Genre:
Drama
Release Date: 02/03/2004
SubTitles: Espanol
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DDS
Run Time: 93 min
Flags: Suitable for Children
Distributor/Studio: Walt Disney Video
Music bridges a gap between two cultures in this made-for-TV
drama. In 1957,
Derek Sanders (
Peter Scolari) is hired to teach music and direct the choir at Blanton Academy, a private school in South Carolina. Integration has not yet come to Blanton, and a number of students display an open hostility towards African-American in the community, most notably
Taylor Bradshaw (
Justin Whalin), one of the school bullies who makes no secret of his dislike of people of color. As
Sanders tries to impress a more open-minded attitude upon the boys in his choir, he introduces a new vocalist to the group --
Landy Allen (
Eugene Byrd), the teenaged son of
Zeke (
Moses Gunn), the school's black caretaker. Despite his initial enmity,
Bradshaw strikes up a friendship with
Allen based on their shared love for music, and as
Allen teaches
Bradshaw about the blues, he also finds himself learning about a people and a community he previously know almost nothing about. Noted folk-blues
Richie Havens also appears in the film's supporting cast.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide