The Learning Tree

The Learning Tree is a 1969 American drama film written and directed by Gordon Parks, a celebrated photographer. It depicts the life of Newt Winger, a teenager growing up in Cherokee Flats, Kansas, in the 1920s, and chronicles his journey into manhood that is marked by tragic events. The Learning Tree is based on Parks' semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, which was published in 1963.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Back in its day, the film was already noteworthy for being the first feature film directed by an African-American to be financed by a Hollywood studio, but today, the film may be even more significant as it fits into the tradition of black filmmaking.
 * 2) Gordon Parks Sr. tells the film as a touching and dramatic coming-of-age story about the grim realities of racism, like in his autobiographical novel the film's based on. Parks is, in a way, following in the footsteps of filmmakers like Oscar Micheaux and Spencer Williams, men who experienced racism firsthand, and who could report on it with more verisimilitude than even a well-intentioned white director.
 * 3) The opening scene, which finds Newt Winger fighting for his life during a tornado, offers an oblique commentary on The Wizard of Oz. Unlike Frank L. Baum's poor but gentle Kansas, this film's Kansas is a world in which moonshiners abuse their children and sex is an open topic, where Kirky -- a white sheriff -- can shoot a black man in the back with without any punishment. Parks' matter-of-fact treatment of brutality is a response to Hollywood's earlier attempts to find a place for blacks in society. It lets the viewers know right of the bat that the gloves are off and the film's not afraid to offend sensibilities and show its imagery for what it truly is, without softening the details.
 * 4) *The film also depicts the ambiguous racial attitudes of black and white people with an ironic complexity rarely found in earlier films about racism.
 * 5) The film's also not interested in starting a war, as it encourages black people to fight back, but in a way that helps them and doesn't destroy them. Newt, the film's protagonist is able to maintain his dignity despite the prejudice and injustice he encounters on a daily basis.
 * 6) Despite the film being slow-paced and melodramatic at times, it's able to make up for it by keeping the narrative rich in incident and framing everything in the wonder and natural world.
 * 7) Relatable characters in various angles
 * 8) Newt and the rest of the Winger family are poor African-Americans who are victims of different kinds of racism including segregated accommodations, lynching, substandard housing and inferior schools but they're still strong and optimistic through it all.
 * 9) Newt -- as previously mentioned -- is brave, caring and honest as he was willing to exonerate a white man wrongfully accused of murdering his white neighbor, knowing full well that his eyewitness testimony incriminating a black farmhand might endanger the young man’s life and further inflame white racism.
 * 10) There's also the white school principal who shares Newt’s distain for the undercutting remarks of his teacher, but also  explains to Newt the long history of white anxiety and insecurity that informs her words.
 * 11) Even Newt's nemesis Marcus has his share of relatability traits. He may be a pessimist, but he's also poor, his mother had died, and his father's an alcoholic, so his anger was pretty justified. This also contrasts to Newt's healthy family relationship.
 * 12) Strong acting from most of the cast. Although, the film's low budget meant the crew couldn't recruit big name stars. Most of them were from television.
 * 13) Dana Elcar and Dub Taylor serve important supporting roles. The former does a very credible job as the racist sheriff Kirky, and the latter appeared as Spikey -- a sideshow carny who organizes a fight competition at a country fair.
 * 14) The film's cinematography by Burnett Guffey, is lush and evocative. Parks knows how to take advantage of devices like slow motion, filters and fades to black, just as his narrative sense (his knowledge of the story and what each moment means) informs the editing.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The acting and dialogue can occasionally be poorly-executed.

Trivia

 * Adapted from his own semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, this film marked Gordon Parks' feature film debut as a director and writer, earning him the distinction of being the first African American director on a major studio film. Parks' second studio project, released just two years later, was the iconic film Shaft, starring Richard Roundtree.
 * Beyond filmmaking, Parks was a celebrated and acclaimed photographer with a career that spanned six decades and tackled issues including poverty, civil rights and the fight for racial equality. His work is in the permanent collections of major museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
 * The director's son, Gordon Parks Jr., traveled to Fort Scott, KS, and captured his father's creative process during the production of the film, along with interviews with the cast and crew. This led to a short documentary titled My Father: Gordon Parks.

The Film
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