DOWN IN THE DELTA
After the first ten minutes of "Down in the Delta," I was tempted to walk out of the theater, but I would have been a lesser man if I had.
"Down in the Delta" turned out to be a morally and spiritually uplifting experience that had less to do with the issues of racism than the family values and traditions handed down through the descendents of a former slave. The wonder of it is that it tells its story without resorting to platitudes and gross caricatures.
The opening of "Down in the Delta" spoon feeds the problems of Loretta(Alfre Woodard) like a formula TV movie. She drinks, takes drugs, is semi-illiterate, can’t get a job, has an autistic three year old, and a bright twelve year old son who is ripe for the street life of Chicago. Loretta’s mother(Mary Alice) sends her and the kids packing to Uncle Earl’s in Mississippi in a last ditch effort to salvage her life. Once there, the real story begins.
"Down in the Delta" has all the ingredients of a typical family film. There are lessons to be learned and obstacles to overcome. What sets it apart from the rest is the wealth of emotion that accrues over the course of the movie. Its cumulative effect is overpowering. It starts with Uncle Earle (Al Freeman Jr.). He can be cranky and sometimes aloof, but he generates enough love to power the hot Delta Sun. No problem is so great that it can’t be resolved. The idea of ‘family’ is the engine that drives him. He creatively handles his wife Annie(Esther Rolle) who suffers from Alzheimer’s, and he runs the family business - a restaurant whose menu is a cornucopia of chicken recipes. Earl deals with the exigencies of life in the calm methodical manner of a man who knows his place in the world. That place is linked to a family heirloom that becomes even more significant once Loretta finds her place in Uncle Earle’s heart.
It would be an oversimplification to merely peg "Down in the Delta" as a fish out of water story, or a morality tale. Sometimes there are movies that touch its viewers until a badly executed scene or a piece of bad dialogue knocks the wind out of its emotional sails. The novelistic approach of first time director Maya Angelou has the opposite effect. "Down in the Delta" succeeds despite its flaws. It reveals character details in bits and pieces like a good book. The plot mechanics may be forgettable but the people who inhabit writer Myron Goble’s story are not. Loretta Devine plays Earle’s sympathetic housekeeper. Wesley Snipes is wonderfully low key as the successful son who ‘yes’s his father to death and overindulges his kids with material goods. Mpho Koaho’s Thomas learns the meaning of responsibility when a careless act puts Annie in jeopardy. Loretta wins our unfailing affection when she responds her Aunt Annie’s needs in a scene that still tugs at my heart at the mere thought of it. Alfre Woodard exhibits all the heartache, confusion, and triumph of a woman struggling to make some sense of her life.
Each member of Uncle Earle’s family emerges as part of a living mosaic that traces its lineage and heritage through a candelabra they call Nathan. Ultimately, "Down in the Delta" shows where a family’s history began because of slavery - the road taken because of it - the strong family values handed down as a result - the place its descendents occupy in contemporary life because of it - and the need to pass its traditions on to the next generation. "Down in the Delta" is a must see for anyone in need of a reaffirmation of traditional family values and the healing powers of love.
Some overlooked gems with family based themes:
"Once Upon a Time…WHEN WE WERE COLORED" (1996) - With Phylicia Rashad, Leon, and Richard Roundtree. Once again - life in the Mississippi Delta from the post war 40’s through the 60’s. Al Freeman Jr. is the aging patriarch who helps mold his great grandson’s view of the world.
"Sugar Cane Alley" (1984) (French with sub-titles) - A classic about a grandmother’s sacrifices to get her grandson an education on the Island of Martinique in the 30’s.
"The Learning Tree" (1969) - based on Director and acclaimed Time/Life photographer Gordon Park’s autobiographical novel about growing up in Kansas. Parks brought "Sahft" to the screen in 1971.
"The Southerner" ( 1945) - An American film from French director Jean Renoir with
Zachary Scott, about the plight of a farmer trying to hold his family together.