It was advertised as "The first motion picture based on historical facts about the rise and revolt of slavery in America." It became one of the most reviled and misunderstood films of its time. Written, edited, produced and directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi, this epic recreation of the American slave trade atrocities was both condemned as depraved exploitation and acclaimed as an unprecedented cry of Black anguish and rage. The Detroit Chronicle hailed it as "a graphic, moving, nerve-paralyzing film." Legendary film critic Pauline Kael called it "the most specific and rabid incitement of the race war." Three decades cannot diminish GOODBYE UNCLE TOM's impact or quiet its controversy.
