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Rosewood In 1923, the town of Rosewood, Florida was the site of a massacre. The truth about this sad chapter in American history wasn't learned until 60 years later when a reporter for the St. Petersburg Times and the son of a survivor joined forces to tell the horrible story. Rosewood tells the sad tale of how 40 - 150 African-Americans were lynched, beaten and murdered when a white woman falsely accused a African-American man of attacking her. It is one of the most powerful and disturbing movies of the 90's. As the film opens, the small town of Rosewood, Florida is the home to many African-Americans. Most of the businesses and property are owned by African- Americans, except the town store, owned and run by Mr. Wright (Jon Voight). He has earned the respect and trust of the town's residents for doing business with them when most white merchants refuse. Mr. Wright plans on staying in Rosewood, purchasing more land, and expanding his business. Although he is well liked, he's not perfect. Mr. Wright is carrying on an affair with one of his African-American employees and still has moments when he feels some racism. On New Year's Eve, a mysterious stranger comes to town. Mr. Mann (Ving Rhames) creates quite a stir in this small town. He attracts the attention of everyone, especially a young lady, Scrappy (Elise Neal). While he decides if he wants to stay permanently, Mr. Mann finds temporary residence with Scrappy, Sara (Esther Rolle), Sylvester (Don Cheadle) and their family. He also earns the enmity of Mr. Wright when he outbids the shopkeeper for a piece of land. Racial tensions run high between Rosewood and the neighboring white town of Sumner. These problems explode when a white woman, Fannie (Catherine Kellner) falsely claims to have been attacked by an African-American stranger, possibly an escaped convict being sought by the local sheriff (Michael Rooker). A white mob from Sumner forms to find the phantom attacker, and Mr. Mann is accused by white and African American residents of the county. The mob gets out of hand, leading to the death of many of Rosewood's residents. Only a handful of woman and children escape and find refuge in the swamps. Can they get out alive? After seeing the fine performances and excellent direction, I was left to wonder why the movie was overlooked by the Motion Picture Academy. There are several Oscar worthy performances. The list of actors and actresses who deliver fantastic performances is too long to mention, but five jump out immediately. Ving Rhames is excellent as Mr. Mann, the mysterious stranger with a dark past. Rhames is able to win the audience's sympathy and respect by showing his character's cynical side and desire to live without trouble. Although his character is an honored war veteran, white men treat him horribly. Watch his reactions when he is considered a suspect by other African-American residents. Mr. Mann knows he cannot trust white men, but in that moment, his character feels that he can't even trust his own people. Don Cheadle and Esther Rolle also shine as mother and son facing possible death and ruination of their way of life. Even though her character knows the truth, Rolle is able to show how the character is afraid to step forward and tell the truth, a feeling shared by actual survivors of the Rosewood massacre. Her best scene comes when she confronts the mob and tries to set them straight. Cheadle is one of my favorite actors. He consistently delivers stunning performances. His character is a proud music teacher who wants the respect he has earned. Cheadle is able to express his character's frustration and the pain he feels as his community is destroyed by ignorance and hate. Jon Voight and Michael Rooker also put in fine performances. Voight is able to show his character's sensitivity, but also the racism that runs through him even though he is supposed to be friendly to the community. Rooker is fantastic as the town sheriff who doesn't believe that an African-American man committed the illegal act, but goes along with the mob in a fruitless attempt to avoid bloodshed. I also want to put in a good word for director John Singleton. Many of you probably remember that he was the first African-American nominated as Best Director for his groundbreaking film, Boyz 'n the Hood. In this film, he shows great ability to tell a painful, sensitive story on a grand scale. Although the film is almost 2 ½ hours long, he keeps the pace moving and riveting. He uses wonderful, sweeping shots of the landscape to show the town's destruction and gets amazing performances out of every actor. The story of Rosewood was a secret until 1982, when Gray Moore of the St. Petersburg Times visited the Rosewood area. He wondered why there were few African-American residents of Levy County. He found survivors of the massacre who had lost their personal wealth and families, but they did not want to talk for fear of retribution. Finally, 20 survivors and their descendents were convinced to speak with Moore. They shocked him with their story. Arnette Doctor, the son of a survivor, was also researching the town's past and seeking reparations from the state legislature. They teamed up to tell the story, eventually getting the attention of CBS' 60 Minutes. In 1994, the Florida State Legislature offered reparations to survivors and their families. Rent Rosewood tonight. Rosewood: A- Director: John Singleton Writer: Gregory Poirer Cast Ving Rhames ………………………… Mr. Mann Jon Voight …………………………… Mr. Wright Don Cheadle …………………………. Sylvester Esther Rolle ………………………….. Sara Bruce McGill ………………………… Duke Purdy Loren Dean …………………………… James Taylor Elise Neal …………………………….. Scrappie Michael Rooker ………………………. Sheriff Walker Catherine Kellner ……………………... Fannie Taylor Copyright 1999 - WaffleMovies.com |
