Rosewood (1997)

I saw this movie in my African American Experience class in 12th grade. It was incredibly saddening to know that such hatred exists within this country. The fact that it's a true story makes it worse. Bout time movies like this are being made despite the discomfort to others. Black history should not be denied because whites or anyone else feels uncomfortable or guilty at the end of a film. No one should be robbed of their history because it makes you "feel bad". The fear and isolation are undoubtedly felt through the black characters. To live in absolute fear for your life because of your skin color is perceptible even today. This story forces people to reconcile with the past to avoid further instances in the future. Not to make people feel guilty. Besides, minorities have felt bad in movies for a long time and nobody gave a damn as long as you know who looks good. I'm not militant or whatever else comes to mind. This movie is excellent because it shows a true story in historical fashion. Everyone did an excellent job. I felt anger and I'm sure that wasn't by accident. Jon V. was really convincing. I'm a big fan of his and he really made me dislike him. Just the very events of having a system of hatred set up against someone so that they don't get a chance is played out well in this film. Please do watch and get a little perspective.

Fmovies: i just watched this movie for the first time and had to watch it a second time. i found it very moving and upsetting. i researched this story online and was amazed how accurate this story was. i am a white 43y male and to tell you the truth after watching the movie and reading about it i find myself ashamed to be a white man. i cant believe how stupid the white race is. thinking back to how we treated the African Americans, not to mention how we did our best to get rid of the native Indian's that once proudly roamed these lands. i never could figure where a race thinks they are better our have that right to live more than another race just because there skin is a different color. i would refer this movie to everyone

Part of what makes "Rosewood" so hard to watch - but I recommend it very much - is not only that it really happened, but also the thought that the events portrayed may have partly been the root of what happened in Florida in 2000. With this vicious racism so deeply ingrained in our society, it's no surprise that Florida's government deprived a number of African-Americans of their right to vote. For more information about these sorts of things, read James Loewen's book "Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong".

But anyway, this is a great (and I would say under-appreciated) movie. Jon Voight, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Michael Rooker and Muse Watson all do a great job in their roles. Definitely one of John Singleton's really good ones.

Rosewood fmovies. This is probably the least known Singleton-movie -- I'd hardly heard of it before I saw it on tv last night. It's certainly not Singleton's best, and sometimes it feels like a tv movie, but it is still a good film. Rosewood is no easy film to sit through; watching a lynch mob murder innocent people (and knowing it is based on a true story) is almost physically painful -- but that also makes the film important.

So, as I said, the film is good, as is the cast. John Voight is good, and both Don Cheadle and Michael Rooker delivers nice performances -- as always. I'd like to see Cheadle and Rooker in more leads, though, they're too good to always play supporting roles. (6/10)

A small town in Florida in 1922, with a black and white population, breaks out in violence and bloodshed. The reason for the trouble came about when a white woman claimed to be raped by a black man. This infuriated the white populace into going on a murderous rampage leading to the deaths of many innocent people and the near total destruction of the black section of town. A very exciting program based on a true story.

This movie is a very violent and sad movie--guaranteed to have an impact on all its viewers. Because of the serious and violent nature of the film, I would not suggest this for viewing by younger kids, though for teens it probably will be okay--provided you watch it with them and explain the context for the film.

The exact events that happened in this small town many decades ago are very vague. We know, historically, that MANY people (mostly Black-Americans) were killed by marauding gangs of whites. However, exactly WHAT sparked it and the exact events are muddled by time and the fact that there were very few living witnesses to the carnage. As a result, the ONLY reasonable way the film could be made was to create a fictionalized drama around the framework of the known events. And, as such, it is an immensely touching and effective film.