Native Son
Noirvember • 1h 55m
Pierre Chenal • Argentina • 1951 • A story of murder and grief in segregated America
Preceded by a special introduction by film historians Eddie Muller and Jacqueline Najima Stewart.
One of the most controversial novels of its day, Richard Wright's Native Son (first published in 1940) exposed the injustices of urban African-American life witnessed through the eyes of Bigger Thomas, whose violent tendencies and moral confusion were the natural result of a lifetime of deprivation. In prison for murder and sentenced to death, Thomas reflects on the circumstances that led to his fate.
Starring Richard Wright as Bigger Thomas, Native Son was heavily censored by regional boards upon its initial US release. This new restoration combines a complete 16mm print of the original Argentinian release and an incomplete 35mm duplicate negative of the uncensored cut—the most complete version of Native Son ever shown in the United States.
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