Miss Evers' Boys

Rating:
Summary: All I have to say, is WOW.
Review: Ever get into those discussions with folks who say, "No, our government would never do something like that..." ?

This movie is the antidote for those people. Our government has made some tragic mistakes and this movie exposes one of the gravest mistakes our government ever made.

Our family watched this together and we were all incredulous. But it is all true. This movie is based a true incident and amazingly, the whole thing was successfully covered up for 40+ years.

This movie had an curious side effect for me - It inspired me to pray for our country and its leaders. The people involved in this heinous scheme need prayers of forgiveness. Hopefully, this could not happen again.

Rating:
Summary: An Imprint in History
Review: Films Like this Point out Race&The Hatred of this Society from 40+ years back.THe Story hasn't ended.this is very Powerful No Treatment because of the Color of Ones Skin.ALfred Woodard does a Fantastic Job here as does Lawrence Fishburne.Very Essential Film.

Rating:
Summary: A Nurse's Perspective on "Miss Evers' Boys"
Review: From my perspective as a professor of nursing, I would say the movie depicted well ethical issues of the most serious type. In this fact-based story, nurse Eunice Evers (Alfre Woodard) was drawn into the Tuskegee syphilis research study by promises that treatment would be coming, hopefully in six months to a year. Her responsibilities included recruiting African American subjects. They were screened for being syphilis positive and then brought into the research study without full disclosure that no actual effective treatment was being provided. Even when penicillin became available, "Miss Evers' Boys" would not be given the life-saving medicine. Only one of the "Evers'Boys", Caleb Humphries (who was expertly played by Laurence Fishburne) escaped the ravages of progressive syphilis by receiving penicillin immediately upon joining the military during World War II. Miss Evers' was portrayed sympathetically, even as she used all of her cultural skills to do the wrong thing -- recruit and retain subjects in this unethical study spanning 40 years. The HBO movie is excellent for students, nurses, medical researchers, doctors, and the general public interested in ethical issues in medicine.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful Case Study in Medical Ethics & A Good Story
Review: I cannot attest to the historical accuracy of the story told in this film, but I would say that it offers a richer, less cartoonish account of this experiment than one usually encounters. You are beside the physician and nurse who run this experiment as they sort out the reasons for and against cooperation with what is clearly a problematic experiment. The result is an account that requires a more thorough ethical analysis than most students engage in when they condemn this experiment outright. I found it engrossing as a story and extremely effective as a case study in medical ethics.

Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Story, Well-Told!
Review: It's no secret that Hollywood has backed off of traditional socially conscious dramas. Oh, sure, issues of race and class are often touched on in cinematic releases, but in recent years, it has been pretty much up to cable channels such as HBO and TNT to produce meaty fact-based dramas with socio-political heft. We can only be thankful that someone has picked up the slack and that such work is still being done. "Miss Evers Boys," a dramatization of what has become the now-scandalous Tuskegee Negro Syphilitic Study, is a case in point. It is as powerful an indictment of racism as you are likely to see. It is also a nuanced and complex a statement on same. It is hard to see how any viewer could remain unmoved by this film.

Much of "Miss Evers'" impact stems from Alfre Woodard's astonishing performance as the title character. Had this actually been a theatrical release, she would likely have walked off with an Academy Award. She had to settle for an Emmy, which was certainly well-deserved. I have seen Alfre Woodard in roles in which she did not appear comfortable, but she inhabits the role of Nurse Eunice Evers totally (or perhaps, Eunice Evers inhabits her). Her performance alone would be enough to recommend the film. But it does indeed have much more to offer--including a great supporting cast (including producer-leading man, Laurence Fishburne, Joe Morton and Craig Sheffer), an intelligent and complex script, and capable direction. Thanks be unto the heavens that someone is still producing powerful, fact-based social drama. We need them now more than ever.

Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Story, Well-Told!
Review: It's no secret that Hollywood has backed off of traditional socially conscious dramas. Oh, sure, issues of race and class are often touched on in cinematic releases, but in recent years, it has been pretty much up to cable channels such as HBO and TNT to produce meaty fact-based dramas with socio-political heft. We can only be thankful that someone has picked up the slack and that such work is still being done. "Miss Evers Boys," a dramatization of what has become the now-scandalous Tuskegee Negro Syphilitic Study, is a case in point. It is as powerful an indictment of racism as you are likely to see. It is also a nuanced and complex a statement on same. It is hard to see how any viewer could remain unmoved by this film.

Much of "Miss Evers'" impact stems from Alfre Woodard's astonishing performance as the title character. Had this actually been a theatrical release, she would likely have walked off with an Academy Award. She had to settle for an Emmy, which was certainly well-deserved. I have seen Alfre Woodard in roles in which she did not appear comfortable, but she inhabits the role of Nurse Eunice Evers totally (or perhaps, Eunice Evers inhabits her). Her performance alone would be enough to recommend the film. But it does indeed have much more to offer--including a great supporting cast (including producer-leading man, Laurence Fishburne, Joe Morton and Craig Sheffer), an intelligent and complex script, and capable direction. Thanks be unto the heavens that someone is still producing powerful, fact-based social drama. We need them now more than ever.

Rating:
Summary: HBO comes through
Review: This is one of the better HBO productions to make it to video. Drama, ethics, and history all combine into an excellent movie with tremendous acting. This is a story that should not be forgotten.