Walter and Joyce Coon, natives of Akron, have been together for a long time, 36 years to be exact. They are a shining example of a love can conquer hardship. Joyce was recently diagnosed with MSA, multiple symptom atrophy. It is a rare disorder, striking 44 out a million people each year, mostly men in the onset of 50-60 age range. It is a neurological disorder that is associated with the degeneration of nerve cells in the brain, which affects breathing, blood pressure, bladder control, balance, movement, and a lot more. Due to these effects, Joyce had to leave a promising teaching career in the public schools and Walter had to leave his job at Ohio Edison to care for her. Their love for another is unlike the current trends of people holding off on marriage until financial stability comes their way, people staying in a troubled marriage because they cannot afford a divorce, and people divorcing because of the effects of the recession we are gradually getting out of were too much for them. It leaves one to wonder whether people can handle hardship in relationships anymore. A classic film that shows this reality is 1974's Claudine.
The movie stars Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs. The story is abotu a woman( Carroll) who tries to provide for her six children in Harlem on welfare who has a relationship with a garbageman( Jones), whom she meets working as a maid. They both meet at work, and Rupert asks Claudine out on a date. Complications arise as soon as they do when he comes to pick her up and her children are rude and vulgar to him, especially her eldest, Charles (Hilton-Jacobs), a political activist who believes in positive social change in the community, who is apprehensive that he will leave her like her previous husbands and boyfriends. Another complication arises when Miss Kabak (Elisa Koti), the welfare representative, comes in the film. Miss Kabak asks Claudine if she is employed and seeing someone, as that would affect how much aid she gets, and Claudine denies it as she has six children to raise. Unfortunately, Rupert is discovered and begins to feel the effects of being nitpicked like seeds in a chicken coop about his intentions with Claudine. The film does go into social commentary on the welfare system and how it keeps the African American individual down(as this is the seventies and audiences could handle it easier than they can do now), and we see the effects on Claudine and Rupert's relationship. Rupert wants to provide for his family as that is his responsibility as a man, and Claudine wants him to make it work. If you want to see how they handle these hardships, you will have to see the film for yourself.
Now, some view the film as affirming stereotypes about African Americans in welfare and the state of the African American family, but actually, the film does challenge those perceptions. We see that Claudine cannot provide for her family without the assistance, and that she is a good mother. We see that Rupert wants to be responsible for his family, amidst the tests and tribulations the welfare system has best upon him. There is a reason why Diahann Carroll got an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for this film.This film is perfect for our time because it doesn't hide behind the veneer of the romantic comedy that is made of late to show what love truly is. Life and love are not easy, there will be hardships along the way, as Claudine and Rupert and Walter and Joyce can attest, but in life and the movie, it is worth it in the end. Happy Valentine's Day!
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