Contentar
Best movie of this year hands down!
Stephan Hammond
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
Stephanie
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Kayden
This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
clanciai
When this German-Italian film production came to town in 1968 I sadly missed it and didn't get a new opportunity until now, when it was 50 years old, but its age has not impeded its impact. It was a sensationally positive surprise to observe how interestingly the book has been tampered with to make it an even better film. The book was certainly one of the most important and influential novels of the 19th century, and, as Lincoln said, it was what started the war; Leo Tolstoy ranked it as one of his favourites especially for its consequences, only books like 'Oliver Twist' and 'Les Miserables' had similar social effects, in all its roughness the book remains an absolute classic, and the film lives more than well up to it.The credits are many. The first one must go to John Kitzmiller, who makes a perfectly convincing Uncle Tom in an intensely warm and sustained human performance, and what a wonderful idea that he starts singing and has such a wonderful voice at that! The Negro Spirituals of the film greatly enhance its emotional pathos and add a glowing colour of aesthetic charm and human dignity to the film. He is seconded by Olive Moorefield as Cassy, whom the film successfully makes more of than the book, while Herbert Lom as the supreme villain Simon Legree, who is allowed to dominate the film from the very beginning, has never had a better time for a full range of his acting since he was Napoleon in 'War and Peace', the best Napoleon ever, by the way. The others fall in line and support the drama satisfactorily well.Max Ophuls would have loved this film for its wonderful details. The riverboat journey is a highlight, much effort has been given to reconstruct a perfect and intact 1850s environment in homes and towns, there is a marvellous sequence from old New Orleans with a circus and parade, there is a splendid tavern brawl, and where did they find that fascinating music box? I have never seen one so large. Another striking detail is the guest appearance of Juliette Greco, she didn't appear in many films and only exclusively, and while she appears you can't take your eyes from her fascinating character.The alterations from the book are on the whole well construed. That Legree is in from the beginning sets the drama off directly, the invented cause of little Eva's sudden death adds another interesting intrigue not at all implausible, Eliza's amazing escape never fails to impress both on screen and in the book, and it's a good idea not to let her come home until the very end, to at least give the end one good turn of relief.On the whole, this is a film that never reached its appropriate recognition, it is indeed worth discovering and loving, while at the same time it constitutes an enriching and well deserved compliment to the book.
ma-cortes
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" deals with slavery tears apart a black family in the South before the start of the Civil War . In these days Harriet Beecher Stowe's popular novel of Uncle Tom's Cabin is known more by historians as a contributing cause of the Civil War than as an actual literary work . Uncle Tom's Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century and the second best-selling book of that century, following the Bible . Stowe was partly inspired to create Uncle Tom's Cabin by the 1849 slave narrative The Life of Josiah Henson , formerly a slave, now an inhabitant of Canada, as narrated by himself ; as Henson escaped slavery in 1830 by fleeing to the Province of Upper Canada -now Ontario-, where he helped other fugitive slaves settle and become self-sufficient, and where he wrote his memoirs . It talks Tio Tom (John Kitzmiller), obedient yet not lacking integrity , but a Kentucky farmer named Arthur Shelby facing the loss of his farm because of debts and Tom eventually falls into the hands of the sinister Simon Legree (Herbert Lom) , a slave trader. "Uncle Tom" is a dutiful, long-suffering servant faithful to his white master or mistress . African-American slavers are afraid of the new strict fugitive slave law and some of them attempt to getaway . Eliza (Catana Cayetano) and her little baby escape from the plantation in the wintry night , their flight across the ice covered river, as there is a memorable scene of her flight to freedom across the ice flows with her son , but sympathetic northerners like the Quaker family you see rescue Eliza and her baby . During Eliza's escape, she meets up with her husband George Harris, who had run away previously . They decide to attempt to reach Canada . After that , St. Clare (O.W. Fischer) purchases Tom , the good black slave . St. Clare then asks Tom to educate her daughter Eva (Michaela May) . After Tom has lived with the St. Clares for two years, Eva grows very ill. There takes place the surreal death of little Eva . Then Tom sold to Simon Legree and the events go awry .This the best and only European film adaptation of the classic Harriet Beecher Stowe novel , one of the more expensive films for the time . ¨Tio Tom's cabin¨ successfully captures the mood of the old pre-war South while emphasizing the horror and immorality of slavery . ¨Uncle Tom's Cabin¨ or ¨Life Among the Lowly¨, is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe , being published in 1852 , the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War" ; the impact attributed to the book is great, reinforced by a story that when Abraham Lincoln met Stowe at the start of the Civil War , Lincoln declared , "So this is the little lady who started this great war" . This is a surprisingly good , interesting, but, sentimental adaptation of the novel . The faith connection between Tom and Eva is completely described from the movie, yet one can appreciate the true nobility of their characters without seeing this bond between them brought about by a shared love of the world beyond . The film captures most of the highlights from the novel, including a very well done Eliza's flight across the frozen river pursued by bloodhounds , the death of Little Eva , and the villainous Simon Legree ; the film gets better as it goes along building to the exciting finale . John Kitzmiller gives a fine performance in the title role, John as lead role is outstanding as Uncle Tom . What is even more outstanding is the dignity