Shadrach

I knew nothing of this movie, and chose it based on its stars, whom I have enjoyed in the past. The movie was an immensely pleasant surprise. I was most taken by intrinsic goodness and respect for dignity of the obviously low class, hard cussin', hard drinkin', smelly, Dabneys. Excellent.

Expanded from the short story of the same name from the little book "A Tidewater Morning" by William Styron, Shadrach is a wonderful film. If you haven't read the short-short story, you are in for a treat. When we are young, we feel a pull to leave; when we are old we are pulled back to where we came from. To walk from Alabama to Virginia to be buried where you grew up. A 100 year old former slave. That's a story.

This is movie portrays childhood, summer and the 30s in a wonderful and poetic way. An old man's will to be buried in the land he was born is no easy subject to put up in a movie, but the makers managed to give this story a very touchy style which helped it a lot. Children should watch it and learn what the Depression was like and how close we actually are to those days (the boy is alive nowadays and has met a man who has been a slave - history's not that far at all). And they would also learn a very deep lesson on life and its ways.

For once Andie McDowell stars in a role different from the high-class girl she used to play (think about Green Card and The Groundhog Day). And for once Harvey Keitel doesn't get on my nerve!

A great movie based on the short story by William Styron, himself a native of the Virginia Tidewater, where the movie and story take place. I found the film very moving and accurate in its depiction of eastern Virginia during the Depression era-Styron based the short story on an actual childhood experience of his. Also I found the scenery and way in which it was composed especially noteworthy. The setting was just perfect and outstanding in every regard (ancient Live Oak and Cypress trees). All in all, a very good film, good effort was put into it and it shows.

OK it looks nice, and in Keitel and MacDowell it has two solid actors as leads. In the end though it is a rather tired, and illogical, attempt at spinning a southern yarn, set in the depression, about a large brood, and an old black man who returns to the family of his former owners to die.

The idea is fine, but the execution is lazy. Keitel is supposed to be a 'diamond in the rough', the kind of character who appears gruff and uncouth, but who at heart cares about people. This is portrayed by having him say 'god damn' and 'sh*t' in every single sentence. MacDowell is supposed to be an overworked, harrased mother of many. This is portrayed by having her drink beer in every single scene, and say 'suge' in every single sentence.

This leads to an awful lot of this...

Husband: God Damn, sh*t, I ain't got time to be burying some old black man.

Wife: Calm down suge, have a beer.

It tries, it really does, and i is certainly not a bad movie, but it has very little to offer beyond a simple story, decent actors, and some wonderful locations.