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The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

Play trailer Poster for The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman TV-PG 1974 1h 50m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 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.
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The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review David Parkinson Radio Times Cicely Tyson gives a towering performance. Rated: 5/5 Feb 5, 2021 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Full Review Audience Member i think it's a cool movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member it wuz kinda boring, lol Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

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
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