Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

This was a very good movie. it followed along with the book because I thought it was funny when Mr. Morrison moved Kaleb Wallace's truck out the way. and T.J. got a lot meaner at the end of the movie. R.W. and Melvin injured him, and Kaleb Wallace and Harlan Granger beat the mess out of him. Christopher-John was not as plump as he was in the book. the movie left off after Papa was injured. but I hope they do a movie for Let The Circle Be Unbroken.

The movie stinks!! I love the book. All of the books as a matter of fact! But this movie is nothin' like the book! The scenes are all out of order and it looks like it was shot on a home video camera!! If ya like the book don't watch the movie!

I remember seeing this film as a kid and thinking that it was a great film. The film was very entertaining to me.I have also read the book and I feel that the film is just as great as the book.I cannot understand how people do not like this film. I feel that the film gives a great account of just how hard it was for African-Americans to live in the early 1900's.I felt that the actors and actresses did a wonderful job as well.There are wonderful actors in this film like Larry B.Scott. Oscar Award winning actor Morgan Freeman is also in this film.It has been such a long since I have seen this film. In fact, I am looking for a copy of this film. That's how much I like it. It is most definitely a classic.

This film is a very faithful adaptation of Mildred Taylor's adolescent novel. The problem with this VHS is that it is out of sequence from its original three-part miniseries format. Probably because they wanted to profit from Morgan Freeman's fame, and to attain a 95 minute run time, they took part of the second episode and put it in the middle (!) of the third episode. Plot lines from the first episode are unresolved, and one of the most dramatic sequences is only seen as a recap that starts the third episode. Needless to say, with the sequence so far out of whack, it is difficult to watch and make any sense of it.

But if you have the VHS and you want to watch it in sequence, start it about 25:00 in, with the headlights in the dark and Cassie crawling out of her bed to see what's going on. Watch until Cassie "befriends" Lillian Jean (about 1:12:00 in). After that, watch the first 25:00 and then skip back to where you left off around 1:12:00 and watch to the end.

One day, they'll remake this film or at least release it in its original form. There are many classrooms that would love to have it!

It's a disgrace that a novel that is so beautifully written and rich was turned into this sorry movie adaptation. This is a core novel used at my school and my students and I were eager to see the movie and compare it to the book we so enjoyed reading. Instead, the movie is told totally out of sequence, has gaping holes in the plot, and for some inexplicable reason, makes Lillian Jean the daughter of Mr. Wallace! It was such a disappointment that we didn't even bother to finish watching it. I really hope that someday "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" is given better treatment and made into the fine film it deserves to be.