| | | "In 1923, a Black Town in Florida was Burned to the Ground."
Features: DVD, Pan and Scan (TV Format), Widescreen, English, French, Spanish, Subtitled
In 1982 a reporter visiting Levy County in Florida noticed a lack of black residents. So he asked questions...and a long-ago tragedy came to light. John Singleton directs Jon Voight and Ving Rhames in this powerful true drama. It is January 1, 1923 in Rosewood, but in this largely black town built on family, faith and hard work, hopes for the new year abruptly end. In a few harrowing nights, a white mob razes Rosewood into oblivion. As the rampage gains cataclysmic force, a heroic World War I veteran (Rhames) and a shopkeeper (Voight) join forces. Dozens of terrified women and children have fled into nearby swamps. Somehow they must be led to safety.
"...a crisply constructed, moving, true-life tale about human beings at their best and worst." Barbara Shulgasser, San Francisco Examiner
"A great film that's also rip-roarin' entertainment." Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News
"...so riveting and revealing that the filmmakers needn't have used melodramatic formulas to boost its impact." David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor
Editor's Note
Based on a true story, ROSEWOOD takes place in a predominantly black Florida town in 1923. A woman in the neighboring town of Sumner, beaten by a lover, falsely claims that a black man assaulted her, thereby providing an excuse for her redneck townspeople to head for Rosewood with rifles and nooses. Ultimately, her lie engenders an unbelievable tragedy that is redeemed only by the heroism of those who endured it.
Plot Summary
In 1923, the town of Rosewood was destroyed by the residents of nearby Sumner. Director John Singleton leaves his familiar Los Angeles milieu to tell the story of that destruction, in which poor whites indulged their prejudice and envy, avenging an accusation that they knew was a lie. A white woman, seeking to hide her infidelity with an abusive man, blames her injuries on a black man; at the same time, a stranger named Mann (Ving Rhames) has appeared in Rosewood and is put under suspicion. Mann is not a historical figure, but John Singleton's reason for imagining him becomes clear--Rhames portrays a mighty savior whose ability to stand up for his people provides the only emotional solace amidst the film's relentlessly unjust carnage. As he did in HIGHER LEARNING, Singleton avoids portraying all the whites as evil, focusing especially on the real-life figure of John Wright (Jon Voight), a white Rosewood storeowner who finds his conscience when the people he has come to know need his aid. The faithful re-creation of the town enhances Singleton's vision, and makes the 1920s in rural America seem as remote as the Old West.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: Spanish Dolby Digital Stereo | | Dubbed: Spanish | | Feature-Length Audio Commentary With Director On Alternate Track | | Interactive Menus | | Original Theatrical Trailer | | Production Notes | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
|
Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 5/15/2007 |
| Original Release Date: 1997 | | Catalog ID: 116324 | | UPC: 00085391163244 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Don Cheadle | | Esther Rolle | | Jon Voight | | Ving Rhames | | Bruce Cannon - Editor | | Chris Gorak - Art Director | | Gregory Poirier - Writer | | John Singleton - Director | | John Williams - Original Music By | | Johnny E. Jensen - Cinematographer | | Jon Peters - Producer | | Paul Sylbert - Production Designer | | Tracy Barone - Executive Producer |
| Awards |
Nominee (1998) | | | Image Award, Ving Rhames, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture | | | Image Award, Rosewood, Outstanding Motion Picture | | | Image Award, Don Cheadle, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | | | Image Award, Esther Rolle, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture |
|
| | Professional Reviews | USA Today
"...A pair of superb performances gracefully break the mold. Jon Voight delivers a complex and ultimately sympathetic portrayal..." -- 3 out of 4 stars 02/21/1997 p.4DEntertainment Weekly
"...[Singleton] works with a solid, emotionally heated craftsmanship....He gets a fine, soul-troubled performance out of Jon Voight..." 03/07/1997 p.46-7 Los Angeles Times
"...An impressive film....Its message continues to be relevant..." 02/21/1997 p.F1 Chicago Sun-Times
"...[Singleton] handles his big cast effortlessly, establishing a good sense of community life....A well-made film that tells a gripping, important story..." 02/21/1997 p.37 ReelViews 9 of 10
While Rosewood must be seen as a cohesive whole to be fully appreciated, there are isolated moments that stand out because of their haunting power. One of the most startling depicts white folk picnicking and frolicking while Rosewood burns in the background. In another scene, McGill's character carefully teaches his son how to make a noose for a lynching -- one of the essential lessons he must learn to become a man. There are, in fact, times when Rosewood is reminiscent of Schindler's List. There's a kernel of truth that both films have in common -- the theme of the duality of human nature: the capacity for great good and great evil, boundless love and infinite hatred. And, while this film is not as well-paced or tightly-structured as Spielberg's Holocaust drama, it evokes many of the same feelings and emotions. It is an important film that should not be missed. - James Berardinelli
Box Office Magazine 9 of 10
John Singleton's newest release examines an appalling slice of American history, an actual incident everyone would rather forget or deny. In his fourth film, Singleton (Higher Learning) tells the story of Rosewood, a flourishing black town in central Florida, which in 1923 was burned to the ground by whites in a neighboring town. Fueled by a white woman's fabricated story that she was raped by a black stranger, a mob declares war on an unsuspecting community...the film's story is so powerful that the whole proves nothing less than engrossing. Comparisons to today's society can't help but be made while watching Rosewood; although moviegoers might wish to leave the theatre thinking we are living in a better time, they might not be able to. This New Regency production is a rallying cry, calling attention to the unthinkable acts of which people are capable, and it should not be forgotten. - Jose Martinez
|
| |
|
|
|
