The Learning Tree

The Learning Tree
Directed by	Gordon Parks
Produced by	Gordon Parks
Written by	Gordon Parks
Starring	Kyle Johnson Alex Clarke Estelle Evans Dana Elcar Mira Waters Joel Fluellen Malcolm Atterbury Richard Ward
Music by	Gordon Parks
Cinematography	Burnett Guffey
Editing by	George R. Rohrs
Distributed by	Warner Bros./Seven Arts Productions
Release date(s)	August 6, 1969
Running time	107 mins.
Country	United States
Language	English

The Learning Tree is a 1969 drama film which tells the story of a young African American growing up in rural Kansas during the late 1920s and early 1930s, when racial discrimination was a social norm and legally sanctioned in parts of the United States. Written and directed by Gordon Parks, the film is based upon his 1964 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name. It is the first Hollywood studio film to be directed by an African American.

In 1989, The Learning Tree was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot summary

Newt Winger (Kyle Johnson) is an African-American teenager living in rural Kansas in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He generally confronts the prejudices of the era with pride and an even temper, unlike his hot-headed friend Marcus Savage (Alex Clarke). As circumstances slowly pull Newt and Marcus further apart, Newt witnesses a murder – one committed by Marcus' father Booker (Richard Ward).

When Newt's decision to come forward as a witness leads to Booker's death, Marcus ambushes and confronts Newt with a gun – resulting in a vicious fight. Newt wins the fight but spares Marcus' life, only to watch helplessly as Marcus is shot and killed by a racist sheriff (Dana Elcar).

Cast

• Kyle Johnson – Newt Winger
• Alex Clarke – Marcus Savage
• Estelle Evans – Sarah Winger
• Dana Elcar – Sheriff Kirky
• Mira Waters – Arcella Jefferson
• Joel Fluellen – Uncle Rob
• Malcolm Atterbury – Silas Newhall
• Richard Ward – Booker Savage

Response

The film was well received by critics. It was appreciated as a good movie made for the first time about black people and directed by a black man. Parks was applauded for the story, actors and the cinematography. It would lead to other serious films made by black filmmakers, while a few white filmmakers followed along with more dramas about black Americans; among the more serious works made were Black Girl and Sounder. They would offset the appearance of blaxploitation movies that flooded theaters at that time. The screenplay that Parks wrote was registered and placed in the records of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

External links

• The Learning Tree at AllRovi
• The Learning Tree at the Internet Movie Database
• The Learning Tree at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Learning Tree at the TCM Movie Database