#119: Nothing But a Man
Part of the Top 150 Films series
One of the best films about masculinity, African-American life in the Deep South, and African-American masculinity specifically (three separate and distinct concepts), Nothing But a Man is the story of a black railroad worker who falls in love with a preacher’s daughter, whilst trying to maintain his respect in the turbulent times of the early ’60s. The cinematography is stunning: Robert M. Young uses light in ways that ways that are by no means flashy, but elevate simple scenes of domestic bliss and misery to the highest levels, He also knows how to light black actors to amplify the nuance inherent in their portrayals of complex characters, which is surprisingly difficult, if work in modern Hollywood is to be believed (!) Sensitive and heartbreaking, Nothing But a Man is a landmark in representative cinema (despite the whiteness of its key production team members), and deserves to be much more heralded and lionised.
