Roger Corman claims this is the only film he’s made which lost money – but it’s definitely one he should be proud of. It’s an at-times quite shocking and powerful tale of a redneck agitator who moves into a Southern town in order to whip up opposition against integration.
The great strength of this film is its location work – sleepy, sun-drenched streets, the locals wearing black square rimmed glasses, the diners, the church, the accents, the withered old crone who spit out the word “nigger”. It feels totally authentic. William Shatner is very good too as the smooth agitator, and there are some excellent scenes, such as the attack of a group of blacks driving through town, and a fire bomb attack.
Other elements of the film are less strong. It’s a bit too convenient that Shatner is also a lothario – this is what makes him come undone, and you can’t help thinking if he hadn’t been like that he would have been successful. Also the character of the newspaper editor who befriends the blacks is a bit white-pat-themselves-on-the-back and I didn’t believe the climax, where the mob of rednecks turn placid. But for all that a powerful and affecting film.
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