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Defying contemporary mores: "The Defiant Ones"
by Wyatt Newman
The Civil Rights movement began after our graduation, about 1964.
Because of it, race relations have greatly improved.
A bold movie filmed in 1958, directed and produced by a bold
director, Stanley Kramer, was "The Defiant Ones," starring
Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier. It was about two convicts in a
Southern prisoner work gang that were chained together, escaping
when the truck they were being transported in crashed.
Curtis, in probably one of his best dramatic performances, played a
Southerner, a "cracker," as he was called by Poitier.
Curtis wanted to head further south in his escape; Poitier wanted to
go north, escaping the south as well as his confinement, unfairly
sentenced to begin with. The film dealt with them trying to stay
away from the pursuers, of course, but more focus was placed on how
a black man and a prejudiced white southerner had to cooperate and
work together, necessitated by being jointly chained throughout most
of the movie.
Several interesting character were encountered along the way, played
by Theodore Bikel, the conscientious sheriff; Lon Chaney, Jr., a
former prisoner who takes sides with them; and some lesser-knowns
but credible performers. Several taboos were broken: Curtis and
Poitier share a cigarette; the "N" word is used; they
actually learn to trust, protect and genuinely care for each other
as equals; Curtis has wanton sex with a wanton woman who wants to
run off with him and leave Poitier, literally, to the dogs.
The movie seems to be forgotten, never seen on TV, not really that
big when shown as I recall, seemingly just a run-of-the mill black
and white movie. Personally, I would place this as one of the
top-notch films of the late fifties, being an important forerunner
of what was later to come--that blacks and whites could cooperate
and work together as equals to overcome. While they didn't overcome
their imprisonment, being captured in the end, which would
disappoint most viewers, as their imprisonment was questionable to
begin with as an example of bad southern justice, they did overcome
their racial prejudice, at least against each other.
A true, classic film.
- Wyatt |
