I would never want to take away from the importance of this film to its time and subject matter. Others have alluded to this more eloquently than I could. But I would like to point out that the film is rather flat by today's standards. It is often the case that films which are seriously important to their times rely so much on getting across their moral points that their dramatic cores are not fleshed out in a way that truly involve the viewer.
I think that is the case with this movie. You watch it for its importance and for its early screen appearances by various actors. But at some point in the viewing, you discover it's not all that good as drama. It's didactic, designed more to instruct us than to entertain us. That's not necessarily bad. But it's not necessarily good either.
I think that is the case with this movie. You watch it for its importance and for its early screen appearances by various actors. But at some point in the viewing, you discover it's not all that good as drama. It's didactic, designed more to instruct us than to entertain us. That's not necessarily bad. But it's not necessarily good either.