''Sugar Cane Alley'' ( French title: ''La Rue Cases-Nègres'') is a 1983 film directed by

Euzhan Palcy Euzhan Palcy (; born 13 January 1958) is a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. Her films are known to explore themes of race, gender, and politics, with an emphasis on the perpetuated effects of colonialism. Palcy's first feature ...

. It is set in

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

in the 1930s, when Africans working sugarcane fields were still treated harshly by their white employers. It is based on a

semi-autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction. Bec ...

Joseph Zobel Joseph Zobel (April 26, 1915 in Martinique – June 18, 2006 in Alès, France) is the author of several novels and short-stories in which social issues are at the forefront. Although his most famous novel, '' La Rue Cases-Nègres'', was published so ...

of the same title (alternatively translated as ''Black Shack Alley''; literally "Street of the Houses of

Negroes In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...

").

Synopsis

José, the protagonist, is a young boy living in a rural part of Martinique in the 1930s. Many of the people around him, including his grandmother, Ma'Tine, with whom he lives, work in the sugar cane fields where they are browbeaten and badly paid by the white boss. Ma'Tine is chronically ill, suffering several heart episodes, but continues to recover from them and continue her work to support José. José, an orphan, has a father figure in an elderly man named Medouze who likes to tell him stories about Africa. José attends school at the insistence of his grandmother, who does not want him to end up working in the fields, the probable fate of most of his class. Medouze goes missing, and José finds him dead in a cane field. In order to earn his own lunch, José gets tricked into doing housework for a woman who lives near school, leading to him being repeatedly late for class and getting in trouble. Despite this, José excels at his French lessons and in his writing. At school, José befriends a mulatto boy named Léopold but Léopold's white father does not want him to associate with the black field workers. When he drives by and sees José and Léopold playing, he orders Léopold to get in the car but, in trying to retrieve the horse that Léopold was riding, gets kicked in the stomach by it, leading to great injury. On his deathbed, his father refuses to acknowledge formally Léopold as his son, believing that a mulatto should not carry the family name. Léopold, devastated by his father's rejection, runs away from home and goes missing. José gets high test scores and earns a partial scholarship to attend high school in

Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Fodfwans) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. It is also one of the major cities in the ...

, the capital. Another student, a girl, also wins a place at the school, but her father has already promised her to other people and does not allow her to go. José gives her his pocket watch to express his condolence to her. His grandmother accompanies him to the capital, working as a

laundrywoman Laundry refers to the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with t ...

for the rich white households to pay the remainder of the fees and their living costs. They are able to find a small trailer to use as a home thanks to José's friend Carmen who drives the boat between the rural area and Fort-de-France. José deals with pressure around him, especially from one of his teachers. When he writes an essay on the lives of poor blacks he is accused of plagiarism, so he runs away from school, back to his small shack in the city. The professor goes to his house and tells José that he was wrongly accused, offering an apology and a full scholarship to the school and stipend monies. José makes enough stipend to relieve Ma'Tine from her laundress job. Later José returns to Black Shack Alley after his grandmother has a heart attack while returning home from a trip to a local clothesmaker to make José a fresh suit. José sees Léopold being arrested for stealing the boss' ledger to prove that he was cheating the workers out of their earnings. As his grandmother dies, José is launched into a future he cannot control, but will continue to write about his home and the suffering of his brethren.

Awards

The film won the Best First Work award at the 1984

César Award Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * C ...

s (the equivalent of the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

), and won four awards at the 40th

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

, including the Silver Lion. The actress,

Darling Légitimus Mathilda Marie Berthilde Paruta (21 November 1907 – 7 December 1999), better known as Darling Légitimus, was a French actress. In 1983, she received the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her performance in the film '' Sugar Cane Alley''. Biogr ...

, 76 years old at this period, won the Prize of Best Actress (Gold Lion). The film won also the

Unicef Award and the International Catholic Organization for Cinema and Audiovisual (OCIC) award. In America, it won the First Prize Critics Award at the Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival. In Africa it won the first Public Award at the Fespaco.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1983 films French drama films 1983 drama films 1980s French-language films Films set in the 1930s Films shot in Martinique Films set in Martinique Best First Feature Film César Award winners 1983 directorial debut films Films directed by Euzhan Palcy 1980s French films