In the post Civil War South, a number of families were forever broken apart by battles over estates in which land was handed down to the mulatto children of southern gentlemen and their erstwhile black housekeepers. Since most slaves were forbidden to own property prior to the war, the struggle of mulattos to inherit land willed to them after the war became a major legal struggle in the deep South. John Kent Harrison's fine made-for-cable feature addresses these sensitive issues without resorting to simplifications or stereotyping. Sam Waterston overplays his role a bit as the not quite likeable plantation owner, whose death and will sets the story in motion, but Jennifer Beals is nicely understated in the role of Amanda, a mulatto, who, in flashbacks, grows up with all the privileges of the estate, learns of her diverse parentage, and comes to resent her capable, strong and caring mother, wonderfully played by Lisa Gay Hamilton (Beloved). Part courtroom drama and part historical retrospective, A House Divided is recommended. (R. Ray)
A House Divided
Paramount, 99 min., R, VHS: $52 Vol. 16, Issue 1
A House Divided
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