A Gathering of Old Men (1987) (TV)

Director:

Volker Schlöndorff

Writers:

Ernest J. Gaines (novel)
Charles Fuller (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 May 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A Lifetime of Injustice...A Moment of Vengeance.

Plot:

A regular day in a Louisiana sugarcane plantation changes course when a local white farmer is shot. A group of old...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Mathu
Richard Widmark	...	Sheriff Mapes
Holly Hunter	...	Candy Marshall
Joe Seneca	...	Clatoo
Will Patton	...	Lou Dimes
Woody Strode	...	Yank
Tiger Haynes	...	Booker
Papa John Creach	...	Jacob
Julius Harris	...	Coot
Rosanna Carter	...	Beulah
Walter Breaux	...	Charlie
Joe 'Flash' Riley	...	Jameson (as Jay 'Flash' Riley)
Danny Barker	...	Chimley
Howard 'Sandman' Sims	...	Uncle Billy
P. Jay Sidney	...	Gable

Also Known As:

Aufstand alter Männer, Ein (West Germany)
Murder on the Bayou

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 (bw) | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Germany

Company:

Bioskop Film

Well done

A white man has been shot in front of a black man's house in Louisiana. From the racial attitudes and the houses the blacks live in, I would have said this was from the 50s or earlier, but the police car is like the car I drove in Driver's Ed class in 1976, and a hearse is a 1965 Cadillac.

Candy owns the land where many of the blacks live, and she claims she shot the white man, while Mathu says he did it. Candy knows what is going to happen, and every elderly black man in the area who has a gun is dispatched to Mathu's place, for a showdown with the local sheriff that is reminiscent of the memorable scene from the original 'Spartacus'. They can't arrest all these men, and they can't all be guilty. Meanwhile, the dead man's relatives want their own brand of justice.

There was a lot of good acting in this movie, and so many of the characters seemed like real people, not movie characters. This was true of Candy's white relatives, the dead man's father Fix and his family, and the blacks who came to Mathu's rescue and their families. And the movie was quite funny at times. Some women didn't want their husbands doing something dangerous, but the men were determined to do their duty. Several women showed no fear whatsoever as they sat in front of Mathu's house, and they displayed an attitude that could have easily gotten them shot in the real South of the 1950s. Racial hatred had apparently mellowed somewhat by this time.

There were several deep discussions about such subjects as blacks coming home from World War II (one man wore what appeared to be his army uniform) and preservation of people's heritage.

Holly Hunter was wonderful. In one scene it was obvious from her facial expression that her character was lying. And she showed a strong determination to protect 'her' people. She had been raised by an aunt and uncle after her parents died, an experience that helped make her strong. Her relatives were determined to let her do the job without getting involved themselves. Maybe they were afraid to.

I didn't recognize Lou Gossett, but he is always good. In one scene I thought I saw him, but obviously that wasn't him, because he was Mathu.

This was really worth seeing.