Un homme comme tant d'autres

I thoroughly enjoyed "Nothing But a Man." Unlike other films before it, it shows black men and casts them in lead roles instead of sticking them in white circles. It is an excellent and faithful depiction of problems that blacks faced, such as maratial, familial, and social dilemmas. This film also focuses on black masculinity and what being a black man is about, and it highlights the struggle and contrast of being free and easy and not tied down as opposed to being married and struggling for one's dignity. The film itself is great for its neorealistic style. It is like a documentary in many respects. It is black & white, gritty, and has no soundtracks running (save the Motown and the gospel). Unlike the race films of Micheaux and Williams who used this documentary-style depiction to push their messages, Roemer fearlesssly shows the brutality and bleakness of African-American life, with an ending reminiscent of Orwell's 1984. I loved this movie. It is honest, non-patronizing, and accurate. I saw it in my ethnic cinema class, and I highly recommend it.

This is an excellent film, and I'm surprised it's not received more plaudits here. An exceptional movie, especially given the period in which it was made, about a young black man trying to "do the right thing" and make a life for himself in the South. Beautifully acted by everyone involved, Nothing But a Man lets you live the struggles that black men live(d) every day. The struggle to find a job, keep a job, be a man, raise a family, all while under the white shadow of racial bigotry. This is not a particularly uplifting film...you never get sense that everything will work out in the end, but because of this, the movie is all the more realistic. This is a CLASSIC, a true sleeper, that should be seen by everyone. The DVD version includes interviews with the cast and film makers 40 years later. In her interview, Abbey Lincoln seems to come undone while reflecting on the movie, the Struggle, and how little real progress has been made.

This film is probably one of the top five greatest films about African-Americans ever made. I picked up the film at blockbuster and gave it a chance, seeing that the film was rated as one of the best black films ever made. Me wanting to be the judge of this, I took the film home, watched it, became overwhelmed with intrigue, and was emotionally moved by the subtle ending. This film reminds me of the problem that heavily exists in the black community today. Ivan Dixon's performance wasn't over done, making his portrayal of Duff one of the most memorable I had ever seen. The writing was extraordinary, hitting viewers with one fabulous scene after another. The film never dragged and I was equally impressed with the actress who played the preacher's daughter. The writers were able to make me empathize with all the characters, and Duff was written with a certain complexity seen in few other films about African-Americans. The cinematography caught my attention as well with almost every frame featuring enormous composition. The thing that most gratified me about the film is the fact that it is about redemption, showing our main character making certain sacrifices to live a normal and moral life in the end. It shows hope in a world that tends to be hopeless most of the time. And when Duff comes back to his wife and holds her in his arms, which symbolizes his regrets and his self-redemption, I felt like going out and embrace all my sisters who are left to care for their children by themselves. I gave this film a 10 and out of a grade from A+ to a F, I give it an A+. I strongly recommend this film, especially to other African-American filmmakers who plan on sugarcoating the black experience in America. This film told the truth and didn't hold back with fears of stereotyping. I said it once and I'll say it again, "Nothing But a Man" is one of the greatest black films ever made in the world...

Memorable and poignant, Nothing But a Man is one of the glories of independent film; groundbreaking rather than earth shattering, its refusal to sentimentalize or overstate demonstrates true integrity. The film apprehends the simple existence of an ordinary couple in difficult circumstance, and the performances of Ivan Dixon and lovely jazz singer Abbey Lincoln are superbly naturalistic, and a well chosen and evocative supporting cast lends absolute credibility. The direction, editing, and cinematography are all fine, and the dialog is simply and beautifully convincing. Don't miss this rarely shown and extraordinarily rewarding film that, along with Point Blank, Pretty Poison, Rachel,Rachel, The Naked Kiss, Night of the Living Dead, Lolita,Rosemary's Baby,and They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, remains one of the absolutes of 60's American cinema. The multi-talented Ivan Dixon directed The Spook Who Sat By the Door(73) and was on the 60's TV series Hogan"s Heroes.

This is a very fine movie, but I won't lie to you: it's not always easy to watch. It recounts the story of a Black man in the 1960s American South (outside Birmingham, AL), his problems with relationships, with white men who mistreat him, etc. Sometimes he reacts in admirable ways, sometimes he does not. Because of that, and because of the very fine acting, the characters in this movie come off as very real, not at all Hollywood caricatures. But that doesn't always make the movie easy to watch.

It's more than worth the occasional discomfort, however, because it's really a very fine movie, one that presents very real people going though all too real life situations and dealing with them in very human ways. Not a movie you will forget quickly, I can promise you, and very definitely not a waste of your time to watch.