Rosewood

Overview

In early January 1923, a tiny Florida town primarily inhabited by prosperous African American families was burned to the ground by angry whites from a neighboring town. Neither the perpetrators nor the victims spoke of the incident. However, in 1983 a reporter stumbled across the old story and began investigating.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/15/2007
UPC:	0085391163244
Original Release:	1997
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Letterbox]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:22:00

Special Features

Commentary by director John Singleton; Production notes; Theatrical trailer; Languages: English & Español; Subtitles: English, Français & Español; (feature film only)

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jon Voight	John Wright
Ving Rhames	Mann
Esther Rolle	Sarah Carrier
Don Cheadle	Sylvester Carrier
Bruce McGill	Duke
Loren Dean	James Taylor
Michael Rooker	Sheriff Walker
Catherine Kellner	Fannie Taylor
Elise Neal	Scrappie
Robert Patrick	Fannie's Lover
Akosua Busia	Jewel
Kevin Jackson	Sam/Blacksmith
Paul Benjamin	James Carrier
Mark Boone Jr.	Pauly
Badja Djola	John Bradley
Muse Watson	Henry Andrews
Jaimz Woolvett	Deputy Earl
Ric Reitz	John Bryce
Ken Sagoes	Big Baby
Kathryn Meisle	Mary Wright
John Williams	Composer

Technical Credits

Gregory Poirier

John Singleton	Director
Tracy Barone	Executive Producer
Marion Dougherty	Casting
Jon Peters	Producer
Gregory Poirier	Screenwriter
Gary Pilkington	Special Effects
Veda Campbell	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

The best effort from filmmaker John Singleton since his debut Boyz 'N the Hood (1991), this high-quality drama ably re-creates a shocking true incident from Florida history but falters in its troubling insistence on creating a fictional, iconic protagonist around whom much of the action is centered. In its sprawling narrative, its assured evocation of its early 20th century time period, its terrific performances, and its exploration of core racial, political, and class issues, Singleton's film strongly resembles John Sayles' classic Matewan (1987). That's high praise and the film certainly earns it, but the insertion of the nearly mythic character Mann (Ving Rhames) dilutes the powerfully compelling story unfolding here. Mann at times resembles a little too closely the sort of no-name action heroes assayed by Clint Eastwood, making his presence distracting as well as condescending. It seems that either the production company or the filmmakers didn't trust their audience to understand that the real hero of the piece is Sylvester Carrier (Don Cheadle), the music teacher who swallows his grief and outrage, doing what he must to survive. Maybe that wasn't heroic enough for Hollywood movie producers but Rosewood (1997) is based on a true story and Carrier's real-life brand of courage should have been more than enough to avoid the use of such a ham-handed cliché.