Release Date: 11 November 2004 in USA (High Falls Film Festival)
Rated: Rated PG for thematic elements, language and mild violence.
Runtime: 87 min
Genres: Drama
Director: Mary Pat Kelly
Cast: Reggie Austin, Vernel Bagneris, Marcus Chait, Michael Ciesla, Ossie Davis, Eric LaRay Harvey
Proud is the story of the USS Mason, the first U.S. all-African American battleship to go into battle during WWII. Facing prejudice from inside the Navy (all of the officers are white) and segregation at home, three men try to find dignity while serving their country. But when they’re sent on a mission almost certain to end in disaster, their mettle is tested like never before.
What should have been a slam-dunk (the story practically tells itself!) becomes almost laughable in the hands of an inexperienced director. Mary Pat Kelly adapts from her book Proudly We Served: The Men of the USS Mason, and handles directorial duties. But even the presence of veteran actor Ossie Davis can’t save a script that is woefully underdeveloped. Scenes lead nowhere, and since most of the real action takes place off-screen, the audience is robbed of any sense of participation. That and copious voiceover narration tells us what we should be seeing onscreen. Skip it.
