It's important to understand the context for "The Mark of the Hawk". Following WWII, colonies around the world were pushing very hard for independence from the mother countries (specifically, France, the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands). In some cases, wars for independence broke out (such as in Indonesia and Vietnam) and others they worked with the mother country for gradual independence.
This film is set in an African nation controlled by the Brits...and the local natives, naturally, want the colonizers out and an installation of their own government. Unfortunately, locals distrust even their own elected officials and Obam (Sidney Poitier) has his hands full trying to both work with the British in order to get them to leave AND maintain the good will of his own people. However, his own brother is an angry man and sees Obam as a sellout...and other locals seem like-minded. Will Obam be able to somehow please everyone and navigate this period peaceably? Oh, and as for the hawk...that's a symbol of the radical resistance.
This film has some excellent black actors...not only Poitier but Eartha Kitt and Juano Hernandez. Of course, for that matter, the 'Africans' listed above are also Americans. I wonder how the movie would have been with African and Brits in the leads instead. Who knows?!
So is it any good? Yes. I like that it deals with colonialism and nationalism...topics rarely dealt with in films of the day. It also is quite interesting and was well crafted. Well worth seeing...though Kitt's singing seemed out of place and the film was a tad preachy.
This film is set in an African nation controlled by the Brits...and the local natives, naturally, want the colonizers out and an installation of their own government. Unfortunately, locals distrust even their own elected officials and Obam (Sidney Poitier) has his hands full trying to both work with the British in order to get them to leave AND maintain the good will of his own people. However, his own brother is an angry man and sees Obam as a sellout...and other locals seem like-minded. Will Obam be able to somehow please everyone and navigate this period peaceably? Oh, and as for the hawk...that's a symbol of the radical resistance.
This film has some excellent black actors...not only Poitier but Eartha Kitt and Juano Hernandez. Of course, for that matter, the 'Africans' listed above are also Americans. I wonder how the movie would have been with African and Brits in the leads instead. Who knows?!
So is it any good? Yes. I like that it deals with colonialism and nationalism...topics rarely dealt with in films of the day. It also is quite interesting and was well crafted. Well worth seeing...though Kitt's singing seemed out of place and the film was a tad preachy.