The Embers of Violence (1970)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The glow of violence |
| Original title | The Liberation of LB Jones |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1970 |
| length | 101 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | William Wyler |
| script |
Jesse Hill Ford , Stirling Silliphant |
| production | A. Ronald Lubin |
| music | Elmer Bernstein |
| camera | Robert Surtees |
| cut | Carl Kress |
| occupation | |
| |
The Embers of Violence is an American drama from 1970 directed by William Wyler . The script is based on Jesse Hill Ford's 1965 novel The Liberation of Lord Byron Jones , which in turn is based on a true story that happened in Hill's hometown of Humboldt, Tennessee .
action
Steve and Nella Mundine move to Somerton, Tennessee . There Steve is supposed to join the law firm of his uncle Oman Hedgepath. On the same train, the young black Sonny Boy Mosby arrives in Somerton. Sonny has had a tough childhood in which he suffered particularly from the white policeman Stanley Bumpas.
Steve convinces his uncle, the black undertaker Lord Byron Jones, to advise him on his divorce. Emma Jones challenges the divorce to provide for herself and the baby she is pregnant with and files a lawsuit. The baby's father is white cop Willie Joe Worth. When Hedgepath informs Worth of Emma's lawsuit, Worth fears a scandal. The attempt to get Emma to withdraw the lawsuit fails. Nor can he convince the husband to renounce his suit. With the help of his colleague Bumpas, he arrests Jones.
Jones escapes from custody and hides in a junkyard. But he doesn't want to flee any further and turns himself in to the police. The two officers shoot Jones. The police confess to the murder, but neither Hedgepath nor the mayor want to trigger a scandal by punishing the officers. Only the young Sonny avenges the murder of the entrepreneur by killing Bumpas with a combine harvester. The Mundines disagree with the local justice system and leave the city on the same train that Sonny takes to flee.
background
The film premiered in New York on March 18, 1970. In Germany it first appeared in cinemas on September 25, 1970.
The film, William Wyler's last directorial work, was shot in Humboldt, Tennessee.
Reviews
"Racial drama reduced to an all too private conflict of adultery in a technically good, but contentwise unsatisfactory staging."
“I'm sure that Wyler and his scriptwriters […] wanted to make a suspense film that also functions as a social commentary at the same time. In the interests of melodrama, they have simplified the characters from Hill's novel to such an extent that they seem more stereotypical than necessary - a problem that has been exacerbated by parts of the cast. "
"Unfortunately [the film] is nothing more than a multiracial sexploitation film ."
“American small-town drama against the background of racial conflict. [...) Well-crafted and thought-provoking film by William Wyler, recommended for ages 16 and up. You have to accept some consistent brutalities. "
Awards
Lola Falana was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Young Actress in 1971 .
Web links
- The embers of violence in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ The Embers of Violence in the Lexicon of International Films , accessed on November 24, 2011.
- ↑ "I'm sure that Wyler and his screenwriters [...] were out to make a suspense movie that would also work as contemporary social commentary. In the interests of melodrama, they have simplified the characters from Hill's novel to such a degree that they seem more stereotyped than may have been absolutely necessary — a problem that is aggravated by some of the casting. ”- Review of the New York Times (engl .), accessed November 24, 2011.
- ↑ "[...] unfortunately, not much more than an interracial sexploitation film." - Critique of Variety ( Memento of the original from October 20, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) accessed on November 24, 2011.
- ↑ Evangelical Press Association Munich, Review No. 421/1970.
