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Cicely Tyson: Performances
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This 1973 television movie about 110 years of American history as seen through the eyes of a black woman from Louisiana (Cicely Tyson) is a terrific achievement, a window onto racism from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement. Tyson gives a career performance as the title character, whose personal life is inextricably woven into the fabric of the African American struggle for equality. A mixture of the sentimental and the unflinching, this is the kind of educational experience that fully engages a viewer. A shared journey
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In 1961, Tyson appeared in the original cast of French playwright Jean Genet's "The Blacks", the longest running Off-Broadway non-musical of the decade, running for 1,408 performances. The original cast ... featured James Earl Jones, Roscoe Lee Browne, Louis Gossett, Jr.,Godfrey Cambridge, Maya Angelou and Charles Gordone.
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The Houston Chronicle describes Tyson as "like a chicken fried steak smothered in cream gravy. She's Southern comfort food--familiar, delicious, searing, satisfying. Her performances always hit the spot," adding that "She holds the patent for portraying struggling black women who make successes of themselves." As Ms. concluded, "She has an image that spans not only race, but the ideological differences among blacks themselves."
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Paul Winfield's performance as the unfortunate father is no less impressive than Tyson's and earned him an Oscar® nomination (for Best Actor) as well. Winfield brought a poignancy and depth to the role, allowing audiences to empathize with a man forced to steal for his family. A former graduate of UCLA and a native of Watts, California, Winfield was no stranger to playing unconventional heroes and men of action and is probably best know for his portrayal of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the mini-series King (1978).
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