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Michael Roemer’s 1964 drama is an indie-cinema milestone, bringing an incisive grasp of place, period and performance to its up-close portrait of emergent black pride.

Ivan Dixon is hugely affecting as Duff, an itinerant railroad worker in Alabama who marries teacher-and-preacher’s daughter Josie (Abbey Lincoln) despite disapproval on all sides.

Roemer acutely details the pressures weighing on Duff and draws a crackling cameo from Milton Williams as his sozzled dad, but histrionics are smartly withheld – and the measured end note of bruised hope packs a greater punch for it.

Kevin Harley is a freelance journalist with bylines at Total Film, Radio Times, The List, and others, specializing in film and music coverage. He can most commonly be found writing movie reviews and previews at GamesRadar+.