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Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored
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Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786304138434
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
ISBN: 6304138431
Label: Republic Pictures
Languages: English (Original Language), Analog
Manufacturer: Republic Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Republic Pictures
Release Date: March 25, 1997
Running Time: 113 minutes
Studio: Republic Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: January 12, 1996
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Editorial Review:
Tim Reid's wonderful film about life in the black neighborhood of Glen Allan, Mississippi, from the mid-'40s to the dawn of the civil rights movement, is thick with terrific, inspired actors and possessed of a mature, limpid visual style. The story is told from the point of view of a young boy raised by his stalwart grandfather and his kind aunt. But the collective tale of a community coming to terms with the risks it must take to fight racism and achieve political rights is equally important and compelling. Beautifully written (based on the autobiographical novel by Clifton Taubert), Reid's vision is rich in scenes of ritual and community that have rarely, if ever, been revealed on film. This is more than just a good movie; it's a watershed event in this nation's cultural history. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A Flash of Color From the Past
This movie was very well done. From the casting of the primary actor (a handsome young boy who is groomed at his wise old grandfather's knee) to his family-loyal aunt (the already accomplished actress Phylicia Rashad), this movie invites you into a world that any modern black American would be desperate to escape. The movie starts in the harsh, back-breaking times of old (post-slavery, sweat and dust-coated, and mentally as well as physically oppressive). As one of a million people who watched Alex ... Read More
Rating:  - GROWING UP IN THE DEEP SOUTH
ONCE UPON A TIME...WHEN WE WERE COLORED - (1995)
RATING - PG for thematic elements including mild violence, language and sensuality.
STARRING - Al Freeman, Jr., Phylicia Rashad, Leon
THEME - Racial discrimination, family, community, growing up in the South.
REVIEWS - Siskel & Ebert (4/4) 'TWO THUMBS UP'
STORY - The film begins in 1946 in a cotton field outside of Glen Allan, Mississippi. A young woman suddenly ... Read More
Rating: - A Thoughtful look at when "we were colored"
ONCE UPON A TIME ..WHEN WE WERE COLORED is a grand and relatively sweeping look at black life in Southern rural Mississippi through the eyes of author Clifton Taulbert from the years 1946-1962.In nearly two hours, we are reintroduced to the one of if not the most degrading pieces of our history as Americans, the times when "colored" and "white" existed in a segregated community.Though there is essentially nothing new for we oldsters to learn that we unfortunately lived through, Tim Reid's treatment of Cliff ... Read More
Rating: - The way they were
This is just an excellent look at growing up in rural Misissippi during the Jim Crow era. It follows a boy from the moment of birth until he has to leave the area to further his education. Mostly it centers on the extended family that supports the young man in his upbringing and the strong role models he has. Al Freeman Jr. and Phylicia Rashad are the two main leads with Richard Roundtree in the best performance of his career as Cleve the iceman and down home philosopher. Isaac hayes and Taj Mahal both make ... Read More
Rating:  - A People as Most of Them Really Are
I think this is a movie that everybody who has not had regular contact with African Americans should see. There isn't really much of a plot, but I wouldn't say that it lags either. Its main benefit for African Americans, especially senior citizens, would be to be reminded of how it was. For the younger ones, it would help 'flesh out' their culture's history. For those whose main 'knowledge' of African Americans is the news and television or movies, this will be a wonderful way to see that no matter what the ... Read More
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