The Klansman (1974)

Intolerance, ignorance, injustice ('I's that are blind)

First off, THE KLANSMAN is -not- a terrible movie, nor in any way laughable-- the subject matter is far too grim to be humorous. Secondly, Richard Burton and Lee Marvin -do not- appear here either drunk or dissipated by alcohol. They don't mumble their lines or stagger through scenes, despite claims to the contrary.

Three decades of political correctness virtually guarantee this film could never be made today. It's far too repulsive with its racial slurs, hatred and stereotypes for modern audiences. The setting is a small Alabama town where whites are a minority that intimidates black citizens with Klan activity and extreme gang violence.

Some of the more repulsive moments:
Two blacks walking home from a bar are jumped by a large group of armed whites. They flee into the woods, where one is wounded by rifle fire. He is set upon, castrated and executed, as his helpless friend watches from nearby bushes. This man, played by O.J. Simpson, later becomes an avenging angel who clandestinely shoots one-by-one the men involved in his friend's death.

When a white woman (Linda Evans) is raped by a black, she's ostracized as unclean by church and community and abandoned by her husband.

The deputy sheriff (Cameron Mitchell) arrests a young black woman (Lola Falana) under false pretenses, and takes her (along with his buddies) to a warehouse where he viciously rapes and leaves the defiled virgin to hemorrhage on a dirty floor. Before agreeing to rush her to a hospital, the sheriff (Lee Marvin) coerces the girl into promising she will claim that four black men attacked her.

A local landowner (Richard Burton) whose ancestor was lynched in 1861 when he refused to support Secession, is widely despised by local whites because of his hatred of the KKK and support of poor blacks. The film climaxes on the man's mountain with a deadly clash against several Klansmen. It's a sickening scene, one that doesn't turn out as you'd like.


THE KLANMAN is ultimately a competent depiction of outrageous events that soon build to a nightmarish explosion of violence. As brutal as it is, the story holds your interest even to its unhappy ending. Credit for this must go to a strong cast and script.

(Note: The PARAMOUNT VHS tape from 1999 is still the most complete version of "The Klansman." All subsequent releases are heavily edited.) May 8, 2008

Not Bad Actually

If you watch this and look at it right here right now you'll forget about the fact that it's ultra low budget. O.J. Simpson stars in a low budget look at the KKK. November 18, 2007

Through The Eyes Of A Child

I was nine years old in 1974 when this picture came to film in Oroville, California. I'm a native of Oroville. Although the quality of the performance of the main characters leaves much to be desired,It leaves a good feeling when I view the picture now to see some scenes in Oroville (and some surrounding areas) that have REALLY changed over the past thirty three years. Many of the extras I know along with the memory of one Saturday when a scene was filming downtown were the Butte County Courthouse was once located. June 27, 2007

Caveat Emptor

The DVD version of this film is a nightmare. When this movie was released I was the night projectionist is a grind house in downtown San Diego, California. It was so incredibly offensive that I immediately put it in my "Cult Classic" list. Imagine my horror upon watching the DVD. The sound track is perfectly horrible and the "editing" is nothing less than a hatchet job, to say nothing of being a close relative to book burning. The pitiful Pollyannas who did this have completely robbed the film of its impact. What kind of a world do these people think we're living in anyway? I strongly advise against buying the DVD in its current state. January 19, 2007

Dire

Dire. By which I mean the DVD which seems to have been authored by someone at home with some free software.

The DVD claims to be 112 minutes long (It says that on the packaging) but it is only 100:35

The other 12 minutes was lost when this was cut into the pan & scan TV movie travesty that you see before you. August 23, 2006

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