starring Sammy Davis Jr., Ossie Davis, Cicely Tyson
directed by Leo Penn
99 minutes
Adam Johnson's (Sammy Davis Jr.) 10-year-long downward spiral began when his drinking and driving led to the death of his wife and child. Things start to look up when he meets and falls in love with Claudia (Cicely Tyson). Adam's life, even with Claudia's support, is on a rocky path. He burns a lot of bridges. His heart is filled with anger and he can't seem to find a winning formular despite being an immensely talented musician.
I could go into more detail but I think that my summary captures the essential elements of the film.
This movie grew on me. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first. The music is probably what kept me watching in the early going. I was also curious to see where the story would go and where Adam's journey would take him. There are numerous twists and turns along the way. This is a complicated movie. It ends on a definite note but without too explicitly providing a moral. This movie isn't perfect but I think that it has aged well for a film that is almost 60 years old.
Notes
This movie is in black and white.
This is one of nine movies that Leon Penn directed. I have not seen any of the other movies he directed. He was also an actor and was the father of actors Sean and Chris Penn.
Ossie Davis plays Adam's manager. I have seen him in numerous other movies but this is the only movie he was in that I have seen in the past few years. I saw his directorial debut, Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) in 2023.
Two of the supporting actors (Johnny Brown, Ja'Net DuBois) were, a decade later, part of the cast of Good Times.
01/13/24
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