A call to militant revolution for black Americans, The Spook Who Sat By the Door advocates an armed uprising against the United States Government no less.
This film was asking for trouble. Apparently it was pulled from distribution almost as soon as it was in the theaters. The film is somewhat difficult to see but it's out there if you know where to look.
The director Ivan Dixon worked from a screenplay by the author of the book Sam Greenlee. I was expecting some complete rabid propaganda junk but this a highly intelligent piece of film making on a very low budget. The film does have a point of view, not necessarily one I would agree with but it makes it's political arguments very well for the most part.
It's unfortunate the director Ivan Dixon will probably be remembered for his supporting role on Hogan's Heroes. He had a successful career directing lots of television shows with lots of white actors. The Spook Who Sat by the Door and Trouble Man show that Dixon did have some talent making feature films.
102 minutes
Posts
