My grandparents took me to see this at the cinema when I was very young and it had a profound effect on me for the rest of my life. It is a parable about how one man becomes enlightened and humbled by the beauty and bond with the natural world he develops by observing and learning. The film starts with a person who sees the wilderness as something to be exploited to something to be respected and nurtured. Be warned that it is very moving and a tear jerker in places. I would love to be able to see it again and show it to my kids. It is a shame that these films from the 1970s, which shaped an entire generation, are not shown to new generations. I put this in the same genre as Silent Running, and the Born Free films and many others - stories to help educate us about the natural world and having empathy for the plight of animals who have been persecuted, exploited, tormented or killed by humans since the dawn of time.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Black Snake
(1973)
It is so bad it is good
20 March 2005
I had to watch this film because the plot was so outrageous and the film lived up to expectations. In fact it makes for quite uncomfortable viewing at times. Unlike other Meyer films, the sexual antics are down to a minimum. Some of the scenes of violence are unnecessarily gratuitous and offensive. The plot is chaotic and some of the acting and lines are dreadful.
The film is a strange combination of sado-masochistic fantasy combined with a window of the brutality and immorality of the slavery and fails on all counts. It's as though Meyer was trying to make up for the sexploitation/ blackploitation by having a higher moral message. Meyer knows we feel a bit guilty about getting turned on by the blatant dominatrix connotations of the early scene showing Lady Susan wielding a whip in a provocative outfit. He then tries to steer back to the righteous path by turning it into a film about the triumph of good over evil. However, because they cancel each other out, you end up with nothing.
Because it so bad in so many ways, it is actually worth watching if you appreciate the art of making an awful film in the worst possible taste. Perhaps, because it is so bad, we almost let Meyer get away with the unacceptable.
The film is a strange combination of sado-masochistic fantasy combined with a window of the brutality and immorality of the slavery and fails on all counts. It's as though Meyer was trying to make up for the sexploitation/ blackploitation by having a higher moral message. Meyer knows we feel a bit guilty about getting turned on by the blatant dominatrix connotations of the early scene showing Lady Susan wielding a whip in a provocative outfit. He then tries to steer back to the righteous path by turning it into a film about the triumph of good over evil. However, because they cancel each other out, you end up with nothing.
Because it so bad in so many ways, it is actually worth watching if you appreciate the art of making an awful film in the worst possible taste. Perhaps, because it is so bad, we almost let Meyer get away with the unacceptable.
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