Steve Slater

This is the way I remember the South that I grew up in. Some may consider the film too simplistic, but it was a simpler time. The characters were believable to me, unlike the phony accents, silly mannerisms and fake stereotypes in most Hollywood portrayals of the South. The acting and attention to such details were remarkable. It captures the spirituality of many Blacks at the time as well as the paradoxical warmth that existed between races coupled with extreme prejudice -- something hard for most outsiders to the culture to correctly fathom. It is not preachy, but, for anyone who has ears to hear, it carries a relevant message.