Mark Of The Hawk (1957)

Set in British colonial Africa, one of the few black leaders (Sidney Poitier) elected to the white legislative council attempts to pressure the British government into setting a date for turning the country over to its native population thus allowing them to rule themselves. The white supremacists resist while native terrorists attack white homes, killing the inhabitants and burning the homes. Into this volatile atmosphere comes an American missionary (John McIntire) who hopes faith will settle the hate on both sides. Today it's not at all unusual for Christian groups to fund films with a Christian agenda and marketed toward Christians and most of them do quite well with their intended audiences and even some studios court religious groups for their films (NOAH is a recent example). It was much more rare in the 1950s and this film was sponsored by the Presbyterian church's Board Of Foreign Missions. The film doesn't bother to hide its agenda and parts of the film's dialog have you feeling that you're listening to a sermon. The film's dubious premise that accepting Jesus will heal all wounds and bring Africa together would be offensive if it wasn't so unabashedly in your face. Somehow the film makers managed to get a strong cast of actors. In addition to Poitier and McIntire, Eartha Kitt (as Poitier's French wife) and Juano Hernandez have key roles in the film. Directed by Michael Audley. With Helen Horton and Marne Maitland.