This adaptation of a self-contained episode from Richard Wright's autobiographical Black Boy, made for the PBS-aired American Short Story Collection back in 1976, stars LeVar Burton as Dave, a teen field hand in the segregated South who's tired of being treated as a child and believes that having a gun will earn him respect. After he persuades his mother (Madge Sinclair) to give him the two dollars to purchase a used pistol from a local shopkeeper, an accidental shooting forces him to reach a difficult decision about his future. Almos' a Man is a simple story, simply rendered, but in little more than a half-hour it tells a coming-of-age tale that's both particular to a specific time and place, and universal in terms of the issues it raises about growing up. The acting is fine across the board--this was the post-Roots point at which Burton was riding high--and the no-frills production suits the material. Sure to be useful in generating discussion among family members and in the classroom, the DVD includes a printable study guide, as well as biographies of Wright and the cast members, an interview with Robert Geller about the American Short Story Collection, and a brief introduction by Henry Fonda. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Almos' a Man
Monterey, 36 min., not rated, DVD: $24.95 Volume 20, Issue 1
Almos' a Man
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