rottentomatoes.com

Native Son | Rotten Tomatoes

️Sat Jun 16 1951

Enter password Resubmit password Submit Updating your password...

Success!

Please open the email link from the same browser you initiated the change email process from. Didn't you get the email? Resend email Having trouble logging in? By joining, you agree to the Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands. Enter new email Submit By joining, you agree to the Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands. Something went wrong... Please try again.

Welcome back! username@email.com Enter password Continue Send email to verify Forgot password By joining, you agree to the Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands. Email change successful You are signed out for your security.
Please sign in again.

Email address Continue

Continue with Google

Having trouble logging in? By continuing, you agree to the Terms and Policies and the Privacy Policy and to receive email from Fandango Media Brands. Login successful!

Verifying your email... Retry

Continue with Google

Continue with Email

New

Where is the password field?

Continue

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands.

First name (Required) Last name (Required) Create my account

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the
Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands.

First name (Required) Last name (Required) Create my account

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the
Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

LEARN MORE HELP

Email not verified

TRY AGAIN CANCEL

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

Sign me up No thanks

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies. Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

Sign me up No thanks

OK, got it!

Cancel

Movies

Movies in theaters

Movies at Home

What to WatchNew

Certified fresh picks

Tv shows

New TV Tonight

View All

Most Popular TV on RT

View All

Certified fresh pick

94%

The Studio: Season 1 Link to The Studio: Season 1

FanStore News

Columns

Guides

View All

Hubs

View All

RT News

View All Showtimes

Where to Watch Reviews Cast & Crew Movie Clips Photos Media Info

Christopher Lloyd The Film Yap The exceedingly rare film adaptation of a novel starring the author in the leading role. Unfortunately, it replicates all the pitfalls of Richard Wright's book. Rated: 2.5/5 Sep 19, 2022 Full Review Peter Canavese Celluloid Dreams A real oddity in literary and cinematic history. Rushed and somewhat clumsy in its narrative it lacks the full impact of the novel but boasts visual impact. An interesting enough historical relic worth seeing. Rated: 2.5/4 Jul 25, 2022 Full Review Armond White National Review Every close-up, even when scaling the top of a water tower to evoke James Cagney at the end of White Heat, conveys the no-hope fatality of the novel's tragedy. It's not so much poetic or expressive as banal. Nov 5, 2020 Full Review Michael J. Casey Michael J. Cinema Not a perfect film, but the movie is far more than a curiosity. The cinematography from Antonio Merayo is top-notch, and Wright's writing is as brutal as it is blunt. Rated: 3.5/5 Sep 25, 2020 Full Review Kenneth R. Morefield 1More Film Blog Why is it essential then? Every now and hen you get a glimpse of the deeper horrors of the book, even if they are just passing allusions to what the novel insists is omnipresent Rated: 2/5 Sep 22, 2020 Full Review Donald J. Levit ReelTalk Movie Reviews Limited budget, black and white melodramatic pacing and scripting, awkward direction and inferior acting are what contribute to its shortcomings as pure film. Sep 30, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Member While the film's historical value and analysis of racism makes this a must-watch for lovers of art there's no question the film suffers from poor acting and audio dubbing. The acclaimed author of the source material plays the lead role and he's incapable of doing justice to his masterpiece. At the very least, his character should have been re-written to reflect his age. There's a 20+ year age difference. So, you have a 40 year old man saying words written for a teen. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Read and comment on my review at http://bit.ly/WLzqbj Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Native Son: Trailer 1 Native Son: Trailer 1 1:24 View more videos

Native Son (1951) Native Son (1951) Native Son (1951) Native Son (1951) Native Son (1951) Native Son (1951) A scene from "Native Son." View more photos

Synopsis Author Richard Wright (Richard Wright) portrays his novel's Bigger Thomas, a young chauffeur trapped in an accidental murder.

Director

Pierre Chenal

Producer

Jaime Prades

Screenwriter

Pierre Chenal, Richard Wright

Distributor

Classic Pictures

Production Co

Argentina Sono Film S.A.C.I.

Genre

Drama

Original Language

English

Release Date (Theaters)

Jun 16, 1951, Limited

Release Date (Streaming)

Jan 24, 2021

Runtime

1h 31m