IMDb > Native Son (1986)

Native Son (1986) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
6.0/10   251 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 14% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Jerrold Freedman
Writers:
Richard Wesley (writer)
Richard Wright (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Native Son on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 December 1986 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
In 1940s Chicago, a young black man takes a job as a chauffeur to a white family, which takes a turn for the worse when he accidentally kills the teenage daughter of the couple and then tries to cover it up. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
American Century Revives Native Son 4/14 At Gunston Center
 (From BroadwayWorld.com. 25 March 2009, 10:28 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
A terrible adaptation of a wonderful book more (7 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Victor Love ... Bigger Thomas

Matt Dillon ... Jan

Elizabeth McGovern ... Mary Dalton

Geraldine Page ... Peggy

Oprah Winfrey ... Mrs. Thomas
Akosua Busia ... Bessie

Carroll Baker ... Mrs. Dalton
John McMartin ... Mr. Dalton
Art Evans ... Doc
John Karlen ... Max

Willard E. Pugh ... Gus

David Rasche ... Buckley

Ving Rhames ... Jack
Walter Rivers ... G.H.

Shavar Ross ... Buddy
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
111 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Iceland:16 | Belgium:16 (video rating) | Australia:M | USA:PG
Filming Locations:
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Company:
American Playhouse more

Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:
Features My Man Godfrey (1936) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful.
A terrible adaptation of a wonderful book, 12 December 2004
3/10
Author: R.C. (rcmclachlan@gmail.com) from Massachusetts

I'm not sure what Diane Silver was thinking when she was making this movie, but it obviously had nothing to do with Richard Wright's novel, which the movie is based on.

We read the novel this past summer for AP English 12, and just watched the film. During periodic note-taking and checking of the clock, I contemplated the chances of being struck by lightning. Of course, the sky was completely clear, and I was forced to watch the rest of the movie... and then write a 5-paragraph essay on it.

Wright's novel discussed very real themes, of the mind of a killer and the psychology behind it. Silver's movie turned a murderer into a victim, which is NOT what Wright wanted (see: "How Bigger was Born" 454).

I'm going to make this short and sweet: if you want to leave your consciousness, in Raphael Lambert's words, unsullied, skip the movie and read the book. The 1986 adaptation is not thought-provoking material.

... ::sigh:: Now I have to write the essay.

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