This film is a unique and exact representation of flawed-inner-city patriarchy where the main characters emotionally and physically express the intended message of the scriptwriter. The film demonstrates the experiences of Black-American culture by emphasizing the dialect and using the actors to represent the desired ethnic group. The setting of the film is well-demonstrated by the old buildings, communal lifestyle, the dressing code, the automobiles used, and the street matches. All these are aimed at giving the audience a pictorial representation of several decades ago in an all-black American community. The relationship of the main actors is set to directly define the family relationship between the actors with a unique resemblance between Troy and his two sons. The actors use vigor and emotions in the dialogues and the vocal intonation gives a vivid illustration of the mood in each scene. The actors conduct dialogues in a natural, soulful, and profane manner as intended by the director and scriptwriter. Furthermore, in each stance, the director incorporates relevant music to supplement and give the film life, vigor, and cinematographic experience.
The setting is well defined in the scenes where the majority of events occur in the cramped patch of backyard. The appearance of buildings trees and other objects gives a clear indication that the play was not staged. The setting demonstrates that the family is not rich and the neighborhood consists of people who are just living below average lifestyles. This is further supplemented by the unique and interactive use of cinematography. The cinematography gives it a lively appearance, crystal clear flow and helps the audience in creating a real mental picture of the incidences as they occur.
The costume used reflects the attire worn in the middle of the 20th century. Less color in the clothes, use of simple and less stylish clothes, dresses, the baseball jersey, the garbage collectors’ apron, and all the others costumes give an actual representation of the intended message. The use of appropriate costumes has been used to further denote timeframe, profession, race, and other significant themes. The music used is majorly Jazz which is a representation of Black-American culture in the mid-19th century. Additionally, some effects are randomly used and help in developing the cinematographic experience intended by the director. The scenes and the sound are in great synchrony and the sound is highly audible with no echoes or other errors.
The director does a good job of displaying the patriarchy of the main character and how the title of the film depicts the intended themes. Emotional and physical vigor intended by the director gives the film power and this is seen by how each actor plays their role with passion and in a naturalistic manner. The director does a good job of expressing the themes of race, men and masculinity, dreams, hopes, plans, betrayal, dissatisfaction, duty, and family. However, the director incorporates all the themes in equal measure making it difficult for the audience to clearly understand the main theme that is being emphasized. Additionally, the focus is on the olden days’ events (20th century) making it difficult for the audience to relate the scenes with the modern world.
The film is well lit making it appear like all the scenes utilize natural light. Front lighting and backlighting are well balanced in such a way that there are no shadows to distract or obscure the view of the audience. Extreme brightness has been truncated to allow the film to have an olden appearance. I believe that the film was well produced and each scene demonstrated the power and emotional prowess that allows the audience to get the desired mental and emotional experience.