minstrelwoman

...since AI first saw it on TV in the late 50's. This is a frank look at military racism and its results. The term "nigger" is used openly (a rarity at any time to be sure, in a movie without an all-black cast and especially way back then). James Edwards delivers a powerful performance as a psychosomatically paralyzed black soldier being treated by a white psychiatrist (Jeff Corey). Corey's relentless digging stirs Edwards's memory and the incident that caused the paralysis is finally uncovered. Stark, honest storytelling. Based on a play in which the afflicted soldier was Jewish, this retelling is very contemporary even today.