The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

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The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

TV-PG

1974

1h 50m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

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10 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Beginning during the racial turmoil of 1960s Louisiana, 110-year-old ex-slave Jane Pittman (Cicely Tyson) grants an interview to a persistent journalist and relates the remarkable story of her life. Orphaned early, she toils on a plantation until a chance meeting with a white Union soldier named Brown changes her outlook. Jane's emancipation marks only the beginning of an arduous and heartbreaking odyssey, framed by the horrors of slavery and the justice of the civil rights movement.

Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

John Korty tells the story at a satisfyingly leisurely pace, befitting a woman who accumulates a hundred and ten years.

Sep 21, 2023

Full Review

John J. O'Connor

New York Times

[Tyson's] performance, though, goes far beyond the make-up. She absorbs herself completely into Miss Jane, in the process creating a marvelous blend of sly humor, shrew perceptions and innate dignity.

Feb 5, 2021

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Time Out Staff

Time Out

Aiming for the stars, the film hits a magazine spread by Norman Rockwell, and obstinately stays there: a respectable enough achievement in its way, but one that ultimately dims the mind as it stirs up the emotions.

Feb 5, 2021

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

Cicely Tyson gives a towering performance.

Rated: 5/5

Feb 5, 2021

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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

By celebrating the quiet heroism of an African American woman, this moving film pays homage to the high value of freedom.

Feb 14, 2002

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CodyZamboni Z

Compelling TV movie. Pushes all the right emotional buttons, Supported by an understated, but powerful performance by Cicely Tyson, who so deservedly won the Emmy,

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/03/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Tremenda actriz Cicely Tyson, como de aquellas que ya casi no se ven.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

i think it's a cool movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Audience Member

it wuz kinda boring, lol

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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Audience Member

This a story of a woman's life from slavery to the human rights movement in the 60's. Cicely Tyson portrays Mrs Jane Pittman, who becomes the first African-American to drink from the "White's Only" fountain in front of the courthouse in a small southern town at the age of 104. It tells of her struggles after the emancipation of the slaves...the griefs she has to bear as an African-American woman and her triumphs.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

For a dramatic subject, the film is not suspenseful enough. The brief mention of historical figures (e.g. Frederick Douglass) did little to add to the story and could have been left out. Otherwise, Tyson's acting in particular was magnifique.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

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John Korty

Director

Cicely Tyson

Jane Pittman

Odetta

Big Laura

Richard Dysart

Master Bryant

Josephine Premice

Mme. Gautier

Eric Brown

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Synopsis

Beginning during the racial turmoil of 1960s Louisiana, 110-year-old ex-slave Jane Pittman (Cicely Tyson) grants an interview to a persistent journalist and relates the remarkable story of her life. Orphaned early, she toils on a plantation until a chance meeting with a white Union soldier named Brown changes her outlook. Jane's emancipation marks only the beginning of an arduous and heartbreaking odyssey, framed by the horrors of slavery and the justice of the civil rights movement.

Director: John Korty
Producer: Rick Rosenberg, Robert W. Christiansen
Production Co: Tomorrow Entertainment
Rating: TV-PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2017
Runtime: 1h 50m