Goodbye Uncle Tom (1971) on Netflix
Two documentary filmmakers travel back through time to the American South before the Civil War. Their aim is to film the slave trade and the conditions Africans face under slavery.
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Plot summary
To examine the slave trade and the racist ideology of the antebellum American South, two documentary filmmakers travel back in time and restage what they find, working from period documents and material in the public record. Nearly all of the footage is acted rather than captured, and white actors play historical figures, among them Harriet Beecher Stowe. The production was shot mainly in Haiti, where hundreds of Haitian extras took part in scenes depicting the cruel treatment of slaves. There the filmmakers were guests of dictator Papa Doc Duvalier, who gave them diplomatic cars, free run of the island and as many extras as they wanted. Scenes were also filmed in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Goodbye Uncle Tom (1971)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Goodbye Uncle Tom was shot mainly in Haiti, where Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi were guests of dictator Papa Doc Duvalier, who gave them diplomatic cars, clearance to film anywhere on the island, as many extras as they needed and a weekly dinner with him.
- American distributors found the film's racial-politics scenes too incendiary and forced directors Jacopetti and Prosperi to remove more than thirteen minutes of footage for American and other Anglophone audiences.
- Goodbye Uncle Tom was confiscated in Italy and re-released the following year, 1972, as Zio Tom, in a cut version.
- The theme "Oh My Love", sung by Katyna Ranieri for Riz Ortolani's score, was later used on the soundtrack of the 2011 film Drive.
