Customer Reviews

Mark of the Hawk [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A young Sidney Portier is magnificent as a newly-elected black politician in the white-run government of his country, struggling with how to fight for rights and freedom for his black countrymen. Should he join in the violent raids that his brother helps lead or use nonviolent means propounded by the church he grew up in (and was kicked out of). What impressed me most about this film was the way it portrayed the church and Christianity. It is one of the most honest pictures of "the Church" that I've seen in a movie in a long time! Most modern movies show Christians as quacks, tyrants, fools or wimps. This movie shows their flaws and foibles as well as their strength and integrity. The movie shows the global reality of Christianity; I appreciated the fact that the "Christian" characters included a native black pastor, and missionaries from both America and India. The message of nonviolence was also well-done, making it an active thing, not just a passive, do-nothing reaction to evil and injustice. This is a great movie, lots of compelling speeches and situations. It really makes you think!

This review is for a specific DVD and covers only issues of manufacture.

Cover art for this disc of THE MARK OF THE HAWK (USA/UK-1957) has a high-contrast repro of Sidney Poitier's face at bottom with a hawk above and to the left. Background colors shift from red-orange at top to olive green along the bottom edge.

It's part of the TREASURE BOX COLLECTION series: a gloss-finished booklet-type card stock sleeve within which the DVD is held in place on the left by a vertical midline slit in the paper. On the interior right hand page are photos of a dozen other TBC titles, such as the Rutger Hauer actioner BEYOND JUSTICE (Italy-1992) and COLD SWEAT (Italy/France/Belgium-1970), with Charles Bronson, Liv Ullman, Jill Ireland and James Mason.


Once the disc loads, a PLAY MOVIE screen appears. There are no other options. The DVD is encoded with eight chapter stops (#1 is opening titles), but to access these you must click through them from your remote, or if watching on a PC player (such as PowerDVD) by right-clicking the mouse to open the program's option window.

During the title sequence, a black frame appears around the picture. This shrinks once the movie begins but is still visible as a thin line. Although a Technicolor movie, hues have faded from the source print. Not entirely colorless, but definitely not vibrant Technicolor. Dub isn't as crisp as a studio release and audio lacks hgh end due to a thick layer of filtering.

TREASURE BOX's transfer is watchable but far from perfect; packaging is as space-saving as it gets. 2.5 stars at best.

The theme of the film is essential. It is about conquering independence in African countries that are colonized, here by the English. Must this liberation come through violence or through christian love ? Must this liberation be radical or progressive ? The film answers that christian love is essential, the church must lead this liberation and it must come progressively. We may regret that the point of view of the nationalist forces among Africans are not described in their real terms, contradictions and stakes. The film wants to prove its point and neglects the arguments of the other side, through it has the courage to show that some whites are for the use of pure violence to impose their domination and the exploitation of the natural resources of the country.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

The lead actor, Sidney Poitier plays a man named Obam.
[...]

say what ?

Although he is nothing like Obama, there are some parallels. He is black, he is a leader, he speaks well.

In the movie, the native Africans consider the hawk as their symbol of independence. The word for hawk in African is obam (according to the movie).

Hawk, of course, nowadays, signifies WAR.
Now, how come THAT has never been mentioned in the media ?

This appears to be the one and only movie by this director.
Produced by some studio in Britain.

The recurrent issue of colonialism and mining appears again here.

The question is posed as to whether missionaries are a tool of the church / colonialist empire. It is answered, for the most part, in a way that casts a "positive" light on the issue. This is at odds with what I heard in the David Icke interview of African shaman Credo Mutwa.
[...]

Very much a product of its time, this is an interesting drama of Sir Sid as an African leader bent on revenge against White colonists who "sees the light" and...you'll see.

Basically, it handles two subjects. The African Independence movements of the 1950s and the debate of Christianity vs. "Indigenous religion" to the politically correct crowd (i.e. "voodoo").

Sid is his usual classy and dignified self, but Eartha Kitt as his wife Renee has little to do but look cute and sing one number. Black Nationalists and the politically correct shiny happy people/we are the world crowd will hate this film because of it's preference of Christianity to voodoo (which is dismissed as backward and ignorant) and it's protrayal of the African nationalists as misguided, revenge-filled savages (as well as the European missionary as the hero). In fariness, the agitating white ringleader who tries to goad the white settlers into attacking the Africans is also seen as evil. Whether this balances things is left to the viewer. Evangelical Christians will enjoy the religious message and would probably use it for encouraging viewers to convert.

Of course, it's not likely that most audienes in the 1950s were concerned about this. Given that Sir Sid was very political and even then interested in African independence, one wonders what he thought of the final product. One thing's for sure, if my hero Nelson Mandela was to come over for dinner, I wouldn't show him this!

Looking at this through apolitical eyes, it drags a bit, and you can miss a few sections and still follow the story. But as a whole it's mildly interesting for a variety of reasons.

Sydney Portier rules in this great colonial African Drama.It's a must see!!!