Way Down South

An orphan in pre-Civil War Louisiana fights to save his late father's plantation (and his slave friends!) from a crooked lawyer's machinations. Oh boy will this one set some alarms off today. Probably the only reasons it isn't more hated is that (a) it is not as well-known as, say, Song of the South and (b) the script was written by two black men -- noted poet Langston Hughes and actor Clarence Muse, who also appears in this film as Uncle Caton. The star of the movie is Bobby Breen, a Canadian-born soprano with a brief acting career who is just about the corniest thing I've ever seen. The rest of the cast includes Alan Mowbray, Ralph Morgan, Matthew 'Stymie' Beard, Sally Blane, Edwin Maxwell, and the aforementioned Clarence Muse, who is probably the best part of the film.

It's not a bad movie if one can put aside one's political correctness. The short runtime helps. I'm not saying it's great or anything. Breen is an acquired taste and the depiction of slavery is...well, controversial is the kindest way of putting it. That being said, the slaves are positive sympathetic characters all and written with more respect than is usual for the period. That is likely thanks to Hughes and Muse. One also has to wonder if some hidden meaning was in the scene where Ralph Morgan's "friendly massa" character dies. Watch and you'll probably see what I mean. There's some singing, as you might expect from a movie starring a boy soprano. Frankly, I enjoyed the singing from the Hall Johnson Choir more than Breen. The historical qualities of the film alone should warrant viewing but it does have entertainment value, as well. I encourage everyone who is interested to give it a shot and judge for yourself instead of making up your mind before seeing it. The same goes for any old film that is considered controversial or offensive today.