Mandingo (film)

This article is about the film. For the novel, see Mandingo (novel). For the pornographic actor, see Mandingo (person).

Mandingo
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Richard Fleischer
Produced by	Dino De Laurentiis
Screenplay by	Norman Wexler
Based on	Mandingo by Kyle Onstott
Starring	James Mason Susan George Perry King Lillian Hayman Richard Ward Brenda Sykes Ken Norton
Music by	Maurice Jarre
Cinematography	Richard H. Kline
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	1975 (1975)
Country	United States
Language	English

Mandingo is a 1975 film, based on the novel Mandingo by Kyle Onstott and upon the play based thereon by Jack Kirkland.^[1] The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and featured James Mason, Susan George, Perry King, Lillian Hayman, boxer-turned-actor Ken Norton, and bodybuilder and pro wrestler-turned-actor Earl Maynard.

Synopsis

On Falconhurst, a run-down plantation owned by the widowed Warren Maxwell (James Mason) and his son Hammond (Perry King), a 'Mandingo' slave Ganymede, or Mede (Ken Norton), is trained to fight other slaves. Hammond neglects his wife Blanche (Susan George), whom he rejects on their wedding night after discovering she was not a virgin. Hammond instead ravishes his slave Ellen (Brenda Sykes), while Blanche seduces Mede. These various, conflicting affairs all eventually come together causing the film to end tragically.

Reception

Upon its release in 1975, critical response was mixed although box office was strong.^[2] Roger Ebert despised the film and gave it a "zero star" rating.^[3] Richard Schickel of TIME found the film boring and cliche-ridden.^[4]The movie critic Robin Wood was enthusiatic about the film, calling it “the greatest film about race ever made in Hollywood”.^[5] Quentin Tarantino has cited Mandingo as one of only two instances "in the last twenty years [that] a major studio made a full-on, gigantic, big-budget exploitation movie", comparing it to Showgirls.^[6]

In Leonard Maltin's annual publication "TV Movies," the film is ranked as a "BOMB" and dismissed with the word "Stinko!"

DVD release

Paramount Pictures licensed the film to Legend Films for its first official DVD release. The DVD was released on June 3, 2008, in 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen version without any extras.^{[citation needed]}

Some prominent critics hailed the release of the DVD, including the New York Times columnist Dave Kehr.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ Mandingo movie poster, trailer, and opening credits.
2. ^ "Mandingo Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mandingo/. Retrieved 2010-11-17. 
3. ^ "Mandingo :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19750725/REVIEWS/808289998/1023. Retrieved 2010-11-17. 
4. ^ Schickel, Richard."Cinema: Cold, Cold Ground", TIME, May 12, 1975.
5. ^ Wood, Robin (1998). Sexual Politics and Narrative Film: Hollywood and Beyond. Columbia University Press. p. 256. ISBN 0231076053. 
6. ^ Udovitch, Mim (1998). "Mim Udovitch/1996". In Peary, Gerald. Quentin Tarantino: Interviews. Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 172–173. ISBN 1578060516. 

External links

• Mandingo at the Internet Movie Database
• Trailer at Trailers From Hell