Rosewood (film)

Rosewood is a 1997 American historical drama film directed by John Singleton. While based on historic events of the 1923 Rosewood massacre in Florida, when a white mob killed black people and destroyed their town, the film introduces fictional characters as well as other creative departures from historical accounts of the incident. In a major change, it stars Ving Rhames as an outsider who comes into Rosewood and inspires residents to self-defense, wielding his pistols in a fight. The supporting cast includes Don Cheadle as Sylvester Carrier, a resident who was a witness, defender of his family and victim of the riot; and Jon Voight as John Wright, a sympathetic white store owner who lives in Rosewood. The three characters become entangled in an attempt to save people from racist whites attacking the blacks of Rosewood.
Despite generally favorable reviews, the film was not a commercial success, and it was unable to recoup its $30 million budget at the box office. The film was entered into the 47th Berlin International Film Festival.
Category:Films