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This 1973 television movie about 110 years of American history as seen through the eyes of a black woman from Louisiana (Cicely Tyson) is a terrific achievement, a window onto racism from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement. Tyson gives a career performance as the title character, whose personal life is inextricably woven into the fabric of the African American struggle for equality. A mixture of the sentimental and the unflinching, this is the kind of educational experience that fully engages a viewer. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Fiction Was Never This Real
This is one of those works of fiction that is so realistic that the viewer can only assume that this is the story of a real American heroine, not a composite of the many unsung greats of the past. Cicely Tyson is magnificent as both the young and aged Miss Pittman. Her performance should go down as one of the best ever done for the small or the big screen. Every minute that she is in view is a major glimpse into the talent of a great actress.

The excellent script that traces the 110 years of the title character includes many of the critical points in the life of African-Americans from Reconstruction on to the Civil Rights struggle of the early 1960's. This is history that is informative as well as entertaining.

As an educator by profession, I heartily recommend this film to be a staple in every media center's video library. Timeless and relevant, "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" is an undeniable masterpiece!

That's MISS Jane to you.....
I first saw this movie in the gymnasium of my elementary school years ago when it was probably just released! Wow! History revealed through the eyes of a 110 year-old woman who was born into slavery and lived to see the turbulent civil rights movement era. Standout performances by all. When I was younger, I used to think Miss Jane Pitman was not just a fictitious person! The only thing that keeps me from giving this dvd five stars is the picture and sound quality could have been improved. I still wouldn't let that deter anyone from purchasing this dvd. Watchable over and over again. I dare you not to get a little misty eyed in the final scene of this film!

Excellent!
All I can add is that it's better than the book, at least in one significant way: The book does not have the ending the movie has, and the book leaves one just hanging out there, while the movie brings the story to a beautiful climax.

Read the book (or listen to it on tape), and then watch the movie. Awesome. Having read the book after seeing the movie several times, I felt like I had been ripped off and couldn't believe the book ended at a dead end. Thanks to the movie, my mood is repaired.

Better than the Book
It is not often that a movie is better than the book based upon. But this is one case where even a great book is surpassed. I needn't add to other reviews. It is an absorbing movie, very moving to those sensative to human rights. Even though the movie concerns Black Americans, it speaks universally to the injustice usually found in the heart of the human race.

But I will mention one thing about the movie that I believe definitively places the movie above the book. I will not describe this thing so that those who have read the book, but haven't seen the movie, will have it spoiled for them. The book ends at a particular point, I believe an unfortunate point, resulting in a dead ending. But the movie continues where the book leaves off, and the sequence of scenes is wonderful, truly pulling together the movie in a truly powerful ending.

Finally, I believe the movie is better than Roots (the series). And if you are interested in Roots, the book is better than the series.

Unforgettable
I saw this movie when it was first released with my brothers and cousins. I was the youngest at six years old. I had nightmares for that summer expecting men in white hoods to leap through my window and I was a six year old white child. Now that I have grown up and am knocking on 37 years of age, I have been wanting to see that movie again. I was too young to see it when I did, but it is an exceptional movie, one that I believe blows Roots out of the water. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

easily, one of the best performances,best films,don't resist
it's been a long time, since i've bothered to write a review, seems these days, movies are all so, normal, nothing unique about them, it's sad really, this film, is unique, I relate this film to scarface, as well as blowing me away, ving rhames, makes you believe he is the great don himself, he took on the mob, and he lived, and he killed a man, and beat it, then he killed another, and he got misdeamanor, the man is a icon, one of the greatest showboats, to have ever lived, he's also very intelligent, and it's true, he shouldn't have got such a bad rep, but baby, that sells, violence, sex, crime, it all sells,the media, you know, this film is a 100 stars, if you don't see this, then I pity you, if you say this movie is ..., like reviewer number one, then your an ..., this film is brilliant, a masterpiece, this film is also almost out of print, obviously, like divinci, a true artist, isn't respected till he is gone, wan't a real world example? look at tupac shakur, when don is gone, no one will ever be like him again, so relish, his kinglyness, and buy this video, before it is, to late.

A Very Crap Film
Oh my God!!! Do not waste your time watching this awful movie with which has an even more awful cast...I think that one star is really pushing it as the film was so bad that I switched it off less than half way through. I am a great boxing fan and would normally love to watch any movie, BUT, I draw the line when the movie is so bad that you actually wish that you hadn't wasted your time watching it and would rather go to the denstist and have all your teeth removed with the use of acid (and that is without painkillers)... An awful movie that is not even worth a star - I just wish that it could be given a minus number it is honestly that bad!!!

I wish I could give this movie 10 stars.
I have never seen a movie where the main character was portrayed with this kind of realism. I thought it actually WAS Don King the first time I saw this movie. Ving Rhames should have won Oscars, Emmys, and every kind of conceivable award for his portrayal of Don King. I mean he even has the voice inflections and mannerisms of Don King down to such a science it is unreal. I have never seen an actor portray anyone that well. I wish I could give this movie 10 stars. Ving Rhames IS Don King, from beginning to end. The man should have won an Oscar and an Emmy. I can't emphasize ENOUGH how well Ving Rhames plays Don King. I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this movie.

Ving Rhames IS Don King
Only in America could a small time numbers runner-con man from Cleaveland make it from a prison cell to being the most powerful man in the richest of sports...Don King is simply put the greatest promoter of all time and even in his seventies the man just flat out controls most of the strings of the sport. Ving Rhames becomes the character as we follow his trials and tribulations, and in a cool piece of screenplay, Don talks to the audience and himself explains what is going on in his life as he makes his way to the top, mowing away all opposition especially Bob Arum. Things still havent changed as he promotes most of the top players in boxing today, and will do so until he dies, if the man is not immortal.

A GREAT FILM
Ving Rhames should have gotten every award in 97 for this Gem.He was DON KING&that isn't easy.DOn King is One OF Sports Most Interesting People Ever.He was Marketing Product Long Before People had a Term for it.He Understood what worked for whomever was His Fighter at the Moment was.He said it best if their wasn't a Him they Hollywood would have too Create One.Love Him or Loath Him You Have Too Acknowledge His Impact on Society.Just the Electric Chair Hair Alone.The FIlm had a Solid Cast Very Well Done. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

For Us, The Living-Dead
First of all, I would have appreciated being warned that this movie was in Extended Play Mode. CD Universe was kind enough to note that the copy it had for sale was in the EP mode and thus I did not buy it from them. I was optimistic that Amazon's copy might be in Standard Play mode because nothing was listed in the "technical details section." I had already opened the package before I noticed that it was in EP Mode. This copy of the movie had artifacts throughout the entire film. I tried it on two seperate VCRs. To to that off, the acting was uniformly horrible and the movie didn't even address the identity/landmark trial of assassin Byron De La Beckwith who was played superbly played by James Woods in "Ghosts of Mississippi" That is the movie you should see if you want to know about Medgar Evers and see outstanding performances at the same time including an uncharacteristically good one from Whoopi Goldberg. She was also great in "A Long Walk Home" which deals with some of the same themes. Lastly, I would have like to have seen someone like Denzel Washington in the title role.

Underrated, Overlooked and So Damn Good
For Us the Living, a movie that recently sneaked onto video after airing on national T.V. The story of Medgar Evers, a civil rights leader from the early to mid sixties who was murdered by the Klu Klux Klan. This movie tells us first hand how Medgar, took on racist politicians and came home to be a loving husband. Played beautifully by Holling Rollins, and the gifted Irene Cara. It is on my shelf right there by Malcolm X. ... Read more