Director: William Wyler
Screenplay: Stirling Silliphant and Jesse Hill Ford
Based on the novel: The Liberation of Lord Byron Jones by Jesse Hill Ford
Starring: Lee J. Cobb, Anthony Zerbe, Roscoe Lee Browne, Lee Majors, Barbara Hershey, Yaphet Kotto, Arch Johnson, Chill Wills, Lola Falana, Zara Cully, Fayard Nicholas, Joe Attles, Lauren Jones, Dub Taylor
Country: USA
Running Time: 103 min
Year: 1970
BBFC Certificate: 15
Legendary director William Wyler still holds the record for the most nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director, 12. He won three: Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of our Lives (1946) and the epic Ben-Hur (1959). For the final film of his glittering career, Wyler turned to the adaptation of a controversial novel called The Liberation of Lord Byron Jones by Jesse Hill Ford.
Ford based the book on events he witnessed in a Southern town in the United States where he lived, and was lambasted by locals for using reality as the basis for his story. The film was released five years after the novel and added to the controversy, refusing to allow old wounds to heal.
Set in the largely segregated fictional town of Somerton, Tennessee, the film follows the titular L.B. Jones (Roscoe Lee Browne), a wealthy African-American funeral director who is seeking a divorce from his much younger wife, Emma (Lola Falana), whom is having an affair with white police officer Willie Joe Worth (Anthony Zerbe).
Jones turns to Oman Hedgepath (Lee J. Cobb), who runs a law firm, to represent him. Worth tries to encourage Emma not to contest the divorce, fearing the public scandal it will bring, but she refuses, as she wants alimony to keep her lavish lifestyle.
**Spoilers follow, so skip past the following few paragraphs and next two photos below if you haven’t seen the film, but it’s difficult to reference some of its themes without touching on some key plot points.**
In brief: Worth beats Emma, blames Jones and arrests him on false charges. Jones escapes and confronts Worth but is then murdered by the officer, aided by fellow police officer Stanley Bumpas (Arch Johnson). There are one or two more shocks and surprises along the way in the final act as we build to an unsurprisingly downbeat ending, which had me shouting at the screen. That was the point, though; I wanted the ‘bad guys’ to have their comeuppance, but only one really does. One of the extras is called Southern Injustice, and that’s what we get here.
The film opens with a wonderful train journey, introducing us to some of the supporting players, the location and the themes. It’s a film of great scenes for me, not just that opening, but plenty of others throughout. Pivotal scenes involving Worth are brilliant: his attempt to persuade Emma to settle amicably turns into a scene of brief but brutal violence, the tension building, likewise his threats to Jones to call off the divorce are equally sinister and gripping. The tension simmers until it either boils over or threatens to.
Likewise, the scene where Jones is pulled over by the cops, escapes and is then hunted through a car scrapyard is nail-bitingly tense, culminating in more threats and, ultimately, a fatal shot to the head. Jones is left hanging from a chain, the police trying to cover it up like a racially motivated revenge attack. It’s a shocking and bleak sequence.
The cast is uniformly excellent, particularly Browne, Falana, Zerbe and Cobb as Jones, Emma, Worth and Hedgepath, respectively. There are also some wonderful smaller roles too. I particularly enjoyed seeing Yaphet Kotto as Sonny Boy Mosby, who is introduced in the fabulous opening train journey and plays a pivotal role, which features a pretty graphic death scene involving a combine harvester, towards the finale.
Kotto played the villain in the first James Bond film I ever saw, Live and Let Die (1973), as well as memorable roles in Alien (1979) and Paul Schrader’s Blue Collar (1978) amongst others, so it’s always a joy for me to see him appear on the screen. Lee Majors, pre-The Six Million Dollar Man and The Fall Guy, also plays a key part in the plot, being the catalyst for Hedgepath taking on Jones’ case.
The cinematography by Robert Surtees is great; there are some fantastic tracking sequences and slow zooms, and the funky score by Elmer Bernstein is also very good.
One thing to be warned about is the use of derogatory language in the film; it’s clearly a film of its time with racially discriminating language used and is difficult to stomach in the 21st century.
In closing, The Liberation of L.B. Jones is a fitting end to a phenomenal career for director Wyler. Its themes of racial tensions, racism, domestic abuse and police brutality sadly feel as relevant today as they did at the time the film was made. It’s a gripping noir-like drama, with some excellent performances and masterful direction. It’s a particularly bleak and downbeat film that doesn’t give us all the answers we require, but is powerful, challenging and leaves us with a lasting impression and plenty of food for thought.
Film: 
The Liberation of L.B. Jones is available on limited edition Blu-ray on 18th August 2025 from Powerhouse Films on their Indicator label. The picture is generally good, with a natural colour scheme, detail and filmic quality. It is a little bit soft at times but otherwise I had no issues with it. I also thought the audio was solid and had no issues with that.
Indicator limited edition Blu-ray special features
High Definition remaster
Original mono audio
Audio commentary with journalist and author Bryan Reesman and film critic and filmmaker Mike Sargent (2025)
Dignified Rage (2025, 24 mins): Neil Sinyard, author of A Wonderful Heart: The Films of William Wyler, delves into the film’s production and reception
Southern Injustice (2025, 26 mins): Josiah Howard, author of Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide, discusses the cast, themes, reception and position of the film as a precursor to the blaxploitation movement
Isolated music and effects track
Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Limited edition 40-page booklet with a new essay by Fintan McDonagh, archival interviews of actor Roscoe Lee Browne and screenwriter Jesse Hill Ford, an archival production report by Edwin Howard, and film credits
UK premiere on Blu-ray
Limited edition of 3,000 copies for the UK
The audio commentary with journalist and author Bryan Reesman and film critic and filmmaker Mike Sargent is a great listen; the pair complement each other really well. They cover the power of the film, plenty of the sequences, actors and some of the film crew and plenty more. It’s an entertaining and informative listen.
Neil Sinyard’s 24-minute piece, called Dignified Rage, is typically fantastic, covering the film’s place in Wyler’s career, how unexpected a choice it was for the director, and the critical reception it received at the time. Sinyard touches on the context the film found itself in, both in real life and the Hollywood of the time, and covers some of the scenes he particularly enjoys. Sinyard’s interviews are always well worth a watch, and this one is no different. It’s excellent.
Just as good is Southern Injustice, a 26-minute interview with Josiah Howard, who touches on the marketing of the film, elements and scenes he is particularly fond of, the difficult themes and language, some interesting background to some of the actors and a whizz through some of the brilliant performances, particularly touching on some of the smaller parts, as well as the movie’s place in black cinema. Essential viewing.
The isolated music and effects track is a welcome inclusion, and the on-disc extras conclude with an image gallery of around 75 behind the scenes, stills and publicity shots including lobby cards and postersÂ
The 40-page booklet is a typically excellent one from Indicator, which opens with a great essay by writer and researcher Fintan McDonagh, who touches on the final films of masterful directors before looking at Wyler’s career. McDonagh touches on the author and screenwriter of the film, and then looks at the plot and its reception. Next are three evocative and excellent 1969 pieces, a production report and interviews with actor Roscoe Lee Browne and author and co-screenwriter Jesse Hill Ford, by reporter Edwin Howard for the Memphis Press-Scimitar.
In closing, Indicator have provided a pretty good audio/ visual presentation, three outstanding extras (the commentary and two video interviews) and a fantastic booklet, which provide a wealth of background and context to an important and very good slice of 1970s cinema.
Disc/package:
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