The Learning Tree

This was one of the films that really sucked me in and gave me a look at what life was like growing up black in the early part of the century. The setting for the film was splendid.

I think Gordon Parks, did a very good job. I saw the Learning Tree as a child, read it as a child and was happy to see it again as an adult, I even gave my son the book. I applaud Gordon Parks for trying perhaps if he had help (not necessarily someone else total directing it could have flowed a little better). I would love to see this film remade, but who could do it, without deviating from the premise and who could capture the cinematography the way Mr. Parks did. Let me know and maybe we could petition Hollywood. There are a lot of talented black directors who probably could remake the movie but would they be interested???. Spike Lee maybe, John Singelton, the Hudlin brothers??? With the way movies (remakes that is) are being made nowadays, I would love to see a high quality remake. The movie would also need high quality actors. I am going to purchase the movie on DVD and watch it again. Well anyway, I respect your opinion and would like to some feedback on my opinion.

The Learning Tree is one of those milestone films that one wishes were much better than it is. Parks' genius for the image comes through time and again, particularly in the opening sequence of the tornado and the horseback riders silhouetted by the sun. The milieu--rural Kansas in the 1920s--is unusual for a film focusing on racial conflict in the U.S., and that alone makes for an interesting film concept. But Parks' lack of film directorial and writing experience mars what could have been a major production. The dialogue in particular is often stilted and forced; too often the characters read their lines as though they're afraid they'll forget something. As a result, there's little real warmth or connection between characters. The other big problem here seems to be flow; each brief episode seems encapsulated, with new characters popping up left and right and then disappearing and reappearing without much development. Case in point: the series of episodes after the arrest. Who exactly are all of these new characters? What is the relationship between the white and black families, and between individuals in both groups? They come, they go, they reappear, but we're lucky to have caught their names. All in all, a much stronger film would have resulted from a collaboration of different screenwriter, director, and cinematographer, rather than having Parks run the whole show. If any film deserves a remake, it's The Learning Tree.

I saw this movie when it first came out and I was very impressed. Here was a film about black people that was very positive and the protagonist was a young black male. I was a young black male in Ninth grade and I could really identify with this film.

Now if you examine films that were released that year or 10 years before none of them featured a story about a young black male.

The photography was beautiful and memorable.

I walked out of this film feeling proud and out of all the genre of films made during the blaxploitation era this one and sounder are certainly the most universal.

This was something that could have been done by Disney if they had the vision then that they have now!

I highly recommend this film and book to students in secondary school and university and since I teach at both I do.

This film takes place in Kansas during the 1920's with a young, black teenager by the name of "Newt Winger" (Kyle Johnson) walking alone on the prairie when a tornado suddenly develops in the distance and catches him out in the open. Although he tries to seek shelter, as fate would have it, he gets pinned down by a falling tree and is left all on his own while the storm picks up in intensity. Luckily, a slightly older black teenager nicknamed "Big Mabel" (Carole Lamond) just happens to be in the area and half-carries him to an abandoned shack where the two of them cling to each other while the storm rages outside. The scene then shifts to Newt meeting a girl named "Arcella Jefferson" (Mira Waters) and, not only falling in love, but also during this time encountering racial prejudice while simultaneously trying to maintain a sense of dignity and moral uprightness in a cruel and unjust environment. Now, rather than reveal any more, let me just say that I had never heard of this movie until fairly recently and for that reason I didn't really know what to expect. That being said, now that I have seen it, I must say that I was quite surprised by how good this film turned out to be. I say this because it depicts a time and place that doesn't take center stage for racial turmoil and as a result it showcased the fact that this kind of hatred and bigotry wasn't confined to the Deep South or in urban areas like New York or Chicago. It was all across America. Of course, I'm not saying anything that most of us didn't already surmise--but it still caught me by surprise, all the same. Be that as it may, I was very impressed with this film and I have rated it accordingly.