Review of Nothing But a Man (1964) by Ben L — 24 Sep 2017

Nothing but a Man is a film about a railway worker who falls in love with a pastor?s daughter. The two have to try to make a relationship work despite her disapproving parents, racial tensions that surround them, and his dysfunctional past. Most of the plot in this film was extremely familiar, as if I?ve seen dozens of movies with these plot elements before. Perhaps at the time it was more poignant, but I wasn?t struck by much that stood out as unique or special in the film. I did appreciate the story shows that in some cases life can continue in this endless cycle of failure, and we are left wondering if Duff will be able to break from this cycle. It gave me something to care about.

I know this is an inexpensive independently-produced film, and because of that cheap production budget I was willing to accept some of the claustrophobic sets, and the way they kept everything so small in scope. However, I cannot excuse the acting. I was amazed how terrible the performances were in this film. The line delivery sounded like a bunch of kids reading oral reports in a classroom. It was wooden, flat, and shockingly unnatural. I?ve heard computer voices with more expression to them. There were perhaps 2 actors in the entire film that weren?t cringe-inducing in the way they delivered lines, but then someone would respond back to them like a machine.

It?s amazing how one element can sink a film for me. I was moderately invested in the story of Nothing but a Man. I think the end was a great way to wrap things up so that it felt satisfying even though not everything was perfectly resolved. There are a number of positives that I could see in this movie, but I kept getting distracted from them because of the dialogue. While I do think a similar story has been done a number of times since, and probably better, there?s enough good bones in Nothing but a Man that it could be turned into something special. Sadly, as it stands, it totally doesn?t work for me and I?ll probably forget all about it soon.