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still Nothing But a Man (Michael Roemer, US 1964)

Nothing But a Man

Michael Roemer / US, 1964 / 95 min.

Groundbreaking, authentic portrait of a Black railway worker facing daily discrimination and economic uncertainty. This unjustly forgotten milestone of American cinema, bursting with Motown music, was Malcolm X’s favourite film.

poster Nothing But a Man (Michael Roemer, US 1964)
A Black railway worker (Ivan Dixon) wants to settle in Alabama with his wife (played by jazz great Abbey Lincoln) while trying to find his father (Julius Harris). Michael Roemer’s tender, groundbreaking debut is filled with social criticism of systemic racism. The representations of poverty, injustice and prejudice – direct but never seeking to sensationalise – reveal the disastrous effects these have on all aspects of life.

Details

Not (yet) rated

Director

Michael Roemer

Production year

1964

Country

US

Original title

Nothing But a Man

Length

95 min.

Language

English

Subtitles

NONE

Part of

Restored & Unseen

At last, a chance to see that Italian classic that’s been on the list for so long? Or relish that wonderful restoration of Blue Movie, the Netherlands’ most talked-about nude film of the seventies, when the Bijlmer district was still a sexual paradise? Restored & Unseen is a biweekly programme featuring classics and recent restorations, with introductions by experts.

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still Nothing But a Man (Michael Roemer, US 1964)
still Nothing But a Man (Michael Roemer, US 1964)
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Current exhibition

  • 19 September 2026 — 31 January 2027

    Ulrich Seidl

    Über das Leben, die Liebe und den Tod

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