Charles Herold (cherold) There are two ways to view this movie. You can consider it as an antebellum romance, and talk about the scenery and Clark Gable, or you can consider how it deals with the whole slavery thing.Looked at in purely cinematic terms, it's pretty terrible. At least the first hour is; I couldn't wade through more than that. The dialogue is absolutely atrocious. The movie is slow and tedious, most of the characters uninteresting. As is often the case with latter-day movies by great directors, it has an archaic feel, as though the directory knows he can't make movies just like the ones he made 20 years ago yet can't quite get the hang of modern film-making.The unfortunate thing is I wanted to see this movie for Sydney Poitier but he comes in on the late side and by the time he arrived I'd reached the point where I couldn't take any more.Then there's the slavery thing. Some people feel it's unfair to make political judgments on a movie from long ago, and that is in part true. There are things you really couldn't do in the 50s. If you'd cast a black actress in the Yvonne De Carlo role then kissing Gable would have got the movie banned in most of the country.At the same time, people weren't idiots in the 1950s. There were movies earlier than 1957 that showed a greater understanding of race dynamics and were able to treat black characters in more interesting ways, because there were people, even white people, who understood these things. In fact, I suspect the book this movie was based on was far more nuanced (one would hope).So things like the well-dressed slaves, the benevolent slave-owners, the happy singing black folk, they're not "the best that could be done at the time." They are examples of lazy, thoughtless filmmaking. And the way black folks taunt Yvonne for being one of them, as though being one of them is disgusting; well, I doubt slaves commonly treated one another that way.But I'm not going to say more about the politics, because I haven't seen the whole movie and because the reviewer here who wrote a review titled "Twisted, Grotesque Artifact of White Denial" sums up the issues with this movie very well.And as I say, I don't need to worry about being fair to this movie for its political shortcomings, because as art and entertainment it's just awful.

gkeith_1 Spoilers. Observations. Opinions.American slave trade ended 1807 by Congress. Why was Gable in Civil War era talking about his work in that field? That was an era ending fifty years before, and even Gable didn't look that old.This looked to be historically incorrect, but will be overlooked for the sake of the story. Louisiana became American (from the French; Napoleon) in 1803, so this makes even less sense.Back to the story. A funeral has people singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, meaning heaven coming to take Yvonne de Carlo's father away. I looked over Jordan, and what did I see? A band of angels comin' after me. These are lyrics of this old song. The River Jordan is another euphemism for heaven.Bands of angels didn't rescue Manty, de Carlo's character. She was found belatedly to have had an African American mother, and in antebellum times that was a definite no-no.She's sent to a slave auction. She's such a hot tomata that bidders end in none other than Clark Gable, a swell-dressed local Colonel Sanders.Gable purchases her for a large sum of money. On the way to the auction, though, she is assaulted by a bad guy, but is rescued and is to live in a lovely antebellum mansion with Gable. Gable is filthy rich, and Manty has been raised to be a cultured and elegant young woman. Gable dresses her in fine clothes. They make a nice-looking pair.Gable's house slaves are mainly female, but in walks a striking dark man portrayed by Sidney Poitier. Poitier is opinionated and mouthy. He was rescued in childhood by Gable. Gable educated him as his own son, but Poitier's character always resents the way Africans are treated in general.A maid says Poitier will be king of the mansion, some day, and that Gable has willed the abode to him. Later, Union army occupiers want Gable's castle, and, naturally, Poitier has joined their army. The mansion has been ransacked by those darned Yankee invaders, and Poitier is now king of nothing. Gable is still alive, and Poitier sneakily helps him escape the bloodthirsty bluecoats after accusing Gable of giving him such a terrible upbringing.Denouement: Gable and Manty ride off in a boat to further adventures, with Gable's old sea dog friend rescuing them. Meanwhile, Poitier is on the shore, seeing them off.Poitier. Strong characters. Lilies of the Field, 1963. Don't mess with me. They Call Me Mr. Tibbs, 1970. In the Heat of the Night, 1967. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, 1967. Civil rights movement era, in the decade or two after Band of Angels, and African Americans demanding humane treatment. Poitier did a great job in explaining reality. Sidney, you are the greatest.I am a degreed historian, actress, film critic and movie reviewer.

rickrudge Band of Angels (1957)A lot of people saw this as Clark Gable playing up the "Gone With the Wind" angle, but it's really a story about slavery and race in America. It's not a classic like GWTW, but it should stand on it's own merits. Sure, it's a bit watered down for the late 50s sensibilities, and yes, it's pretty melodramatic stuff, but it's not a bad movie and well worth a look.A young, beautiful Yvonne De Carlo plays Amantha Starr, the daughter of a plantation owner. She's away at college when she is asked to come home. Her father has taken ill and by the time she arrives, he has already passed away. Then comes the realization that Amantha is really half black, and instead of the daughter of a plantation owner, she will now be sold along with all of the other property to pay off back taxes. Hamish Bond (Clark Gable) buys her, but sets her up like a lady.A 30 year old Sidney Poitier plays Rau-Ru, a freed slave and raised as Hamish's son. Rau- Ru was educated, so he is all too aware of the atrocities that are performed on black people by people like Hamish, himself, so there's a love/hate relationship going on there.This DVD was released a little before Yvonne De Carlo death, and it's good that we get a chance to see her before she became well-known as Lilly Munster.

vitaleralphlouis 19 years after "Gone with the Wind" Clark Gable returns as a very-much-like Rhett Butler role of Hamish Bond; no doubt for the pleasure of us moviegoers it's one of his best roles.A very rich ex-slaver takes an interest in a white girl suddenly being sold as a slave based upon the revelation that her mother was black. The story covers about six years and it is beautifully filmed; a picture worth seeing every few years.The Yankees do not look good in this movie; because the film was well researched and scores about 90% for historical accuracy. Union General Butler was much worse and more corrupt as portrayed here. It is also worth noting that MOST slave traders were in fact from New England, Massachusetts being the first slave state where slavery was used widely to do the Yankee's dirty work. America's #1 slave trader -- not a nice man like Clark Gable's portrayal, but one of the most rotten men in American history -- was Brown of Rhode Island, the founder of Brown University, built with slave-trade money. Mass-Conn-RI were loaded with slaves, about 40% of their population; very quiet about it these days.Today's empty-headed Hollywood is very confused about slavery. Devoted to "political correctness" but clueless to its meaning, most classic movies containing so much as one slave (or no slaves, as in Walt Disney's "Song of the South") are quietly not available except thru bootlegs. "Band of Angels" somehow escaped the PC Squad; readily available on DVD. 9 out of 10.