Black Like Me

Originally screened in Manhattan the year of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, Black Like Me is a fictional adaptation of the true-life tale of progressive white journalist John Howard Griffin, who darkens his skin through a medically induced tanning treatment and then travels the American South in the late 1950s to write about what life's like for the average southern African American. Griffin is played by a seemingly under-confident James Whitmore, who looks undeniably ridiculous in his blackface disguise here. And short of a lynching, he is treated just as badly as you would expect. Whitmore as Griffin never seems comfortable in his new dark skin, and he's too awkward to comfortably settle into African-American culture; but, of course, he's black enough for bigoted Southerners to threaten and belittle him. Picked up as a hitchhiker by white motorists, Griffin has to field creepy questions about things like his presumed burning desire for white women. Not surprisingly, his experiences turn him into an angry, broken man ready to lash out at any perceived slight. Whitmore's performance leaves a lot to be desired, but Black Like Me boldly confronts powder-keg racial issues like few films—then or now. Bonus features include the hour-long documentary profile Uncommon Vision: The Life and Times of John Howard Griffin, and an excerpt from Robert Bonazzi's authorized biography Reluctant Activist. Recommended. (M. Sandlin)