Miss Evers' Boys (1997) (TV)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writers (WGA):

David Feldshuh (play)
Walter Bernstein (teleplay)

Release Date:

22 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

A Government Lie. A Woman's Secret. A Story That Must Be Told.

Plot:

The true story of the US Government's 1932 Tuskeegee Syphilis Experiments, in which a group of black test subjects were allowed to die, despite a cure having been developed.

Plot Keywords:

Syphilis | Apostrophe In Title | Public Health | Punctuation In Title | Based On Play

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 16 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Alfre Woodard	...	Eunice Evers, R.N.
Laurence Fishburne	...	Caleb Humphries
Craig Sheffer	...	Dr. Douglas
Joe Morton	...	Dr. Sam Brodus
Obba Babatundé	...	Willie Johnson
Von Coulter	...	Hodman Bryan
Thom Gossom Jr.	...	Ben Washington
Ossie Davis	...	Mr. Evers
E.G. Marshall	...	The Senate Chairman
Robert Benedetti	...	Senator
Peter Stelzer	...	Senator
Donzaleigh Abernathy	...	Nurse Betty
Tommy Cresswell	...	Dr. Larkin
Judson Vaughn	...	Dr. Davis
Larry Black	...	Dr. Hamilton

MPAA:

Rated PG for theme and related elements.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Anasazi Productions

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Show Me Lord

Wonderful but incredibly sad

I have seen this film several times and use it as a teaching aid when I teach my high school psychology class, as it brings up issues concerning unethical treatment as well as brain disorders (in this case syphilis). The film is VERY moving and you can't help but get absorbed into the film due to its excellent writing and characterizations. About the only reason the film doesn't merit a 10 is that the background for the movie is vague and I needed to research on my own. I found that the movie was based on a play which was a fictionalized account of a true study done in the Southern US. Like the real case, the participants were lied to and told they were getting treatment. As a result, most died a long and horrible death due to a slow disintegration of the brain. The character of Miss Evers, by the way, was fictional as were the names of the other participants. However, despite this, this in no way minimizes the horror of the real-life tale. This is a sad and moving must-see film.