Drum

"MANDINGO lit the fuse... DRUM is the explosion!"

Aug 27 1976 R 1h 50m
Action, Drama

A mid-19th century mulatto slave is torn between his success as a pit-fighter and the injustices of white society.

Plot

Drum was born to white prostitute Marianna, who raises him with her black lesbian lover Rachel. He grows up to be a fighter and is often forced to bare-knuckle-box other slaves for the entertainment of the owners, including gay Frenchman Bernard. Bernard wants to sleep with Drum and vows revenge against him when he rejects him. Drum and his friend Blaise are eventually sold to plantation owner Hammond and taken to his plantation to work. Hammond also purchases Regine and brings her to the plantation as his own personal bedwench, but Hammond's fiancée Augusta is jealous and has other plans for her. Hammond's daughter Sophie wants to sleep with Drum, but he won't for fear of being killed. Sophie also attempts to sleep with Blaise; after he rejects her, she tells her father that he raped her. It's a lie, but Hammond puts Blaise in chains and decides to have him castrated for the alleged rape. In fact, the best way to castrate a slave is a conversation topic at the dinner party that has been arranged to celebrate Hammond and Augusta's engagement; Bernard is a guest. During the party Drum frees Blaise from his chains, and the other slaves launch a violent uprising. Bernard shoots Blaise during the fighting and Drum grabs Bernard's privates and rips them off. Both slaves and slavers are killed during the battle, but Drum saves Hammond and Augusta.

Written by

Kyle Onstott, Norman Wexler

Directed by

Steve Carver, Burt Kennedy

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Dino De Laurentiis Company, United Artists

Languages

English

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
1,218
Average Rating
5.5 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA