Seven Angry Men
(1955)
90-91 mins | Drama | March 1955
Director:
Charles Marquis WarrenWriter:
Daniel B. UllmanProducer:
Vincent M. FennellyCinematographer:
Ellsworth FredericksEditor:
Richard C. MeyerProduction Designer:
David MiltonProduction Company:
Allied Artists Pictures Corp.The film's working titles were John Brown's Raiders, God's Angry Men and God's Angry Man. According to an unidentified Feb 1953 news item, Arthur Orloff was originally hired to write the film's story, but his contribution to the final film has not been determined. John Brown (1800--1859), a Mayflower descendent, was violently opposed to slavery. During the 1820s and 1830s, his home was a station on the Underground Railroad, which helped runaway slaves. In 1851, Brown organized an armed band of black soldiers to aid runaway slaves. When Kansas was opened for settlement in 1854, Brown and five of his sons moved to the new territory to fight for a free Kansas. He organized a guerrilla band, whose most notorious act was the Osawatomie massacre on 24 May 1856, when five pro-slavery men were killed.
On 16 Oct 1859, Brown led a group of twenty-one men, including five blacks and his sons Oliver and Watson, in an attack on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, which was then a part of Virginia. With the arms, he planned to equip slaves whom he believed would join him eagerly. Local slaves did not join the revolt, and after two days, during which his two sons were killed, and he was wounded, Brown surrendered to Col. Robert E. Lee. Contrary to Brown's hopes, the raid aided Southern extremists in their fight for secession from the United States. Immediately after he was hanged on 2 Dec 1859, Brown became a folk hero. The folk song "John Brown's Body," which used the same melody as "The Battle Hymn of the ...
The film's working titles were John Brown's Raiders, God's Angry Men and God's Angry Man. According to an unidentified Feb 1953 news item, Arthur Orloff was originally hired to write the film's story, but his contribution to the final film has not been determined. John Brown (1800--1859), a Mayflower descendent, was violently opposed to slavery. During the 1820s and 1830s, his home was a station on the Underground Railroad, which helped runaway slaves. In 1851, Brown organized an armed band of black soldiers to aid runaway slaves. When Kansas was opened for settlement in 1854, Brown and five of his sons moved to the new territory to fight for a free Kansas. He organized a guerrilla band, whose most notorious act was the Osawatomie massacre on 24 May 1856, when five pro-slavery men were killed.
On 16 Oct 1859, Brown led a group of twenty-one men, including five blacks and his sons Oliver and Watson, in an attack on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, which was then a part of Virginia. With the arms, he planned to equip slaves whom he believed would join him eagerly. Local slaves did not join the revolt, and after two days, during which his two sons were killed, and he was wounded, Brown surrendered to Col. Robert E. Lee. Contrary to Brown's hopes, the raid aided Southern extremists in their fight for secession from the United States. Immediately after he was hanged on 2 Dec 1859, Brown became a folk hero. The folk song "John Brown's Body," which used the same melody as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," became one of the Civil War's marching songs, and Stephen Vincent Benet wrote an epic poem of the same name in 1929. Some scholars have speculated that Brown was insane, but this has not been proven.
Debra Paget and Jeffrey Hunter were borrowed from Twentieth Century-Fox for the production, and Larry Pennell was borrowed from Paramount. A 17 Sep 1954 HR news item includes Patrick Waltz in the cast, but his appearance in the completed picture has not been confirmed. Modern sources include Hank Mann in the cast. Raymond Massey also played John Brown in the 1941 Warner Bros. picture Santa Fe Trail (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1941-50). In 1954, Massey, Anne Baxter and Tyrone Power toured with a stage show depicting the incident at Harpers Ferry.
