 nothing but a man is a film made in 1964, directed by michael roemer. the story is about a black railroad worker who falls in love with the townâs preacherâs daughter, and tries to maintain his respect in the white racist south in the early '60s. the new york times the story depicts the struggle of their strife for âa meaningful placeâ in their society. it stars ivan dixon as duff anderson and abbey lincoln as josie dawson. according to the washington post, "nothing but a man is one of the most sensitive films about black life ever made in this countryâ.review the washington postreview dvd talk ==plot== the story introduces duff anderson on the railroad, playing checkers with his rail worker friends, at a pool hall, and on the street at night. at a church meeting featuring lively gospel music, duff meets the pretty and genteel schoolteacher josie dawson. they begin to date against the will of preacher dawson (josieâs father). duff tells her he doesn't want to get married. but after visiting his illegitimate son who has been abandoned to the care of a wet nurse, and his drunken father who is barely keeping it together under the care of a loving wife, duff realizes that he prefers the stability of a family to the life of a drifter. the two marry with bright hopes for the future, but then begin to face a series of challenges as a married couple. being on the move had given duff the illusion of freedom, but living in the town makes duff subject to the town's social rules, and he immediately starts to have problems. he hates his preacher father-in-law, whom he sees as having sold out to the white people, and he hurtfully says to his wife, "you've never really been a nigger, living with them, in that house." after refusing to bow down to the white bosses at the mill he is fired, and subsequently finds himself blacklisted. his father-in-law finally finds him a job at a gas station, but customers who find him too proud for a black "boy" threaten to cause trouble if the boss keeps him on. duff and his wife get into a fight because of the emotional and physical trials duff faces, and because of the added pressure that a coming baby adds. unw
1960s_drama_films 1964_films African-American_films American_drama_films Black-and-white_films English-language_films Films_about_race_and_ethnicity Films_based_on_plays United_States_National_Film_Registry_films