Civil Brand - La rivolta

CIVIL BRAND is a story which tells of a women's prison in which the inmates are forced to work as slaves, and are exploited as little more than animals. True, we've all seen this in SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, where convicts are put to physical labor, but it's always been presented as an acceptable situation. A man robs a store and kills the clerk, so why not have him pound out license plates and working on road construction crews?

CIVIL BRAND offers a fresh look at the Prison-Industrial Complex, attacking the issue from several different angles. For one thing, the inmates aren't working on roads or some kind of community service- they're making clothes for department stores. A more provocative approach, though, is the fact that these slaves are female, a scenario that folks are not used to considering. Outstanding performances by LisaRaye, Mos Def, Clifton Powell, MC Lyte, Monica Calhoun, Lark Voorhies, and the sensational N'Bushe Wright (the lady Panther from DEAD PRESIDENTS who is one of the most talented people acting in Cinema today, not to mention drop-dead gorgeous), powerful cinematography, and brutal honesty come together to make CIVIL BRAND not just a great movie, but an extremely important one.

(c) Jake McGee - Get Underground

I'm pretty sure a lot of movies we watch contain errors that were honest mistakes. This movie may have a few major mistakes, but overall we understand where the author was trying to go. Last year I began writing a script myself and after proofreading several times I still may have over looked a few mistakes. The bottom line is Civil Brand was a good movie. I believe the director used the right actresses to star in the movie because they fit the characters easily. Acting is something you have to feel and I believe this is why the movie is considered to be one of our best. There's a major difference between Black Movies and movies with Black stars. Civil Brand is a black movie all the way through. It may be a beginning for us who knows, but most importantly it's something done by us. A $500.00 budget is nowhere near enough to make a movie without pressure, so I say please keep up the good work women. All of the women in this movie are setting the path for aspiring, actresses/ writers like myself.

This is a typical time of movie. Prisoners pay their debt to society only to find out they're being used as a pawn to the corporation games? When the usual thing happens to offenders, they get arrested send to prison by the courts and do time. However, everything in prison isn't all what it's cracked up to be. When the prisoners lose their friend who was also pregnant, that's when actions take place. It goes to show in the movie that the real bad guys weren't the prisoners, it was the captain and the guards. When law, order and discipline is abused in prison, they will join the prisoners as well. For their part the prison was shut down, thanks to the efforts of a lawyer and a couple of inmates. It goes to show that to system isn't always what it used to be, you got to fight for your rights guilt or innocence isn't the key, right and wrong is. This movie is for guys, and I think is a keeper along with other blaxportation films as well.

wow some people really chewed this one up and spit it out. but come on there are independent movies out there that are so bad you'd like to ask for your money back. i think this film was better than some and the fact that all the actors did a good job made it even better. that whole all star cast thing is usually a disappointment. but gee must we nit pick so much. the plot and the script were good. to say our people are putting out doo doo in plastic cases that you can rent from the video store and suggesting that this film is one of them is crazy. i mean sankofa was cheezy but it got a point across. we need to stop looking for things to stick to a formula for it to get our approval. let art be art. its late and i just finished watching this film. there's a dope line at the end by n'bushe wright. and monica calhoun is coming up. i think people should see this film for the issue behind the story. and because someone took the time to make it. it is an independent film for a reason. i'm out rent the movie post a comment. everyone is able to have their opinion. peace

As others have stated, there is a backstory to Civil Brand that is probably more dramatic than the film itself. To sum it up in as few words as possible: Black women directors have a difficult road to travel to see a feature film made.

The film is definitely not a masterpiece, but the attempt at telling a story about African American women in prison is a great one. The film makes a point of comparing prison labor to US Slavery--and for good reason, it is certainly free labor, with poor working conditions.

The narration by Da Brat is overkill, but because many scenes were never filmed, I'm sure it was an attempt to make the story cohesive. Lisa Raye was surprisingly decent and Monica Calhoun and Lark Voorhies did what they could with their supporting roles, but N'Bushe Wright was one of the most interesting characters to watch. She has great screen presence and excellent delivery. Hopefully we're able to see more of her.

Civil Brand is not a great movie. It's filled with stereotypes and cliches--but it does bring a new and interesting point of view on women in prison. It's definitely worth renting or catching on television.