One of the most controversial novels of its day, Richard Wright’s Native Son (first published in 1940) exposed the injustices of urban African-American life, witnessed through the eyes of Bigger Thomas (also portrayed by Richard Wright), whose violent tendencies and moral confusion were the natural result of a lifetime of deprivation.

In prison for murder and sentenced to death, Thomas reflects on the circumstances that led to his fate.

When first released in the U.S., Native Son was heavily censored by regional state/municipal censor boards where it played. A complete 16mm print of the original Argentinian release and an incomplete 35mm duplicate negative of the uncensored cut were combined for this current restoration, the most complete version of Native Son ever shown in the United States.

The film is preceded by a special introduction by film historians Eddie Muller (Film Noir Foundation) and Jacqueline Najima Stewart (co-curator of Kino Lorber’s Pioneers of African-American Cinema collection), courtesy of Turner Classic Movies.

Director: Pierre Chenal (Argentina 1951) 108 min.

Kino Lorber presents a new restoration of the 1951 film version of the novel. It is presented in association with the Library of Congress, Fernando Martin Peña and Argentina Sono Film. Special thanks to Edgardo Krebs for his years of research into the making of Native Son, and for being a tireless champion of its restoration and re-release.

Watch trailer at Vimeo