Os Homens Violentos do Klan

Klansman (1974)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Sheriff Bascomb (Lee Marvin) tries to keep a small Alabama town calm after a white woman is raped by a black man just days before a group is coming to town to get blacks out to vote. The local Klan doesn't take too kindly to outsiders coming in and much of their hatred goes to Breck (Richard Burton), a man who lives in the mountains and wants peace between the races.

Throughout the 70s there were all sorts of Southern pictures that took pride in their redneck factor. A lot of films dealt with racism and other issues but what's rare and somewhat shocking about KLANSMAN is the fact that it got released by a major company (Paramount), featured two legendary actors and was produced by a black company. KLANSMAN isn't a very good movie as it is certainly flawed but at the same time it does have some entertainment value to it and there's no question that something like it wouldn't be released today.

The cast is certainly the most attractive thing to the picture when viewed today. I mean, you've got Oscar-winner Lee Marvin battling the Klan. Burton, considered one of the greatest actors in history, appearing in a rather strange role. Legend has it that years after this film Marvin and Burton were introduced and neither one remembered meeting each other even though they had worked on this film together! You've also got Cameron Mitchell as a dirty and evil Klan member, David Huddleston, Linda Evans and then there's O.J. Simpson playing a man who decides to kill as many of the Klan members as possible.

The story itself here, co-written by Samuel Fuller, is a mixed bag. I mean, there's a lot of stuff going on here but I can't say that it makes for a complete story. Bits and pieces just seem to enter and leave the movie without much thought and the actions of Marvin are often confusing to say the least. The film is certainly very uneven but this is probably due to the studio changing the screenplay at the last minute. Technically speaking the film is well-made and perfectly fits that drive-in era vibe.

KLANSMAN isn't a masterpiece or even a good movie but it's an entertaining film. Just be sure you watch the original theatrical cut, which runs 111-minutes and carries a R-rating for the violence, nudity and language. I've seen the TV cut, which runs 11-minutes shorter and has all the bad stuff edited out and the theatrical version is certainly better.

I'd heard a lot ABOUT 'The Klansman' but had never seen it before, and hearing the behind the scenes stories (original director an co-writer Sam Fuller walking off set, stars Lee Marvin and Richard Burton both being allegedly so drunk they couldn't remember making it!) I imagined that it was going to be one of the worst movies ever made. It isn't. Now it isn't all that good, mind you, but it's watchable b-grade trash, and Marvin puts in a good performance, drunk or not. Burton's accent is I agree not too good but he is okay, especially if he like Marvin was as drunk as they say he was. The rest of the cast includes the notorious O.J. Simpson as a one man black revolutionary with a gun and an attitude, 'The Big Lebowski's David Huddleston is a racist mayor, and legendary character actor Cameron Mitchell ('Hombre', 'Ride In The Whirlwind', 'The Rebel Rousers',etc.) as the wonderfully named Butt Butt Cates, the later two both being members of the KKK. Linda Evans also appears as a rape victim who sets off a chain of events which end off in violence and tragedy. The main problem with the movie, and this is most likely because of the drama off camera, is that the movie can't decide whether it's trying to be a serious message movie or an exploitation film using racism as an excuse for some sensationalistic thrills. 'Mandingo' made the following year (and its sequel 'Drum') managed to juggle both approaches with a little more success, but 'The Klansman' suffers for its lack of a clear direction. Even so, this movie is nowhere near as bad as many people claim (people who I imagine have never actually WATCHED it) and is still reasonably entertaining, especially if , like 'Reservoir Dogs' Mr Blonde, you are a big Lee Marvin fan.

Awful film altogether about racial tensions in a small southern town that bring the hooded KKK out to terrorize and harrass. There is no chemistry between sheriff Lee Marvin and simple landowner Richard Burton. I don't even know why Burton is in the story, let alone the film.

I must confess a certain amount of guilt in enjoying this movie. It bumbles along at a shockingly easy-to-watch pace and stops well short of making any intelligent moral statement condeming racial prejudice (the dilema inherent in the Sheriff character was an exception). Normally the type to turn this kind of film off I found the way in which it used such serious themes as an excuse to unashamedly descend into an action thriller worryingly entertaining. At times you kind of got the feeling the screenplay writers had scripted a plot and strenuously tried to fit serious racial points around them. At times the violence became good guy/bad guy driven just like that in Dr. No, also directed by Young.

Perhaps this is the genius of the movie - making a profound statement as to the way cinema tends to illicit an emotive response from the viewing public by making entertainment out of serious issues. Somehow I think not.

Released in 1974 and directed by Terence Young, "The Klansman" is a melodrama with thrills starring Lee Marvin as a sheriff in a small town in northern Alabama trying to keep the lid on racial tensions after a black man rapes a white woman (Linda Evans). Richard Burton co-stars as Breck, an alcoholic who sympathizes with the black community while opposing the local Klan, which is made up of whites in prominent positions, like the unprofessional deputy (Cameron Mitchell) and the rotund mayor (David Huddleston). Lola Falana plays Breck's black spiritual daughter while OJ Simpson (in his first role) plays a vengeful man turning to radical measures to fight the racism. Italian beauty Luciana Paluzzi (from 1965's "Thunderball") is on hand as the Sheriff's assistant at the station, although her lines are dubbed by Joanna Moore.

With such a noteworthy cast and a tried-and-true director (who impressively shot the first three Bond films) "The Klansman" should be superlative, but it's not. The plot is great (based on William Bradford Huie's novel), but the screenplay is horribly melodramatic, sometimes to the point of being laughable, like the dreadful (and thoroughly unbelievable) church sequence. The movie comes across as a late-night TV soap opera with edge. I'm assuming that most of the $5 million budget went toward cast & crew wages because the script needed a LOT of kinks worked out, which isn't helped by amateur editing that's often abrupt and awkward. Take, for instance, the fight at the bus station; it has to be seen to be believed. "The Klansman" is an obvious exploitation piece, as these type of films were the ones getting revenue during this low point in Hollywood after bloated-budget films sank a lot of the major studios.

Lee Marvin is solid as the protagonist, easily carrying the movie, and Burton still has his charisma, but both were plagued by personal troubles at the time and allegedly drinking heavily. Richard was constantly fighting with Elizabeth Taylor during the shooting, reportedly over Burton's flirtations or affair with a young waitress or an older married woman. There were shouting matches and items flew through the air at their rented house, leading to the destruction of the interior. The crew stayed in a local motel where one full room was filled with cases of alcohol from floor to ceiling. While Marvin and Burton were professionals and always showed up on time the latter clearly slurred lines at times and had to be filmed in a reclining or sitting position to pull off his scenes. Burton was 48 during filming but easily looked a dozen years older.

Despite all these negatives, "The Klansman" IS entertaining as a what-were-they-thinking period piece. Speaking of which, look for Evans' camel toe sequence at the bus station (I don't mean to be crude, but – like I said – what were they thinking). If you choose to watch this movie, whatever you do, DON'T expect "Mississippi Burning."

The film runs 112 minutes (104 minutes cut) and was shot in Oroville, California, 75 miles north of Sacramento.

GRADE: Borderline C-/D+ (3.5/10 Stars)