This film takes place in Kansas during the 1920's with a young, black teenager by the name of "Newt Winger" (Kyle Johnson) walking alone on the prairie when a tornado suddenly develops in the distance and catches him out in the open. Although he tries to seek shelter, as fate would have it, he gets pinned down by a falling tree and is left all on his own while the storm picks up in intensity. Luckily, a slightly older black teenager nicknamed "Big Mabel" (Carole Lamond) just happens to be in the area and half-carries him to an abandoned shack where the two of them cling to each other while the storm rages outside. The scene then shifts to Newt meeting a girl named "Arcella Jefferson" (Mira Waters) and, not only falling in love, but also during this time encountering racial prejudice while simultaneously trying to maintain a sense of dignity and moral uprightness in a cruel and unjust environment. Now, rather than reveal any more, let me just say that I had never heard of this movie until fairly recently and for that reason I didn't really know what to expect. That being said, now that I have seen it, I must say that I was quite surprised by how good this film turned out to be. I say this because it depicts a time and place that doesn't take center stage for racial turmoil and as a result it showcased the fact that this kind of hatred and bigotry wasn't confined to the Deep South or in urban areas like New York or Chicago. It was all across America. Of course, I'm not saying anything that most of us didn't already surmise--but it still caught me by surprise, all the same. Be that as it may, I was very impressed with this film and I have rated it accordingly.
Review of The Learning Tree
