After scoring in the ’60s as a comedian and TV
star, Bill Cosby tried expanding his popularity to movies in the early ’70s,
beginning with this Western about a former cavalryman who embarks on a
dangerous quest with his young son. Perhaps because the movie cast Cosby in a
purely dramatic role, Man and Boy
failed to connect with audiences, but it’s actually a fairly strong piece of
work, blending life lessons with violent action and rich characterizations.
As the title suggests, the story is shot through with themes of male
identity, and specifically African-American male identity; throughout the
movie, the protagonist uses deeds instead of words to convey notions of duty,
honor, integrity, and loyalty in a world that expects black men to behave like
second-class citizens. As directed by journeyman TV helmer E.W. Swwckhamer, Man and Boy makes the most of a thin
budget by employing vivid locations and a lively supporting cast. Reliable
players including Yaphet Kotto, Dub Taylor, and Henry Silva
enliven small roles, while young George Spell, who plays the protagonist’s son,
effectively conveys the experience of a youth discovering the troubling
complexities of the adult world.
In the first act, we meet Caleb Revers
(Cosby), a proud man struggling to make his small farm viable, despite meager
resources and pressure from racist neighbors. Through a fortunate circumstance,
Caleb comes into possession of a fine horse, which aggravates whites who resent
blacks becoming property owners. One day, because of carelessness on the part
of Caleb’s son, Billy (Spell), the horse is stolen, so Caleb takes Billy on a
trek to recover the animal. Most of the film depicts their adventures out on
the frontier. An encounter with an old enemy of Caleb’s turns violent, forcing
Billy to grapple with the idea of standing up to thugs, and a visit with a
lonely widow who comes on to Caleb stretches Billy’s understanding of the way
men and women relate to each other. During the picture’s final act, the
travelers cross paths with a black outlaw named Lee Christmas (Douglas Turner
Ward), giving Billy a harsh view of life outside the law.
In some ways, Man and Boy is obvious and schematic, as
if the filmmakers made a list of lessons they wanted George to experience, then
contrived a narrative situation for each lesson. And, indeed, the storytelling
hits a few bumps as the storytellers move too conveniently from one episode to
the next. But because screenwriters Harry Essex and Oscar Saul avoid easy
sentimental payoffs, the picture feels relatively credible and tough
all the way through. Cosby’s performance helps create the desired illusion. Imbuing
his portrayal with equal parts idealism and world-weariness, Cosby creates a
portrait of a man with one foot in the cold truths of everyday reality and
another foot in the empowering possibilities of dreams. Regrettably, Cosby’s
next attempts at drama netted similarly middling results, though he’s excellent
in the TV movie To All My Friends on
Shore (1972) and intriguing in the theatrical action picture Hickey & Boggs (also 1972), so he mostly
ditched serious acting once he returned to comedy in the mid-’70s. It would have been interesting to see how his dramatic chops evolved.
Man
and Boy: GROOVY
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