West Indies (1979)

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1. 

   FilmWalrus

   Here in March 2023 this film is on no official lists and has 88 votes on IMDB, but ranked #152 on the 2022 Sight & Sound poll ahead of established greats like Ikiru and Last Year in Marienbad. It is the only film in the poll's top 250 that I haven't seen. I've seen a few by Med Hondo but never even heard of this one!
   
   Presumably this is a movie about to go from relative obscurity to at least fringe-canon status. I'm curious why it is appearing now across so many ballots. Is this a hidden gem emerging into the light, part of an overdue critical re-evaluation, the result of broadening the voting pool to critics for whom this film is already well-known, or what? 1 year 1 month ago
2. 

   FilmWalrus

   Now that I've seen it, I can say this is definitely a gem that spent far too long in obscurity. It drags in places, and brandishes it's message rather bluntly, but it is easily the most complete, provocative, and entertaining Hondo film I've seen. Let's hope it finds a blu-ray release and a wider audience. 1 year ago
3. 

   Ebbywebby

   Halfway between "Hamilton" and "La Commune (Paris, 1871)"? Except "West Indies" precedes both by decades. I was frustrated that the second half was much duller than the marvelous first half. 6 months 1 week ago

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