Purlie Victorious (1963)

Based on his play of the same title, Ossie Davis stars as the title character, a preacher who returns with his fiancé Ruby Dee to the plantation where he grew up to secure the inheritance his family was promised. I had a hard time placing when the story was supposed to be set. The politics as discussed felt more contemporary to the time it was made, but visually and thematically seemed from a much earlier time. Regardless, it’s sharply written and quite humorous with great, committed performances, including from Sorrell Booke, Beah Richards, Godfrey Cambridge, and Alan Alda in his film debut.