The Black Klansman

It was a rare occasion in 1960's American cinema that the screen would reflect the social turbulence surrounding the civil rights movement, or the fundamentally tense race relations in particularly in the southern states. The white supremacist organisation, the Ku Klux Klan, was a dominant and violent presence which was largely controlled and operated by the local powers of small towns and cities. Whilst the subject was on the surface of the film adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer prize winning novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird (1962), but the cinema mainstream was hardly representative of social conscience until Stanley Kramer's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). But a few low budget b-movies in the early '60's did attempt to tackle the subject. Roger Corman's under- seen William Shatner starer, The Intruder (1962), or Carl Lerner's Black Like Me (1964), whilst unsuccessful, at least attempted an intelligent, left-field approach. So it seems almost astounding with hindsight, that Ted V. Mikels, shlock director of later atrocities like The Astro- Zombies (1968) or The Doll Squad (1973), would produce a film that would formulate a film that is both sensitive and intelligent about the deep- seated racism within southern state America.

The film opens in the small town of Turnersville, a young, dumb kid walks into an all white diner, upsetting the patrons of the establishment by being the wrong colour. This small act leads to the local faction of the KKK to "retaliate" by shooting the boy then throwing Molotov cocktails at a congregation of a black church. This, along with the burning crucifix, was a reality in these small-minded towns. However, on throwing the fiery bottle at the doorway, the perpetrator witnesses a very young girl being hit directly with the weapon. The father of the girl, travelling musician Jerry Ellsworth (also notably of mixed race - but played by a white actor), heads to the town on hearing the news. Jerry takes himself to a hair salon and transfers himself into a white man (for all intents and purposes). He charms his way into the life of KKK head, and infiltrates the organisation, biding his time to reap revenge on the evil that killed his daughter.

It is of course a ludicrous concept, but the film offers quite emotional and sometimes dramatic scenes. Jerry is also accompanied by a white woman, Andrea (Rima Kutner), who is in love with him and wants a baby with him (something that an alternative title for the film overly focused on, I Crossed the Color Line). This alone would have been a controversial inclusion to the film, but it also balanced this with a more critical commentary on vigilante justice, and mob organisation (particularly on the black group formed in reaction to the attack). The opening scenes where the KKK shoot the young black boy are truly shocking for its time and budget, a scene that resembles the later opening scenes of Mississippi Burning (1989), which are shot quite similarly, staring starkly in the face of the victim. This is not to say that the film is wholly satisfactory, in true Mikels style the film is technically horrific; bad editing, uninspired camera work, the inevitable bad arrangement of scenes and characters. But, at its heart is something quite remarkable. Not revelatory, or even particularly exciting, but nonetheless, the central theme of social segregation is still relevant today (shockingly), and surprisingly some of the acting ain't too bad.

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This film begins in Los Angeles with a black jazz musician by the name of "Jerry Ellsworth" (Richard Gilden) learning that his young daughter has just been killed by members of a racist organization in the small town of Turnerville, Alabama. Seeking revenge upon the people that committed this act, he immediately boards a flight to Turnerville where he hopes his light-skinned complexion will allow him to masquerade as a white man long enough for him to infiltrate the local chapter of the KKK. What he doesn't know, however, is that his white girlfriend "Andrea" (Rima Kutner) and his good friend "Lonnie" (James McEachin) have followed right behind him and their appearance creates unforeseen difficulties which endangers his extremely hazardous plan. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a fairly interesting film which was hindered somewhat by the rather low-budget production values and mediocre acting of all concerned. It does, however, serve as a decent precursor to the blaxploitation films which followed a few years later and for that reason I have rated this film accordingly. Average.

What can be said? This movie is as disturbing now as it was when it was made. But the acting is so irregular. Sometimes it's comically bad which makes it extremely uncomfortable. The ending is also disappointing.

Oh, this film has flaws all right: Sloppy edits, phony day-for-night, zero budget, and a lot of bad acting. The ending is a bit syrupy as well. But it takes up fascinating questions and plunges headlong into the dark side of American racism, showing KKK meetings, burning crosses, and violence. It treatment of the race question reminds me of the Roger Korman film "The Outsider," in which William Shatner plays a white racist, but in this case a light-skinned black man goes under cover to join the ranks of prejudice. This film's combination of thematic boldness and slipshod execution makes it wonderfully horrible. Or horribly wonderful, I can't figure out which.

Though I never heard of any of the actors except the excellent James McEachin, nearly every single player gives a good to excellent performance.

It starts rather badly, and my thoughts were negative about the director, Ted V. Mikels, whose work is apparently mostly exploitative, and the nominal lead, Richard Gilden. But after a few more scenes, everything shifts into a higher gear and actors and director present us with a good movie.

At this writing, March of 2019, the film is 53 years old. Most of the worst aspects of the problem presented by the story have receded. While Ku Klux Klan and similar organizations still exist, they are generally discounted by most of the rest of the population.

Except: the U.S. "news" media and other Democrats and other left-collectivists would have us believe that every problem in these United States derives from "racism" and that most people, especially those who don't buy into the left-collectivist belief system, are "racists."

In addition, among the left-collectivists, including the "news" media, there is a sickening and disgusting emphasis placed on group identity, which is, in fact, what is wrong with such groups as the KKK, but is somehow accepted when it's from Democrat candidates.

In fact, each of us is an individual, no matter what our skin color. And one point made in this film is that the protagonist, with one black parent, looks white enough to be allowed membership in the Klan.

Not stressed in this movie is the notion that one's skin color or ethnicity cannot lead to any particular belief system. But it's a fact.

Yes, one's culture, one's neighbors, one's schooling can certainly bend a person's thinking, but not that person's skin color, not race or ethnicity.

The premise of this mostly very well-done motion picture is excellent, it's timely, even after the decades since its premiere. The acting is first class, its picture of the rituals of the KKK certainly look real, almost, in spots, like a documentary.

I highly recommend this movie, under whichever title, even if the ending is a bit ambiguous. Very, very well done.