The Defiant Ones, written by Nedrick Young and
Harold Jacob Smith
10 out of 10
Notes and
thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E
and http://realini.blogspot.ro/
The Defiant
Ones is a fantastic film.
It is a
story about race relations and racism, friendship, loyalty and sacrifice, valor
and resilience, compassion and hatred.
It was included
on The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made list:
This
exceptional work has won:
-
The Academy Award for Best Writing,
Story and Screenplay- Written Directly for the screen and it was nominated in
all the major categories- Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role for both
Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier, Best Director…
-
It won the golden globe for Best Motion
Picture- Drama
Sidney Poitier
is marvelous in the role of Noah Cullen and so is Tony Curtis as John “Joker”
Jackson, two convicts.
The vehicle
transporting them has an accident and they take advantage and they escape, only
they are chained together.
When someone
from the party that are chasing them with dogs asks about the fact that a white
man is chained to a black man:
-
“Law officer: How come they chained
a white man to a black?
-
Sheriff Max Muller: The warden's got
a sense of humor.
-
[Why they don't have to worry about
finding the 2 convicts]
-
Sheriff Max Muller: They'll kill
each other in five miles.”
Indeed, the
two escapees do not get along together very well, at least for parts of the
movie, even when in danger.
Joker saves
Noah’s life when they are forced to swim in a rapid river and the latter says
thanks, only to get the reply:
-
Hey, I did not save you, I just
prevented you from dragging me away to drown with you
They arrive
at a small town, where they try to break into a shed to get tools for the chain
and some food.
Alas, when
they fall inside, coming from the roof, they wake everyone up and they are soon
caught by the crowd.
They are
preparing to lynch the two and racism is more than evident, with hatred visible
all around, with one single exception, a man who ultimately saves them, first
from a horrible death and later by freeing them.
Even if the
“couple” seemed to be progressing in their relationship and understanding,
Joker is saying before the “Madding Crowd”:
-
“Ya'll can't lynch me! I'm a white
man!”
But after
this low moment of betrayal, just in front of death and after all subterfuges
have failed, the two become friends.
They are
after all involved in one of the Ultimate Team Building Exercises which some
companies in the world might try.
Perhaps the
people of the late Enron, did it, chaining themselves together physically not
just spiritually, with their penchant for extreme risk, sports and gambling
with so many victims money and pension savings…
A first
climax is reached when one of them is faced with the option of letting the
other die, in strange circumstances.
For reasons
of spoiler alerts I will not say what happens, only that in the first place one
of the men proves:
-
Loyalty, friendship, willing to self-sacrifice,
determination, valor, grit, unselfishness and devotion
Instead of
thinking about his own escape and chances, he decides to try his best to help
the other one.
And the
moving picture becomes one of the best dramas, a lesson of respect, anti-
racism, and compassion.
And it is
also proved that even people who are at the bottom of society, outcasts who
have been send to jail can find redemption.
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