Film fails to depict harsh realities of "Native Son"

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everyday horror during the Depression era for AfroBigger, out of legitimate fear that Mary would reveal Some of the deletions in the film-due, perhaps, to a his presence to her mother, panics and accidentally limited $2-million budget-create the false picture of suffocates her with a pillow. His presence in a white woman's bedroom would entail dire consequences. Then, But it was life in capitalist America, with its Jim to cover up the unintentional killing, Bigger burns Crow laws and its debasement of the Black man, which created the Bigger Thomases. Bigger had been mentally Inevitably, pursuit is followed by capture, trial, and conviction. In the course of flight, Bigger kills Bessie, For Wright, the criminal in the tragedy was his girl friend. This second murder, which is missing capitalist system of racism and oppression. Wright from the film, is considered less important by the that "all Biggers are the Products of American society Innocent though he was, racism would condemn I strongly recommend reading the novel before seeing the film. Many important segments from each section of One of the weaknesses of the film is that it does not the novel (fear, flight, and fate) are deleted in the film. adequately bring out the social background of the time. Reading the novel first will enable the viewer to better The domestic racial terror, the Jim Crow laws, and the understand Wright's depiction of the harsh realities of lynchings in the South are only hinted at. And the SOCIALIST ACTION MARCH 1987 19 Bigger as a criminal. Bigger has to carry her up to her mother, who is blind, appears.

Mary's body in the furnace.

authorities since the victim was Black.

eroding the contract as soon as the ink has dried.

It is a sad statement about the concessionary-bargaining period we live in, that just maintaining what we have is considered a victory by the workers—as was the case at Armco Steel.

Still, it seems to me that we must keep our standard for victory what it should be: When we make gains over the last contract.

Karen Schieve, San Francisco, Calif.

Black press Dear editor, The title under which my article on Howard Beach appeared in last month's Socialist Action, "N.Y. media depicts victims as criminals," could be taken to suggest that the entire New York media did this.

This was not point, Americans in Chicago is underdeveloped.

Bigger as a lone sociopath.

castrated and manhandled from the cradle.

are thereby 'native sons"

Bigger's world.

Black press, which tens of thousands of Black New Yorkers turn to each week for news, commentary, and analysis.

Both the Amsterdam News and the New York City Sun featured interviews with Alton Maddox and Vernon Mason, the two courageous Black attorneys under attack for defending the victims. Articles and editorials in both papers consistently exposed the D.A./police/mayor/media attacks as racist.

The Amsterdam News also featured an interview with Cedric Sandiford, whose version of the Howard Beach events was ignored by the big-business press.

Chris Butters, New York City 12 indicted On Jan. 28, 3000 people, mainly Black youth, marched in the felt and New York City to protest the racist attacks in Howard Beach. It was a militant and spirited rally.

Since that time, the special prosecutor in the case has handed down indictments against 12 white teenagers. Notably absent from the list of the indicted was the driver of the car that fatally struck Michael Griffith. Each suspect now faces charges adding up to at least four years in jail, and several face 25-year terms.

John Palmieri, New York City