Well told. narrative of the black experience in the US. Excellent acting by Paul Winfield and Olivia Stone.
6 Reviews
Black experience
fmwongmd22 May 2020
WASP Review
lifewaterranch30 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I have to admit I had a hard time following the plot because the movie jumps back and fourth between the present and the past and has a myriad of black characters, most of whom all look alike to me.
I came to watch this without any knowledge whatsoever of James Baldwin as an author or as a person.
It was refreshing to see a movie from a truly black perspective and from a POV from within the Pentecostal church.
It drives a deep realistic picture of the complexity of lives navigating the real world. As each character deepens you get some idea of some of the whys but it wasn't until I learned later that Baldwin was both black and gay in the 1950s that things began to make more sense.
The movie ends with this ritualistic dance in church as the main character seems to be simply putting on a good show (as his aunt just did prior to his "conversion") and gains the congratulations of the congregation that he is now "saved". This left me feeling that the author wasn't really pro-christian or a believer in the same sense that I see most Christians. It might simply require more knowledge of the Pentecostal doctrines, especially of the black churches in Harlem in the 1950s,
The movie is, for sure, a unique experience and not like any other I can recall. Definitely worth a watch, but I will come armed with a better understanding of Baldwin himself when I next watch this and hopefully it will make more sense to me the second time through.
I came to watch this without any knowledge whatsoever of James Baldwin as an author or as a person.
It was refreshing to see a movie from a truly black perspective and from a POV from within the Pentecostal church.
It drives a deep realistic picture of the complexity of lives navigating the real world. As each character deepens you get some idea of some of the whys but it wasn't until I learned later that Baldwin was both black and gay in the 1950s that things began to make more sense.
The movie ends with this ritualistic dance in church as the main character seems to be simply putting on a good show (as his aunt just did prior to his "conversion") and gains the congratulations of the congregation that he is now "saved". This left me feeling that the author wasn't really pro-christian or a believer in the same sense that I see most Christians. It might simply require more knowledge of the Pentecostal doctrines, especially of the black churches in Harlem in the 1950s,
The movie is, for sure, a unique experience and not like any other I can recall. Definitely worth a watch, but I will come armed with a better understanding of Baldwin himself when I next watch this and hopefully it will make more sense to me the second time through.
If You're a Christian You'll Love This
nammage27 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I'm not a Christian, so it had no appeal to me in that guise. I mainly watched this for Ving Rhames and Alfre Woodard; otherwise, I probably would have skipped it.
The main character is played by two people: Ving Rhames (younger) and Paul Winfield (older). They are nothing alike. Not in the movie, nor in real life. Rhames has this "bad boy" character about himself in many of his pictures, and that is showcased here. Then ala Sergeant York (1941) he finds religion (in a rain storm) and still showcases that perception but as a preacher.
Paul Winfield, though an equally good actor, is more forthright and direct. It did nothing for me. It was like I was watching two different people, and in a way that's exactly what you're doing but as actors playing the same part there should be at least similarities, and I saw none. That was a huge detractor for me.
The story is an ordinary story about, mainly, a man's life. How he came to be who he is, and how he ends up being. There's nothing particularly special about that. Why I feel this would mainly only attract Christians.
There are good, humorous, sometimes overly dramatic moments in the film but it's all average, in my opinion.
6/10.
The main character is played by two people: Ving Rhames (younger) and Paul Winfield (older). They are nothing alike. Not in the movie, nor in real life. Rhames has this "bad boy" character about himself in many of his pictures, and that is showcased here. Then ala Sergeant York (1941) he finds religion (in a rain storm) and still showcases that perception but as a preacher.
Paul Winfield, though an equally good actor, is more forthright and direct. It did nothing for me. It was like I was watching two different people, and in a way that's exactly what you're doing but as actors playing the same part there should be at least similarities, and I saw none. That was a huge detractor for me.
The story is an ordinary story about, mainly, a man's life. How he came to be who he is, and how he ends up being. There's nothing particularly special about that. Why I feel this would mainly only attract Christians.
There are good, humorous, sometimes overly dramatic moments in the film but it's all average, in my opinion.
6/10.
This is a great and overlooked movie
davidvantaylor17 May 2017
Not only is it a terrific and creative adaptation of Baldwin's great book. It is just a very very moving film.
One review says you need to be a Christian to appreciate the movie. I'm not a Christian and I appreciate it greatly. It speaks to fundamental aspects of being human: parent-child relationships, the burden of the past on the present, the struggle to find our selves amid all the many demands placed on us by others. And yes, the place of spirituality and transcendence in all that.
It's also a crazy "who's who" of contemporary African-American actors well before they became household faces and names.
*Watch this movie.* You'll be glad you did.
