Rarely does a film come along, based on a fictional character, that results in that character achieving near legendary status. Such a film, is the 1974 made-for-television classic, The Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman. The film is based on the novel by Ernest J. Gaines, that spans the 100 year period from the Emancipation Proclamation, to the beginning of civil rights movement in 1962, as seen through the eyes of a former slave. Cicely Tyson won a richly deserved Emmy Award for her superb performance as Miss Jane Pittman.

As the film opens, Miss Jane is celebrating her 110th birthday, when a Reporter, Quintin Lerner, (Michael Murphy) from a New York based magazine, travels to Louisiana to interview Miss Jane, one of the few surviving slaves. Through a series of flashbacks, Miss Jane takes Lerner on a heart rending journey through history, relating her experience as a young freed slave grappling with newly found freedom, suffering through a brush with the Klan, as a sharecroper, selling all of her worldly goods to satisfy a debt to a greedy land owner, and witnessing the death of her adopted son, Ned, (Thalmus Rasulala) for speaking out for civil rights.

Miss Jane's faith in God never wavers throughout her long, arduous, life. Her strength and courage is epitomized in one of the most memorable scenes in television history, as the 110 year old woman, in an act of humble defiance, with a shuffled gait, slowly walks up the sidewalk of a Louisiana courthouse, with her head held high, and drinks from the "whites only" water fountain.

Director John Korty does an excellent job of capturing the oppression and prejudice that the freed slaves experienced during the post civil war years in the south. He is equally adept at depicting the tension of the racially polarized deep south of 1962, and Ms. Jane's ambivalence at becoming involved in the civil rights movement, after enduring a century of adversity and discrimination.

Screenwriter Tracy Keenan Wynn seamlessly interweaving the past and present, in his moving, tightly written, script. Fred Karlin's musical score is at times uplifting and hauntingly beautiful, adding to the poignancy of the film.

Cicely Tyson (Sounder/The Rosa Parks Story) displays an amazing range of emotion, whether portraying a timid young 22 year old freed slave or a feisty 110 year old survivor, with a flawless memory. Tyson ages over roughly an 80 year period in this film, encased in multiple layers of make-up, and managing to maintain body language appropriate to each stage of her character's lifetime. Tyson's ability to mimic the ambulation patterns and cracked, strained, voice of a 110 year old woman, is nothing short of amazing. She portrays Miss Jane with a quiet dignity, in a beautifully understated, yet powerfully touching performance. Thalmus Rausalala adds a passionate performances as Ned, Miss Jane's activist adopted son. Micheal Murphy contributes an adequate, but fairly bland performance as Reporter Quintin Lerner.

This landmark film, of the socially conscious '70's, is widely recognized as one of the best made-for-television films of all time. Despite a few over-dramatized scenes, such as the one in which the death of Miss Jane's beloved husband Joe Pittman, is revealed to her in advance by a fortune teller, The Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman is a triumphant achievement. It is a stirring tribute to the black experience and all who endured slavery, survived the nightmare of post civil war reconstruction, and fought for freedom and equality in the civil rights movement, as symbolized in the character of Miss Jane Pittman. On the strength of her brilliant performance, Cicely Tyson brings to life the heroic character of Miss Jane Pittman; one of the most memorable and enduring symbols of the civil rights movement.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older