Henry Browne, Farmer

• Canada Lee: Narrator
• Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pollard as a family Browne

Henry Browne, Farmer is an American documentary film by Roger Barlow from the year 1942., The short film highlights the everyday work of African-American farmers Henry Browne.

Action

The film shows the hard work life of African-American farmers Henry Browne and his family on a small farm in Georgia. Browne has three children and a woman, all of which help to a child on the farm. A tractor, they have not only two donkeys, since this year a cow and several chickens. Fields throw down a little, but since this year builds Henry peanuts, as it wants the state. With the oil extracted from it he makes an important contribution to the war success. On Saturdays, he invites his whole family in his carriage one, but this time it does not go on the market. Rather, they visit the oldest son of the family, is the pilot in the Tuskegee Airmen. This they can watch while flying.

Background

The film was produced by the Ministry of Agriculture of the United States. The film received an Oscar nomination in 1943 for Best Documentary. In the United States, the film is considered to be public domain and is in the Prelinger Archive at the Internet Archive website available.

The main characters of the film, the couple Pollard, were actually farmers, but in Alabama. The film was shown in more than 1,000 cinemas.

Criticism

Although the film is not racist, but misses its purpose and common prejudices confirmed. Actually, he should call for more tolerance, but of African Americans is drawn as a submissive, do what the state tells him and lives at a low level of existence. Already at that time, you could tell the movie to the lack of budget, the scenes are more than unkind. Even the journalist who had invented the story, later said that the film is bland and would not serve its purpose.