One review says you need to be a Christian to appreciate the movie. I'm not a Christian and I appreciate it greatly. It speaks to fundamental aspects of being human: parent-child relationships, the burden of the past on the present, the struggle to find our selves amid all the many demands placed on us by others. And yes, the place of spirituality and transcendence in all that.
It's also a crazy "who's who" of contemporary African-American actors well before they became household faces and names.
*Watch this movie.* You'll be glad you did.
Not An Easy Movie To Watch
boblipton10 February 2022
James Baldwin's wanderjahr about the journey from the rural south to New York City hits the big screen, with a fine cast and subtle story. Is there actually anything going on except for people living their lives as best as they can? It's only when it's all over and you think about it that it makes sense as a tale. This is is contrast to a lot of blockbusters that seem fine until you get home, take off your shoes, go to the refrigerator and open a beer, and then it hits you: it was all nonsense.
A great cast helps, and here's one with Paul Winfield, Olivia Cole, Rosalind Cash, Giancarlo Esposito, Ruby Dee, Alfre Woodard... well, there are more, they're all good, and they have some telling characters to inhabit. It's not an easy movie to watch, because, as I said, there's no simple plot line, but it is tremendously rewarding if you take the trouble.
A great cast helps, and here's one with Paul Winfield, Olivia Cole, Rosalind Cash, Giancarlo Esposito, Ruby Dee, Alfre Woodard... well, there are more, they're all good, and they have some telling characters to inhabit. It's not an easy movie to watch, because, as I said, there's no simple plot line, but it is tremendously rewarding if you take the trouble.
The music and preaching are remarkable
steiner-sam22 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
It's a television movie based on James Baldwin's 1953 novel of the same title. It's an African American historical story set in the Deep South and Harlem, New York from the 1910s to the late 1930s. The film tells the experience and backstory of a Black teenager much like James Baldwin.
The film follows the family life of Gabriel Grimes (Ving Rhames/Paul Winfield), a wild African American young man in the Deep South. He has a conversion experience after his devout mother dies, and becomes a preacher in a small Black Pentecostal church. His sister, Florence (Rosalind Cash), eventually leaves for the North. Florence's friend, Deborah (CCH Pounder), who was raped by white men as a young teenager, eventually marries Gabriel. However, Gabriel has a son, Royal (Kadeem Hardison) out of wedlock with Esther (Alfre Woodward), but never acknowledges him.
After Deborah dies childless, Gabriel moves to Harlem and marries Elizabeth (Olivia Cole), who has a young son, John (James Bond III). Elizabeth and Gabriel have another son, Roy (Rodrick F. Wimberly), who is openly rebellious. John is a gifted student praised by his white teachers but is not truly accepted by his stepfather.
"Go tell it on the Mountain" follows the Harlem family's dynamics, with flashbacks to fill in the history. Central is the religious life of the family in a Harlem Pentecostal Church that tugs at John and his desire to please. The film ends at age 14 in a manner that echoes James Baldwin's life.
"Go tell it on the Mountain" is a remarkable movie. It shows the complexities and hard realities of African American life when multiple past relationships try to meld into a family unit. Its portrayal of African American Pentecostal worship of the late 1930s has a deep authenticity to it, and the music and preaching are remarkable. The film does not get into some of the novel's themes, and questions about Baldwin's sexuality do not arise. Winfield, Bond, Cole, and Cash are all excellent.
The film follows the family life of Gabriel Grimes (Ving Rhames/Paul Winfield), a wild African American young man in the Deep South. He has a conversion experience after his devout mother dies, and becomes a preacher in a small Black Pentecostal church. His sister, Florence (Rosalind Cash), eventually leaves for the North. Florence's friend, Deborah (CCH Pounder), who was raped by white men as a young teenager, eventually marries Gabriel. However, Gabriel has a son, Royal (Kadeem Hardison) out of wedlock with Esther (Alfre Woodward), but never acknowledges him.
After Deborah dies childless, Gabriel moves to Harlem and marries Elizabeth (Olivia Cole), who has a young son, John (James Bond III). Elizabeth and Gabriel have another son, Roy (Rodrick F. Wimberly), who is openly rebellious. John is a gifted student praised by his white teachers but is not truly accepted by his stepfather.
"Go tell it on the Mountain" follows the Harlem family's dynamics, with flashbacks to fill in the history. Central is the religious life of the family in a Harlem Pentecostal Church that tugs at John and his desire to please. The film ends at age 14 in a manner that echoes James Baldwin's life.
"Go tell it on the Mountain" is a remarkable movie. It shows the complexities and hard realities of African American life when multiple past relationships try to meld into a family unit. Its portrayal of African American Pentecostal worship of the late 1930s has a deep authenticity to it, and the music and preaching are remarkable. The film does not get into some of the novel's themes, and questions about Baldwin's sexuality do not arise. Winfield, Bond, Cole, and Cash are all excellent.
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