“The Green Pastures” (1936) / Z-View
The Green Pastures (1936)
Director: Marc Connelly, William Keighley
Screenplay: Sheridan Gibney; based on OL’ MAN ADAM AN’ HIS CHILLUN by Roark Bradford and Ol’ Man Adam an’ His Chillun by Marc Connelly.
Stars: Rex Ingram, Oscar Polk, Eddie Anderson, Ernest Whitman.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
A group of six young black children are listening to an elderly black man during Bible study. One of the little girls begins to visualize her perception of the stories…
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The Green Pastures was one of only six feature films in the Hollywood Studio era to feature an all-black cast. They were Hallelujah! (1929); Hearts in Dixie (1929); The Green Pastures (1936); Cabin in the Sky (1943); Stormy Weather (1943) and Carmen Jones (1954).
The Green Pastures was banned in Australia, Finland and Hungary because in the film God is shown as dark-skinned.
The Green Pastures was based on the novel OL’ MAN ADAM AN’ HIS CHILLUN by Roark Bradford and the Ol’ Man Adam an’ His Chillun Pulitzer Prizing winning Broadway stage play by Marc Connelly.
At times the film comes off as a bit patronizing.
The Green Pastures (1936) rates 3 of 5 stars.
