Rating: 
Summary: This is a made-for-television movie? Wow!
Review: "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" was produced for television? Wow! It's much better than most theatrical films of its kind. As a perfect example of less-is-more film-making, this gem should be required viewing in all screenwriting courses. The word "masterpiece," abused in every other film review of today, truly applies to this film. Its lean-yet-shining production values make the seamless acting, tight writing, and important conflict all the more captivating. The climax? Do you enjoy a healthy, euphoric cry? A long LONG cry? One of the best cries you'll ever experience? SEE THIS FILM!!! Once you've stopped crying after a couple of days, be wicked and invite a toughie over to your home to see this film. Watch the toughie turn into jelly during the Water Fountain climax.
Rating:
Summary: A Rare Mix of Education and Entertainment
Review: A 110-year-old former slave breaks a racially enforced law in the 1960s. Miss Pittman's haunting and often brutal journey, from a girl on a plantation to her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, captivates in chains of pain and joy and releases in one of the most eloquent and powerful climaxes ever committed to paper and film. Network executives in 1974 dismissed advertisers nervous about prudish viewer demographics and gave us THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN. This bold and daring presentation, expertly compressed from Ernest J. Gaines' novel, mixes education and entertainment with a narrative quality reserved only for the best theatrical films. The miniseries ROOTS and the two-part SYBIL followed suit later in the decade. THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN, a rare gem in the vast slop of made-for-television movies, must not be missed. When you order it on tape or in its upcoming DVD format, it belongs not on a shelf but in your jewelry box.
Rating:
Summary: Takes you there...the dark years of our country
Review: A sad note to my first review...when the producers and crew were shooting "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" in the rural South one of the producers had to run with Ms. Tyson who, like her on-screen character Jane, was determined to maintain her lifestyle by going for a lengthy run in the predawn darkness in a section of the country that necessitated her needing an escort.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: All I can add is that it's better than the book, at least in one significant way: The book does not have the ending the movie has, and the book leaves one just hanging out there, while the movie brings the story to a beautiful climax. Read the book (or listen to it on tape), and then watch the movie. Awesome. Having read the book after seeing the movie several times, I felt like I had been ripped off and couldn't believe the book ended at a dead end. Thanks to the movie, my mood is repaired.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: All I can add is that it's better than the book, at least in one significant way: The book does not have the ending the movie has, and the book leaves one just hanging out there, while the movie brings the story to a beautiful climax. Read the book (or listen to it on tape), and then watch the movie. Awesome. Having read the book after seeing the movie several times, I felt like I had been ripped off and couldn't believe the book ended at a dead end. Thanks to the movie, my mood is repaired.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst video transfer ever...in SLP mode!
Review: Beware this great TV film has been absolutely ruined by recording in VHS super long play (slow speed) format. Terrible and disgraceful.
Rating:
Summary: Making a return visit to a flick reviewed earlier
Review: I do not like to repeat myself and I cannot bestow any more praise on this noteworthy film. However, I have received a couple of condemnations because I stated that this is a work of fiction. There are some viewers that actually think there WAS a Jane Pittman. Some of these are so vehement in their views that when faced with proof of her being a creation of the brilliant mind of author Gaines, they still turn a "blind eye." One reader went so far as to accuse me, and others, of trying to hide the "truth" about past heroes. Like most movies that are total fabrications of their creators' abilities, this one ends with the following disclaimer: "The characters and events depicted in this teleplay are fictional. Any similarity between them and actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental." Would this be needed if Miss Jane Pittman were a real person? The character is an inspiration to all. But, the "life" shown is one of skilled storytelling, nothing more.
Rating: 
Summary: That's MISS Jane to you.....
Review: I first saw this movie in the gymnasium of my elementary school years ago when it was probably just released! Wow! History revealed through the eyes of a 110 year-old woman who was born into slavery and lived to see the turbulent civil rights movement era. Standout performances by all. When I was younger, I used to think Miss Jane Pitman was not just a fictitious person! The only thing that keeps me from giving this dvd five stars is the picture and sound quality could have been improved. I still wouldn't let that deter anyone from purchasing this dvd. Watchable over and over again. I dare you not to get a little misty eyed in the final scene of this film!
Rating:
Summary: Takes you there...the dark days of our country
Review: I have never seen a performance to compare with that of Cicely Tyson's. First of all the years she ages through the story, and the quiet, dignified determination she demonstrates when she drinks from the "whites only" fountain. There is a feeling of intensity that pervades every frame of this excellent documentary that is representative of so many and is their voice preserved on film for generations to learn from. I can't truly express in my own words how deep the feelings I got from viewing this work go. Suffice to say this is a film that should be required viewing for schools and families all over the United States. Best written, best acted and best directed...that's my vote.
Rating:
Summary: Racisim illuminated
Review: I remember when The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman first aired on broadcast television in 1973. I was a freshman in College and memories of civil unrest were still fresh in the minds of many Americans. Although the production gets off to a bit of a slow start with some stilted acting by a few of the actors, it soon warms up and becomes very real. Ms. Tyson gives one of the most moving and real performances that I've ever seen. I remember that the movie was shown in the evening and, as far as I know for the first time in TV history, the network received so many phone calls as a result of its showing that they pre-empted their programming the next day to show it again. It remains just as moving today. Once you start you will not want to pause or stop until the end credits are rolling up the screen. Incredible.
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