Review: THE DICHOTOMY OF HATTIE MCDANIEL at VINCENT VICTORIA PRESENTS

THE DICHOTOMY OF Hattie McDaniel marks the third film release from theatrical impresario Vincent Victoria. It shows his maturing skill at making films and is a definite technical leap from previous efforts. The subject matter is fascinating with its focus on Hattie McDaniel, the first Black actress to win an Oscar for her portrayal of Mammy in GONE WITH THE WIND. The award was a historical first, but some of the Black community found it contentious that she was awarded an honor for playing an enslaved maid on a plantation. It was such a controversy that today, we are unaware of where the Oscar she won resides. An urban myth is that civil rights protestors threw it into a river. No matter how you view it, director Vincent Victoria presents a conflicted woman over what her career means to the world—a great talent who fretted over playing parts that seemed to deter the rights of her own community. 

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The film first existed as a play, and Vincent Victoria wisely kept his lead actress from that production, Wykesha King, playing Hattie McDaniel. Wykesha creates a three-dimensional character who can act and sing; we believe she is a glamorous actress in the golden age of Hollywood. And we feel the struggle of her playing parts that make her downplay her own beauty and grace. Several characters mention she “looks like an African queen,” and honestly, that is not an exaggeration in the slightest. She has the same warmth that Hattie seemed to have and is perfectly cast in this role. She hits all the right emotional notes and sings beautifully. She is the heart and soul of the production. 

The always brave Todd Greenfield plays a strange mix of racist and ally as David O. Selznick, a man who in history demanded McDaniel be seated in the hotel room at the 1939 Oscars ceremony. He was her champion, but Todd unapologetically plays the dualism of a man brave enough to take a stand but not quite perfect by any stretch. Bryce Ivan is Hattie's handsome and charming escort to the awards, Ferdinand Yober. He has a lot of presence on film and comes off as earnest. Syneetra A. Williams does an amazing job of portraying Butterfly McQueen without ever going over the top and honoring the real-life actress with her carefully measured performance. Most of the performances are rock solid, and the casting is well done. Vincent uses a company for stage and film, and they are growing as film actors by leaps and bounds. 

Okay Iwundu’s cinematography is amazingly polished in this film. Camera moves are assured, and the composition of the screen is breathtaking. There are a couple of sound blips here and there, but on the whole, the scoring and dialogue weave in marvelously during the entire running time. Vincent Victoria pulls his usual several hats, such as producer, director, screenplay, and the original play version. It truly is his film in large part, and it’s amazing to see him make the logical leap to motion pictures. His directing on the stage was always filmic, and now we get to see how that works in the actual medium. 

Hattie McDaniel appeared in over eighty films but was only credited for about thirty of them. She won the Oscar for the year of 1939, awarded in 1940. It would take fifty more years before another black actress, Whoopi Goldberg, won another Academy Award for her supporting role in GHOST (which honestly always felt like an apology for not rewarding her searing job in THE COLOR PURPLE). Hattie’s Oscar seemed like it had a dual nature - on the one hand, it marked a wonderful performance from a talented actress, and on the other, it seemed like a slap that it was for playing a pre-Civil War slave happy in her servitude. The studio was conflicted; the Black community was at odds with it, but most strikingly, Hattie felt it was bittersweet at best. She was at the top but hit a bottom in her personal life. This film captures all of that beautifully, and that is the genius of THE DICHOTOMY OF Hattie McDaniel. It’s a well-crafted meditation on what price success comes at and an interesting look at an icon. 

THE DICHOTOMY OF Hattie McDaniel opened last weekend at the MATCH complex but will be showing all this weekend and next at the Midtown Arts Center located at 3414 La Branch St, Houston, TX 77004. Showtimes on November 1st through the 3rd and also 8th through the 10th. Friday at 7:30 PM. There are two showings on Saturday at 3  PM and  8  PM. And Sunday is at 3 PM. Tickets can be purchased at the website for Vincent Victoria through the link below!  

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