and lack of minstrelsy in the way he is allowed to play him . Kitzmiller/Tom carries great emotional weight and manages to humanize slaves and rightfully demonize the institution of slavery itself . Special mention to villain Legree , perfectly interpreted by the great Herbert Lom . Released by Central Cinema Company Film (CCC) with all-European-star cast such as Herbet Lom , O.W. Fischer , Thomas Fritsch , Mylene Demongeot , Eleonora Rossi Drago , an uncredited Jeffrey Hunter ; furthermore two known singers : Juliette Gréco Eartha Kitt . This is a beautifully photographed film and a lavish production for the German cinema , being a France | Italy | West Germany | Yugoslavia co-production . Camera movements are fluid and plenty , as are the glossy close-ups , including a colorful cinematography . Evocative musical score , adding gorgeous songs sung by Eartha Kitt , Juliette Greco and John Kitzmiller . As it turned out , the film was a German box-office success . However , The book , the plays and films inspired and helped popularize a number of stereotypes about black people , these include the affectionate, dark-skinned "mammy" ; the "pickaninny" stereotype of black children . In recent years, the negative associations with Uncle Tom's Cabin have, to an extent, overshadowed the historical impact of the book as a "vital antislavery tool. There are various adaptations about this notorious novel, these are the followings : Silent rendition ¨Uncle Tom's Cabin¨ (1927) by Harry Pollard with Margarita Fischer as Eliza and James B. Lowe as Uncle Tom , it was a box-office flop despite the immense and decades lasting popularity of Stowe's novel and its stage adaptations ; TV adaptation (1987) by Stan Lathan with Avery Brooks as Uncle Tom , Kate Burton as Ophelia , Bruce Dern as Augustine St. Claire and Paula Kelly ; and exploitation picture also titled ¨Uncle Tom's Cabin¨ (1976) by Al Adamson again with John Kitzmiller as Uncle Tom , Herbert Lom as Simon Legree and Olive Moorefield .
andrewbk
Uncle Tom's Cabin is my most favourite novel ever. It is reasonable that I've been at quest to find a film version that can do it some justice.Unfortunately, I was thoroughly disappointed with this movie. While it may retain some semblence of the outer shell of the story along with a few character names, the vital core of the story is entirely changed. I would challenge any film company to depict this story faithfully.It must also be pointed out that while the characters are in themselves ficticious, most of the events in the book actually happened.The actual story is so magnificent that I shall not write any major spoilers here, albeit one or two necessary to discuss. The real ending however, of which the movie totally replaced, must remain a closely-guarded secret, reserved only for those who brave the book.The original story was intended to argue Christian values against the cruel and inhuman system of slavery at the time. It is therefore intensely fundamental in its Christian basis.Tom is a committed and devoted Christian, unswervable in his absolute faith despite intense oppression. He has a well-worn Bible that he reads at any opportunity, and regularly proclaims the Gospel with almost everyone he interacts. Evangeline, who is only five years old in the book, is likewise if not more so. There was no event anywhere in the book of Tom encouraging others by singing. Rather, it is always by evangelism and prayer. (That revolting substitution was an unforgivable degradation to his character.) And it is little Eva who is able to spiritually penetrate the stonehearted and belligerent child-slave Topsy with the meaning of divine love, that chapter in the book being one of the most remarkable of all.This movie deletes the Christian themes entirely. The one scene which makes a vague mention of it is not found anywhere in the book. (Spoiler) In fact, the movie wrongly shows Tom being injured in a wagon accident, when in the book he was physically beaten to death by Legree for withholding intelligence on Cassy's whereabouts, for he would "not betray the innocent." The martyrdom in the story is tremendous and very tragically discarded in this movie. And Cassy's real hiding place was far more ingenious and exciting than the way it was shown in this cowardly film.The story really follows two paths: Tom who is sold south because of his master's debt and Eliza who makes a desperate break for freedom to protect her child whom she learnt had been sold as well. Eliza's infamous river crossing, (which is historically true), was terribly underplayed in this movie. In the book, she had taken refuge at a small inn by the Ohio River in Kentucky, looking for a way to cross. When several slave catchers bore down on her location, she took up her five year old child, scrambled down the riverbank and made a desperate flying leap over about ten feet of turbulent current onto an ice floe, which pitched wildly under her weight. Upon reaching the Ohio side, a neighbour she knew helped her up the bank and led her to some abolishionists with the Underground Railroad. Then with the assistance of Quakers was reunited with her fugitive husband enroute to Upper Canada. This movie very wrongly shows Eliza travelling into the deep south to be hidden by Cassy. This is strongly contradictory to the story and doesn't even make sense.The one positive comment I can make is that it appears as though some effort was put into the sets and costumes. It is only tragic and wasteful that the story was not better preserved.So in summary, this movie makes a weak attempt to tell a grossly modified version of the story, while it cowers away from its core themes and real exulting climax.(I welcome feedback from any fans of the book who want to discuss the story! I am rather passionate about it.)
Jugu Abraham
I saw this film some 30 years ago. Yet I rate it as an unusually interesting film 30 years later because of the marvellous songs and the interesting use of modern shots of the skyscrapers at the beginning of the film. While the film is true to Harriet Beecher Stowe's story, the director's implicit comparison of the past and present America (skyscraper skyline shown during the credits) is interesting. Eartha Kitt's song at the end is unforgettable. The film is distinctly European (the director is Hungarian) in style and the story and songs could merit a re-release. Herbert Lom is notable among the actors. Many versions of the film exist but watch the version with Eartha Kitt's singing the song with the end credits.