Search - White Man's Burden on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children Movie Release: 1995 DVD Release: 05/11/1999 Format: DVD Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 29 mins Studio: HBO Home Video Total Copies: 9 Genres: Drama, Americana, Crime Drama, Message Movie

From director-writer Desmond Nakano comes this unusual role-reversal picture examining racism from a different perspective. Louis Pinnock (John Travolta) is a semi-literate worker in a chocolate candy factory. One day he makes a delivery to the mansion of wealthy Thaddeus Thomas (Harry Belafonte). He is noticed while he is unintentionally looking up at Thomas' wife, Megan (Margaret Avery), while she is undressing in an open window. Thomas makes sure that Pinnock is fired for this innocent indiscretion despite his years of reliable performance at the factory. Some time later, unemployed and destitute, Pinnock and his wife Marsha (Kelly Lynch) and children are evicted roughly from their home by police officers. Marsha's mother (Carrie Snodgress) takes in her daughter and grandchildren, but she won't let Pinnock stay. Police officers beat up Pinnock one day because, they say, he fits the description of a criminal suspect. Finally, Pinnock goes to Thomas's house to get an explanation for his firing, but Thomas doesn't remember the incident. Pinnock takes Thomas hostage and demands he be paid for all the hours of work he has missed. In this film, all the authority figures and wealthy people are black, and Pinnock is a member of a poor white underclass. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

John Travolta - Louis Pinnock
Harry Belafonte - Thaddeus Thomas
Kelly Lynch - Marsha Pinnock
Margaret Avery - Megan Thomas
Tom Bower - Stanley

In a world where the colors of racial strife have been reversed, a poor white factory worker (John Travolta) struggles to clear his name by taking the rich black factory owner (Harry Belafonte) hostage after being callously fired from his job. Presented in 1.85:1 widescreen and featuring closed-captioned Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, this release also offers an alternate Spanish Dolby Digital Mono soundtrack in addition to optional English, Spanish and French subtitles. Extra features include cast biographies. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide