Black Girl (1972 film)
Black Girl | |
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Directed by | Ossie Davis |
Produced by |
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Written by | J. E. Franklin |
Starring | |
Music by | |
Cinematography | Glenwood J. Swanson |
Edited by | Graham Lee Mahin |
Distributed by | Cinerama Releasing Corporation |
Release dates |
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Running time | 97 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Black Girl is a 1972 American drama film directed by Ossie Davis based on the 1969 play by playwright J. E. Franklin.
Plot
A family drama about a young woman who defies the low expectations thrust upon her and pursues her dream of becoming a dancer. An aspiring dancer and her wicked sisters resent their mother's love for a foster daughter.
Cast
- Brock Peters – Earl
- Claudia McNeil – Mu'Dear
- Leslie Uggams – Netta
- Louise Stubbs – Mama Rose
- Peggy Pettitt – Billie Jean
- Gloria Edwards – Norma Faye
- Loretta Greene – Ruth Ann
- Ruby Dee – Netta's Mother
- Kent Martin – Herbert
Reception
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times rated it three out of four stars and wrote, "Black Girl is a movie so filled with things it wants to say that sometimes the messages are lost in a confusion of story lines. A more disciplined movie might have been made by eliminating some of the material and organizing the rest, but I'm not sure it would have been a better movie, or a more moving experience."[1] Roger Greenspun of The New York Times wrote, "I suspect that the real difference between the successful play and the failed movie lies in Ossie Davis's direction, which ranges from pedestrian to downright helpless."[2] Variety quoted their own review, which called it "the best study of Negro family life since Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun".[3]
See also
References
- ↑ Ebert, Roger (1973-02-06). "Black Girl". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
- ↑ Greenspun, Roger (1972-11-10). "Black Girl (1972)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
- ↑ "Lee Savin". Variety. 1995-01-29. Retrieved 2015-02-10.