The one exception to this dread of knowledge, a willful, determined young slave girl named Sarney. The girl's spirited pursuit of and desire for knowledge draws the two of them towards one another like a magnet. What they provide one another with is a sense of faith and values nothing can destroy. This film is richly told, magnificently acted yet simple and subtle. Burnett's cast brings the characters to life as complex human beings burdened by the horrors and tragedies of slavery as an institution.
Nothing is overstated, and the most emotional moments of the film are achieved without strain.
Bridges gives one of his very best performances while Carl Lumbly is nothing short of remarkable. Music by Stephen James Taylor. Teleplay by Bill Cain from the book by Gary Paulsen. 332nd Fighter Group, Tuskegee. The story of a group of black pilots, the Tuskegee Airmen, who saw combat during the Second World War.