Film Forum

U.S., 1964
Directed by Michael Roemer
Starring Ivan Dixon, Abbey Lincoln, Julius Harris, Gloria Foster, Yaphet Kotto
35mm. Approx. 95 min.

On a night out, while stogey-puffing co-worker Yaphet Kotto memorably plays pinball to the beat of Martha Reeves’ “Heat Wave”, railroad worker and single father Ivan Dixon meets preacher’s daughter Abbey Lincoln and tries to build a dignified life. He fights to break out, just to be a man, unbending in his sense of self. With rich black and white photography (by Roemer’s producing partner Robert M. Young), a vintage Motown soundtrack, and low-key performances by a soon-to-be eminent cast. Restored by the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation.

Reviews

“A landmark of independent filmmaking…seen today, it’s impossible not to gauge the distance traveled and note the miles left to go.’
– Time Out