God's Angry Men
John Brown's Raiders
In 1856, settlers in the Kansas Territory face an election to determine if Kansas will join the Union as a slave or a free state. To help ensure its entry as a free state, abolitionist John Brown has come from Ohio with his sons, John, Jr., Frederick, Salmon and Jason. Later, Brown's sons Owen and Oliver travel to join the others. On the train to Kansas, Owen meets Elizabeth Clark, who expresses her belief that his notorious father is a dangerous man. Some time later, Rev. White, the leader of opposition forces known as the Border Ruffians, approaches Brown's settlement and orders the black and white settlers to leave the territory in forty-eight hours. During a raid by the Ruffians on the town of Lawrence, Elizabeth's father, along with four others, is killed. Proclaiming that "the war has begun," Brown marshals his men. After kidnapping some of the men who have been identified as participating in the raid, Brown summarily executes five of them, citing the biblical command to exact "an eye for an eye." His actions sicken John, Jr., and fearing for his sanity, Jason decides to turn himself and his brother over to the Union army. Later Frederick, horrified by the morning's events, also decides to leave. Owen, however, remains despite Elizabeth's accusation that he has become a murderer like his father. Frederick is later killed at his campsite, and the Ruffians attack and burn the settlement. After Owen is seriously wounded during the attack, Elizabeth overcomes Brown's disapproval to nurse him back to health. In the meantime, Brown orders the discouraged settlers to rebuild the settlement, so ...
In 1856, settlers in the Kansas Territory face an election to determine if Kansas will join the Union as a slave or a free state. To help ensure its entry as a free state, abolitionist John Brown has come from Ohio with his sons, John, Jr., Frederick, Salmon and Jason. Later, Brown's sons Owen and Oliver travel to join the others. On the train to Kansas, Owen meets Elizabeth Clark, who expresses her belief that his notorious father is a dangerous man. Some time later, Rev. White, the leader of opposition forces known as the Border Ruffians, approaches Brown's settlement and orders the black and white settlers to leave the territory in forty-eight hours. During a raid by the Ruffians on the town of Lawrence, Elizabeth's father, along with four others, is killed. Proclaiming that "the war has begun," Brown marshals his men. After kidnapping some of the men who have been identified as participating in the raid, Brown summarily executes five of them, citing the biblical command to exact "an eye for an eye." His actions sicken John, Jr., and fearing for his sanity, Jason decides to turn himself and his brother over to the Union army. Later Frederick, horrified by the morning's events, also decides to leave. Owen, however, remains despite Elizabeth's accusation that he has become a murderer like his father. Frederick is later killed at his campsite, and the Ruffians attack and burn the settlement. After Owen is seriously wounded during the attack, Elizabeth overcomes Brown's disapproval to nurse him back to health. In the meantime, Brown orders the discouraged settlers to rebuild the settlement, so that they will be able to vote in the statehood election. When Owen recovers, he tells Elizabeth that he loves her, and she admits that she returns his affection, although she still dislikes his values. Brown's other two sons return to Ohio, leaving only Owen to support his father. On the day the voting takes place, Elizabeth speculates bitterly that even if the vote goes his way, Brown will not be satisfied but will continue his fight elsewhere. Owen does not believe her, but promises that no matter what, he will return to Ohio to continue farming. Elizabeth then accepts his marriage proposal. Elizabeth proves to be prophetic, however, and after the family is reunited in Ohio, Brown announces that his work is not finished. Only Oliver and Brown's youngest son Watson are willing to follow him, but then, despite his promise to Elizabeth, Owen vows to join his father. In 1858, Brown raises money from Boston intellectuals, including Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. With the money, he buys guns and ships them to Harpers Ferry in Virginia, where he expects slaves to escape and join him in a revolt. While Owen and two other men wait in a nearby schoolhouse for the escaping slaves, Brown leads the rest of the men in an attack on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. When Brown tells the black guard that he has come to free the slaves, the man responds that he has been free for eight years and does not step aside. After he has secured some hostages, Brown, who intends to exchange them for the freedom of the slaves, sends a soldier to inform the Army of his actions. To Brown's mortification, the expected revolt does not take place, and Watson and Oliver are killed in the ensuing fight with the Army, led by Lt. Col. Robert E. Lee. At the schoolhouse, Ned Green, a freed slave, prevents Owen from joining Brown, pointing out that his father's efforts have failed. Later, Brown is found guilty of treason and sentenced to death by hanging. Owen attempts to gain his father's release, but Brown states his belief that it is his duty to be martyred. In 1859, Brown is hanged.
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