Rosewood (1997)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

John Singleton

Writer (WGA):

Gregory Poirier (written by)

Release Date:

21 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History

Tagline:

In 1923, a black town in Florida was burned to the ground, its people murdered because of a lie. Some escaped and survived because of the courage and compassion of a few extraordinary people. This film is for them.

Plot:

A dramatization of a 1923 horrific racist lynch mob attack on an African American community.

Plot Keywords:

African American | Train | Sex | Race Riot | Lynching

Awards:

3 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Jon Voight	...	John Wright
Ving Rhames	...	Mann
Don Cheadle	...	Sylvester Carrier
Bruce McGill	...	Duke Purdy
Loren Dean	...	James Taylor
Esther Rolle	...	Aunt Sarah
Elise Neal	...	Beulah (Scrappie)
Robert Patrick	...	Fanny's lover
Michael Rooker	...	Sheriff Walker
Catherine Kellner	...	Fanny Taylor
Akosua Busia	...	Jewel
Paul Benjamin	...	James Carrier
Kevin Jackson	...	Sam Carter
Mark Boone Junior	...	Poly
Muse Watson	...	Henry Andrews

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and some sexuality.

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:MA (TV rating) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #35022)

Filming Locations:

Lake County, Florida, USA

Company:

New Deal Productions

Trivia:

Though most of the film is based on true events, the film's main character, Mann (Ving Rhames), is a fictional creation.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the title sequence, the date is Thursday, December 31, 1922; in reality, that date was a Sunday.

Quotes:

Mann: There ain't enough bullets in the world for all them crackers.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001)

Soundtrack:

New Year's Eve Fiddle Music

exceptional fictionalization of a true event

This movie is a very violent and sad movie--guaranteed to have an impact on all its viewers. Because of the serious and violent nature of the film, I would not suggest this for viewing by younger kids, though for teens it probably will be okay--provided you watch it with them and explain the context for the film.

The exact events that happened in this small town many decades ago are very vague. We know, historically, that MANY people (mostly Black-Americans) were killed by marauding gangs of whites. However, exactly WHAT sparked it and the exact events are muddled by time and the fact that there were very few living witnesses to the carnage. As a result, the ONLY reasonable way the film could be made was to create a fictionalized drama around the framework of the known events. And, as such, it is an immensely touching and effective film.