On M List of Movie Reviews
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Mahogany (1975)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
3/24
3/24:
Mahogany is an impressive film that was unfairly dismissed by critics back in the day.
One thing to remember, there was a dearth of classy pictures featuring black people in leading roles during the 70's. Happily,
Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams reunite after appearing together in
Lady Sings the Blues, and the results are
terrific. Their chemistry is also electric.
What surprised me the most is Anthony Perkins. It's the best performance I've seen out of him since
Psycho. I
think his character was meant to be gay and wanted to deny that fact by trying to fall in love with beautiful women.
That's why Sean went for Tracy Chambers aka Mahogany. But it's only an illusion which got shattered in his mind
after she denied him. As a result, he became resentful toward Tracy when he was just torturing himself, hence the crazy
car crash that killed him.
Another plus is the cinematography by David Watkin. He's among the best in the business, winning an Oscar for
Out of Africa. It's one of the biggest differences in the film's watchability. Sure, the
plot can be somewhat all over the place, but the theme remains consistent: it's about men telling a beautiful woman to serve them
when all she wanted to do is focus on herself. Yet what Brian Walker said is nice: "Let me tell you something, and don't you ever
forget it: that success is nothing without someone you love to share it with."
All in all, Mahogany is a fine piece of work, and Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams could have done more movies together.