minstrels: the picturing of their routines, their success, the song and dance style, the tradition? Yet the humiliation? The hard life? The parades? The build-up of the father to his death? The mother and her concern for her sons?
6. The two boys and the family tradition of the minstrel shows? Harry and his brother? their dance and submitting to the various bosses they had? Humiliation? Renny and his ability to compose, his refusal to follow the rules? The decision to leave? Harry and his dancing in the streets and collecting money?
7. Harry's success in the show, his farewell? The meeting with Charlie Bates? Success? The Depression and the betrayal? His needing to find work, the humiliation of the carnival side-show? his breaking out of it and. frightening the audience? The effect on him and his bitterness, ambitions?
8. His decision to start a group: his methods of recruiting the group, the visit to Renny and seeing him in New Orleans, the girl and her singing in the choir, petitioning for her to come, the irony of her having a child and coming on the train? The train journey and building up the group? Their success? The encounter with the rival group?
9. How well portrayed were the characters: the girl and her son and her love for Harry, the various members of the group, Charlie Bates and his conman attitudes?
10. The atmosphere of the try-out in Cairo? Its failure? The originality of the singing and dancing? The audience becoming hostile and not accepting it? The attack on Renny? His hanging and the mockery? The effect on Harry?
11. Harry and his bitterness, determination, his demands in Chicago, his being put down, the defiance and the success?
12. The end with the transition to the 20th century? A glimpse of a particular style of American entertainment ? its human qualities. its racial origins, the bitterness and cruelty? A telling piece of Americana?
