Product Details

• Actors: Sidney Poitier, Will Geer, Bradford Dillman, Beverly Todd, Ramon Bieri
• Directors: James Goldstone
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: English, French
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• DVD Release Date: January 7, 2003
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00007CVRT
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,885 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Brother John" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Brother John is a fascinating example of the social-issue cinema that flourished in the early 1970s. This subtly engrossing drama posits the second coming of Christ as an Alabama-born black man named John Kane (Sidney Poitier)--a prodigal son, savior, and quiet peacemaker who can still kick ass when he needs to. Screenwriter Ernest Kinoy's clever strategy is to embrace near-total ambiguity, injecting just a hint of divinity into Kane's personal belongings. Director James Goldstone (a veteran, along with cinematographer Gerry Finnerman, of TV's original Star Trek) maintains a crucial balance of faith and uncertainty that inspires one of Poitier's most underrated performances; at times he really seems to be carrying the burdens of humankind in his weary, compassionate heart. Is he God, bidding farewell on the verge of doomsday? Only the doctor who birthed him (Will Geer, at his best) surmises the truth. A fine score by Quincy Jones with then-trendy harmonica soloist Toots Thielemans makes this a '70s gem to savor. --Jeff Shannon

From the Back Cover

He left home as a child. He traveled the world and visited places few men have seen. There is no way to contact him. Yet, whenever a death occurs in the family, he knows to return home. He just knows. Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier (1964, best actor in a leading role, Lilies of the Field) is Brother John in this compelling film about the mysteries and prejudices of a small Alabama town on the brink of upheaval.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep...Deep...Deeep, October 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Brother John [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie is filled with a since of righteousness and the importance of human respect. Although it is set in the termoil of the late 60's early 70's the story line is timeless. The film brings into focus, through the life of John (Sydney Poitier), a since of destiny for the human race. Truly an excellent work.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Inspiration, November 30, 2002

By	Michael (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brother John [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is simply the greatest film work ever done and greatly overlooked. It is the inspiration for one of my books and is a timeless masterpiece.

It's unbelievable how much this story is overlooked.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Something to really think about.", April 3, 2007

By	Christian (Slidell LA) - See all my reviews

This movie really makes you stop and think, about how you live your life and how others live theirs. Every person's life has a purpose. Each of us has to find out what that purpose is. Many don't know it, but you can live out your purpose and still enjoy life at the same time, affecting other people in the positive. This movie almost seemed to be from the mind of a pessimist, but some may say a realist. I think it reflects the moral conscious of that day. I have seen a good number of Sidney Poitier movies, and it amazes me how he can always keep that poker face in every tough seen (one calling for little to no expression when giving someone critical information). He ranks right up there with all of the leading men of Hollywood of old, great actors of back in the day.