Based on a true story, "A House Divided" explores the legal battle over a black woman's inheritance of her white father's estate in mid-1800s Georgia. But to say that this original film is just a courtroom drama is like saying the Atlantic Ocean is just a body of water. Executive producers Jon Avnet and Jordan Kerner's complex story deftly explores the issues of race, family, love and politics, all of which intersect on the Dickson family plantation.

Based on a true story, “A House Divided” explores the legal battle over a black woman’s inheritance of her white father’s estate in mid-1800s Georgia. But to say that this original film is just a courtroom drama is like saying the Atlantic Ocean is just a body of water. Executive producers Jon Avnet and Jordan Kerner’s complex story deftly explores the issues of race, family, love and politics, all of which intersect on the Dickson family plantation.

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Kent Anderson Leslie’s book, “Woman of Color, Daughter of Privilege” serves as the basis for this immaculately produced and expertly acted drama which works as a parable for American heritage.The Dickson house was a traditional Southern plantation in Hancock County, middle Georgia, with slaves bought and sold without much thought. David Dickson (Sam Waterston), a man of contradictions, is immediately attracted to his latest slave purchase, the smart and fearless 14-year-old Julia (Lisa Gay Hamilton). David forces himself on Julia and she becomes pregnant, but when her daughter Amanda is born with light skin, David, with the help of his mother Elizabeth (Shirley Douglas), raises her as his own, inventing a story about a wife who died in childbirth.

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Julia watches from the background as her daughter enjoys freedoms she’s never known and helps to keep up the charade of Amanda’s so that her daughter can have a better life. But when David dies and leaves his estate to Amanda (played in adulthood by Jennifer Beals), David’s younger brother Henry (Ron White) vehemently contests the will.

Charles Dubose (Tim Daly), an idealistic young lawyer, takes Amanda’s case and slowly unravels the secrets kept for so long in the Dickson house.

Director John Kent Harrison elicits award-caliber performances from his cast, all of whom play flawed yet very human characters. Beals is utterly mesmerizing as Amanda, a woman torn apart by the past but unable to move on with her life.

As Julia, Hamilton is a dramatic powerhouse, suffering the immense hardships of the story without melodrama. Not only does Hamilton capture the essence of Julia, she also manages to convincingly play the character at several different ages.

Waterston manages to take the difficult role of David Dickerson and turn an unlikable man into a somewhat sympathetic character.

Aside from some abrupt editing toward the end of the courtroom sequence, technical credits are polished, with Harrison utilizing seamless flashbacks to propel the story. Production is also greatly enhanced by Resa McConaghy’s immaculate costume design and Susan Longmire’s historically detailed set.

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A House Divided

Showtime; Sun. July 30; 8 p.m.

  • Production: Filmed on location in Ontario by Showtime. Executive producers, Jordan Kerner, Jon Avnet; producers, Beth Colt, Sam Waterston; director, John Kent Harrison; writer, Paris Qualles.
  • Crew: Camera, Kees Van Oostrum; editor, Henk van Eeghen; music, Lawrence Shragge; casting, Reuben Cannon & Associates, Eddie Dunlop, Kim Williams. 120 MIN.
  • Cast: David Dickson - Sam Waterston Amanda Dickson - Jennifer Beals Julia - Lisa Gay Hamilton Charles Dubose - Tim Daly Elizabeth Dickson - Shirley Douglas Rutherford - Sean McCann Henry Dickson - Ron White Doctor Lovick - Colin Fox Lt. Brooks - Adrian Hough Ruth - Alison Sealy-Smith Judge Stevens - Gerard Parkes Amanda at 5 - Kayla Perlmutter Amanda at 10 - Dara Perlmutter

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