MovieChat Forums > Rosewood (1997) Discussion > One scene that didn't quite fit the rest...

One scene that didn't quite fit the rest of the film...

posted 14 years ago by writergal88
9 replies | jump to latest

Was the scene where John was having sex with Jewel (the young black girl) in his store. I think this may be a case of poor character development. I mean considering John was suppose to be one of the "good guys"; the man who gave the blacks of Rosewood a place to hide during the massacre, and helped them escape on a train...I found it a bit odd that this scene of him having sex with Jewel was included. It seemed really random. Not only did she look like a child, but he was also cheating on his wife... two things that made me lose any respect I had for his character, despite what he did for the other black characters in the film. That scene didn't add anything profound to the film, nor did it fit his character. It seemed like it may have been thrown in purely for shock value. I think the movie would've been just as effective without it.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bubbakuhl 14 years ago

The man was getting his "freak on".
It added to the tension later in the
movie when Jewel refused to enter his
house.If not for that scene and the shame
she endured during the dance,we would not
known why.What made the movie great was all
the charaters,black and white,could be related
to in a human way.Human nature doesn't change.
People are never all good or bad.When people
do the right thing because it is the right
thing to do,that's when we look at ourselves
and hope we are them(when we know we might not be)

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MissMillie420 13 years ago

I agree, bubbakuhl...

It was initially a useless scene but the dance scene, as well as the scene where her Father wanted in the house and told him, "I know what you've been doin' with my Daughter" made it relevent.

Here's to those who wish me well...

[–] madetwolastforever 13 years ago

People can be complex; there's a noble side - and a trashy side to them.

[–] daedalus1337 13 years ago

Agreed. I liked it because it made the character a lot more realistic than a simple 'good guy'. After that I totally expected him to be a scumbag, but in reality a lot of fundamentally good people do bad things. He certainly redeemed himself.

[–] cdjunkee-1 13 years ago

John was a real person. and he never had an affair with anyone of color. it did a complete disservice to him by painting him that way in the movie I think. also the character of Mann did not exist. don't get me wrong it was a good movie but it was historically inaccurate.

~I love the rhythm it is my methoood!~

[–] moosefeathers 12 years ago

It fit perfectly. It just shows the different side of the coin, of how people reacted to things like that. The father knew what he was doing, but yet never did anything about it. Yet, when the white woman cried that she was beat (she clearly said she WAS NOT raped and yet everyone just heard the word rape) the whole town was massacred.

I read up on this and it seems that Sylvester was called by the name Man around the town and that a man fighting lynchings was supposed to have stopped in the town and left after fighting some.

Swing away, Merrill....Merrill, swing away...

[–] steffeeric 11 years ago

I think it fit perfectly as well. It showed that he went from taking advantage of the black people to actually growing to like them and treat them as equals in the end. He saw that they didn't do anything wrong and the white people were just bloodthirsty. As the movie goes on he sympathizes more and more with them so I think it is a fitting introduction to the character.