Brotherhood of Death

This article is about the film. For thesecret societybased atYale University,seeSkull & Bones.

Brotherhood of Death
Directed by	Richard F. Barker and Bill Berry
Produced by	Ronald K. Goldman
Starring	Roy Jefferson Le Tari Haskell Anderson
Release date	1976(1976)
Running time	78 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$200,000-$250,000USD

Brotherhood of Deathis alow-budget1976 action film in theblaxploitationgenre, directed by Richard F. Barker and Bill Berry, and starringRoy Jefferson,Le Tari,andHaskell Anderson.The film featured appearances by several members, including Jefferson, of theWashington Redskinsprofessionalfootballteam of theNational Football League.

Plot

In the mid-to-late 1960s, three young men leave their smallSouthernhometown to join theUnited States Armyand fight in theVietnam War.Upon their return home, they take up the cause of battling the racial injustices prevalent in the town. When the town'sKu Klux Klanmembers offer a murderously violent reaction to their efforts, the trio uses the lessons they learned in the army, fighting theVietcong,to conduct an all-out war against the Klan.

Cast

• Roy Jeffersonas Raymond Moffat
• Le Tarias Ned Tiese
• Haskell Andersonas Junior Moffat
• Mike Thomas as Newton "Newt" Biggars
• Mick Hodge as "Ace"
• Ron David as Leroy Winniford
• Rick Ellis as Harold Turner
• Brian Donohue as Deputy Myrick
• Ed Heath as Preacher
• Mike Bass as Captain Quinn
• Bryan Clark as Sheriff
• Kandy Hooker as Louise Freeman
• Mark Robinson as Dope Dealer Soldier
• Vacountess E. Payne as Rose
• Jon Feather as Army Instructor
• Holly Hjretberg as Leroy's Girlfriend
• Barbara Cherry as Raymond's Girlfriend

Production

The film was the brainchild of its executive producer,Ronald K. Goldman,aWashington, D.C.native and a veteran ofblaxploitationfilm production. Guided by his previous experiences, Goldman devised a plan to make a film with a very low budget, to be produced entirely outside of theHollywoodestablishment, and which he felt highly confident would still prove to be profitable.

Specifically, Goldman had deemed the quality of the acting in blaxploitation films to be unimpressive, even in those films which had been financially successful. Reasoning that even untrained actors could provide performances of similar quality, Goldman leveraged the fact that he knew some members of theWashington Redskinsfootball team and convinced them to appear in his film. He thus gained some marquee value from their sports celebrity status without having to pay the higher salaries that would have been required to employ experienced actors who would have generated a similar level of public interest.

Knights of the Ku Klux Klan(KKKK) billboard shown inBrotherhood of Death

Goldman saved additional money by hiring a first-time director and having nearly the entire film shot inMontgomery County,near Washington.One exception was an actualKu Klux Klanrecruitment highwaybillboardwhich was featured in the film, suggesting the level of the Klan's support and influence in the town depicted in the movie. Such billboards were a relatively common sight in the South during the mid-1960s time period that served as the film's setting. However, by the time of filming in 1976, the majority of them had been removed. The billboard that was ultimately used in the movie (shown right) was filmed at its location onU.S. Route 70at the city limits ofSmithfield, North Carolina.The sign was maintained there until the late 1970s, making Smithfield one of the last towns that the filmmakers could have found which continued to have such a sign displayed.

The bar sequences were filmed at theDisabled American Veterans,Chapter #7 club house, located onMaryland Route 197inBowie, Marylandunder the leadership of John "Jack" Federici, who appeared in the film with several other disabled war veterans.

Reception

According to Goldman, his financial strategy of pursuing a very low budget succeeded in ensuring the profitability ofBrotherhood of Death.Goldman reported that the film brought in approximately $1 millionUSD,after having been made at a cost of between $200,000 and $250,000.Nonetheless, the film was widely panned by critics, did not find a lasting place in the public consciousness, and became one of the essentially forgotten entries of the blaxploitation film era.

Among those who liked the film, however, was directorQuentin Tarantino,and he would eventually give the film a renewed exposure. Tarantino has twice screenedBrotherhood of Deathat theQuentin Tarantino Film Festival,and the news of his advocacy of the film was among the factors that led to the decision to release it on DVD in 2005.Since then, it has aired numerous times on theIndependent Film Channel(IFC) cable television network, with IFC's Matt Singer having expressed admiration for the movie.

Misidentification of the cast

The liner notes in the DVD release ofBrotherhood of Deathincorrectly ascribe Tari's and Anderson's leading roles to Redskins playersMike BassandMike Thomas.Although Bass and Thomas were among the football players who appeared in the film, Jefferson was the only one of the three leading actors who was a Redskins player. Some reviewers, such as online film criticHarry Knowles,have similarly misidentified Redskins receiverLarry Jonesas one of the three leading actors.In keeping with Goldman's plan to utilize the players' marquee value as famed sports stars, the film'sone-sheetand other promotional materials featured the football players — even those with smaller roles — over unknown leading actors Tari and Anderson, perhaps contributing to the later misconceptions.In more recent years,Brotherhood of Deathwas made available as a dual release DVD withFred Williamson'sOne Down, Two to Go.Due to misleading crediting of the films on this release, the lead role inBrotherhood of Deathwas attributed to Fred Williamson, who in fact had no involvement in the feature.

External links

• Brotherhood of DeathatIMDb
• Brotherhood of DeathatAllMovie