''Stigma'' is a 1972 American
drama film. It was produced by
Charles Moss, while
David E. Durston
David E. Durston (September 10, 1921 – May 6, 2010) was an American screenwriter and film director best known for directing the Charles Manson-inspired, horror movie '' I Drink Your Blood'', released in 1971.
Career
Durston wrote and directed ...
was both the writer and the director. Prominent themes in the film include
racism and
sexually transmitted disease. It stars
Philip Michael Thomas in an early screen appearance, twelve years before he starred in the popular 1980s TV show ''
Miami Vice''.
Plot
Set in a remote California community, the film follows a doctor (
Philip Michael Thomas) who learns a super form of
syphilis
Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...
is appearing among the residents. He and a few others must race against time to find the carrier before others fall victim.
Reception
The ''
New York Times'' called it "a crackling good suspense melodrama".
The ''
Los Angeles Times'' called it a "lively little drama... sturdy and involving."
By contrast,
Leonard Maltin rated the film a "bomb", dismissing it as an "absurd melodrama".
See also
*
List of American films of 1972
References
External links
*
* {{AFI film, id=54688
1972 drama films
1972 films
American drama films
1970s English-language films
Films about racism in the United States
Films about sexuality
Films directed by David E. Durston
1970s American films