“A Lesson Before Dying” (1999) is an HBO film based on the Ernest J. Gaines book of the same name. It stars Don Cheadle, Cicely Tyson and Mekhi Phifer. It is about a man condemned to die for a crime he did not commit. Since Cicely Tyson is in it I knew it had to be good.
Spoiler alert: nothing I say could spoil this movie.
It is 1948 in sugar cane country in the American South, in Louisiana. Jefferson (Mekhi Phifer), a young black man, is tried for the murder of a white shopkeeper. Jefferson’s white defence lawyer says he lacks the intelligence to kill a white man: Look at him! He is little better than an animal, a hog! But for the all-white jury his being black is proof enough. The judge sentences him to die.
Miss Emma (Irma P. Hall), Jefferson’s godmother and the only mother he has ever known, understands she cannot fight the judge’s decision, but she wants him at least to die as a man.
She has no idea how to do that. She turns to the pastor and to Grant Wiggins (Don Cheadle), who as the schoolteacher is the black man she knows with the most education. If anyone knows how to make her godson die like a man either the pastor or the schoolteacher will know.
But Grant does not know. Tante Lou (Cicely Tyson), his aunt, is counting on him so somehow he must do it.
Grant has regular visits with Jefferson in prison but Jefferson says what does it matter, he is going to die anyway – for nothing.
Grant tells his girlfriend Vivian (Lisa Arrindell Anderson) that it is hopeless. Not just Jefferson, but his own life too: he teaches the children the best he can but they all grow up to work in the fields just like their parents – or come to a bad end like Jefferson. Or leave. There is no hope for blacks here.
He wants to leave too. He asks Vivian to come with him. She says no true man would desert his people.
In time Grant becomes so full of anger and despair that he says who cares if another worthless nigger dies. Tante Lou strikes him in the face. She brought him up never to say that word.
And that is just it: Jefferson represents all of them. Society regards them all as little better than animals. It affects how they think and feel about themselves. Whites are hard on them so they are hard on each other. But if they do not value each other, who will?
On the day before Jefferson is to die, Grant leads all the schoolchildren from his one-room country schoolhouse to the courthouse at the centre of town where the prison is. They walk silently through town in a long line. The white people stop and look. At the prison the children one by one each give Jefferson a gift and say goodbye.
He dies the next day – between noon and three. Just like Jesus.
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The book and movie were excellent. Very well done. Although I think I remember them cutting out some key scenes; typical. The character of Grant I thought was annoying and self-centered and Don Cheadle pulled that one off well because I found him annoying in the movie too. Lol.
P.S. Small typo there, in the sentence where Grant goes to visit Jefferson in prison.
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I’ve never seen the movie, but I read the book and really liked it–I would definitely recommend it.
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Why does this entry have the wrong date???
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Decent movie and Don Cheadle is good, as usual. One of the best actors around these days, black or white or anybody.
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Don Cheadle is awesome in Brooklyns Finest.
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Absolutely true. First movie I found that enlarged rather than diminished the book. Cheadle man. Cheadle.
On another note, I have circulated your blog to my peers in a Critical Pedagogy class. I find it to be an excellent source of critical thought, particularly from a person of color perspective, which white folks don’t often here. Thanks!
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Years back I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Gaines. I’ve yet to watch the movie. The book was excellent. Cover art great, too.
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I read the book and I saw the film, this was very tragic, that the young man thought of himself as a hog. It is especially heartbreaking when in the courtroom the lawyer refers to Jefferson as a dumb animal, Jefferson internalizes the hate from the whites calling him an animal. Don Chedel is excellent as the school teacher. It is a gripping and heartbreaking film and the book was good too.
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Mikhi Phiffer is heartbreaking as Jefferson. That scene where he calls himself a hog was painful and disturbing.
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Those two amazing actresses Cicely Tyson and Irma P. Hall are excellent. i love these two grand ladies.
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The lesson was for Jefferson to embrace his humanity not die thinking he was an animal.
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