Native Son (1951)

A young African American man (Richard Wright) lives in poverty with his mother and two siblings. He is hired as a chauffeur by a wealthy but progressive family. Taking the family daughter (Jean Wallace) and her communist boyfriend (Gene Michael) out on the town one night, the daughter gets drunk and unable to walk on her own when she gets home, so the chauffeur carries her up to her room. It is there that in a moment of fear, he accidentally smothers her with a pillow. He panics and his fate is sealed. Based on the novel by Richard Wright and directed by Pierre Chenal (CRIME AND PUNISHMENT). Wright's novel is a landmark in African American literature. This was the first of three filmed adaptations (also filmed in 1986 and 2019). The film's controversial nature prevented it from being filmed in the U.S. and it was filmed in Argentina (funded by the Argentine government). Even then, some of Wright's novel was changed (like his rape and murder of his girlfriend) to make him more sympathetic. The film's biggest flaw and noted at the time of the movie's release is Wright's performance. The original actor (Canada Lee) cast bowed out and Wright took over the role but he's not an actor (and 20 years too old for the part). Simply put, his performance is awkward. While it may have worked on the page, the didactic narrative doesn't work well on the screen. Still, flaws and all, it's an often powerful film noir tinged view. With Gloria Madison and George Rigaud.