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<title>The Learning Tree</title>

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The Learning Tree

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</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"Learning Tree" redirects here. For other uses, see <a href="Learning_Tree_(disambiguation)" class="mw-disambig" title="Learning Tree (disambiguation)">Learning Tree (disambiguation)</a>.</div>

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</style><table class="infobox vevent"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above summary" style="font-size: 125%; font-style: italic;">The Learning Tree</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;">Directed by</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="Gordon_Parks" title="Gordon Parks">Gordon Parks</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;">Screenplay by</th><td class="infobox-data">Gordon Parks</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;">Based on</th><td class="infobox-data">The Learning Tree 1963 novel by Gordon Parks</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;">Produced by</th><td class="infobox-data">Gordon Parks</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;">Starring</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="Kyle_Johnson_(actor)" title="Kyle Johnson (actor)">Kyle Johnson</a> Alex Clarke <a href="Estelle_Evans" title="Estelle Evans">Estelle Evans</a> <a href="Dana_Elcar" title="Dana Elcar">Dana Elcar</a> Mira Waters <a href="Joel_Fluellen" title="Joel Fluellen">Joel Fluellen</a> <a href="Malcolm_Atterbury" title="Malcolm Atterbury">Malcolm Atterbury</a> <a href="Richard_Ward_(American_actor)" class="mw-redirect" title="Richard Ward (American actor)">Richard Ward</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;">Cinematography</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="Burnett_Guffey" title="Burnett Guffey">Burnett Guffey</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;">Edited by</th><td class="infobox-data">George R. Rohrs</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;">Music by</th><td class="infobox-data">Gordon Parks</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Production company</div></th><td class="infobox-data"><div style="vertical-align: middle;"><a href="Warner_Bros.-Seven_Arts" title="Warner Bros.-Seven Arts">Warner Bros.-Seven Arts</a></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;">Distributed by</th><td class="infobox-data">Warner Bros.-Seven Arts</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0; white-space: normal;">Release date</div></th><td class="infobox-data"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">

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<ul><li>August 6, 1969 (1969-08-06)</li></ul>

</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0; white-space: normal;">Running time</div></th><td class="infobox-data">107 minutes</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;">Country</th><td class="infobox-data">United States</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;">Language</th><td class="infobox-data">English</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="white-space: nowrap; padding-right: 0.65em;">Box office</th><td class="infobox-data">$1.5 million (rentals)<a href="#cite_note-1">[1]</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

The Learning Tree is a 1969 American <a href="Coming-of-age_story" title="Coming-of-age story">coming-of-age</a> film written, produced and directed by <a href="Gordon_Parks" title="Gordon Parks">Gordon Parks</a>, who also scored the film. It depicts the life of Newt Winger, a teenager growing up in Cherokee Flats, Kansas, in the 1920s and chronicles his journey into manhood marked with tragic events. Based on Parks' 1963 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, The Learning Tree was the first film directed by a black filmmaker for a <a href="Major_film_studios" title="Major film studios">major American film studio</a>, <a href="Warner_Bros.-Seven_Arts" title="Warner Bros.-Seven Arts">Warner Bros.-Seven Arts</a>.<a href="#cite_note-mitchellinterview-2">[2]</a>

In 1989, The Learning Tree was among the first group of 25 films selected by the <a href="Library_of_Congress" title="Library of Congress">Library of Congress</a> for preservation in the United States <a href="National_Film_Registry" title="National Film Registry">National Film Registry</a> for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<a href="#cite_note-3">[3]</a>

In 1920s Kansas, a group of African-American boys, Newt Winger, Marcus Savage, and friends steal apples from Jake Kiner's orchard, and when Jake (who is white) confronts the boys, he is beaten and left for dead by Marcus, who later is sent to jail for his actions. While chasing after Marcus and the boys, the racist white sheriff shoots dead an innocent black boy crossing a river, and the sheriff is not punished.

Newt, despite escapades like ending up in a barn during a tornado with a large local girl who takes off her clothes, does well in school and aims to go to college; a white teacher tries to dissuade him, but the white principal opposes the racism of the town and encourages his ambitions.

While Marcus is in jail, Newt begins to work for Jake to make up for his actions and those of his friends and begins a relationship with Arcella Jefferson, a new girl in town, but his relationship with her is destroyed when Chauncey Cavanaugh, a white boy and son of the local judge, impregnates Arcella (implied to be through rape), who ultimately moves away out of shame. (The judge later apologizes to Newt and his family and says things will be taken care of)

After Marcus leaves jail, he works as a janitor at a brothel. Another scene depicts Newt's winning a boxing match at the county fair, in which he beats Marcus.

One day when Newt had just woken up from a nap in the loft of Jake's barn, he witnesses the brutal attack and murder of Jake by Booker Savage, Marcus' father, who was stealing liquor. Newt initially keeps quiet about what he has seen, but is bothered that Silas Newhall, a white man and disgruntled employee of Jake, who was at the scene of the crime for another reason, is being accused of a murder he did not commit. Encouraged by his mother, Sarah (who dies from the stress of all the goings-on), Newt reveals to Judge Cavanaugh that Booker committed the murder, and he testifies in court. Newt's testimony leads to the suicide of Booker, who seized a gun at the courthouse. Later, Newt is nearly killed by Marcus, who is then shot in the back by the sheriff while running away and who dies in the same river that Newt's and Marcus's friend was shot in. Newt refuses a lift home from the sheriff, and he walks away to an uncertain future.

<ul><li><a href="Kyle_Johnson_(actor)" title="Kyle Johnson (actor)">Kyle Johnson</a> as Newt Winger</li>

<li>Alex Clarke as Marcus Savage</li>

<li><a href="Estelle_Evans" title="Estelle Evans">Estelle Evans</a> as Sarah Winger</li>

<li>Mira Waters as Arcella Jefferson</li>

<li><a href="George_Mitchell_(actor)" title="George Mitchell (actor)">George Mitchell</a> as Jake Kiner</li>

<li><a href="Richard_Ward_(actor)" title="Richard Ward (actor)">Richard Ward</a> as Booker Savage</li>

<li><a href="Malcolm_Atterbury" title="Malcolm Atterbury">Malcolm Attenbury</a> as Silas Newhall</li>

<li><a href="Russell_Thorson" title="Russell Thorson">Russell Thorson</a> as Judge Cavanaugh</li>

<li>Zooey Hall as Chauncey Cavanaugh</li>

<li><a href="Dana_Elcar" title="Dana Elcar">Dana Elcar</a> as Sheriff Kirky</li>

<li><a href="Felix_Nelson" title="Felix Nelson">Felix Nelson</a> as Jack Winger</li>

<li><a href="Joel_Fluellen" title="Joel Fluellen">Joel Fluellen</a> as Uncle Rob</li></ul>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Background">Background</h2></div>

The film The Learning Tree is based on Gordon Parks's 1963 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name. Parks also wrote the screenplay, and as a result, the script for the film did not deviate much from the book, except for featuring fewer characters for the sake of running time.<a href="#cite_note-mitchellinterview-2">[2]</a> In addition to being the screenwriter, he was the director, producer, and music composer. Burnett Guffey served as cinematographer, and Parks was assisted by Jack Aldworth and Fred Giles.<a href="#cite_note-tcm-4">[4]</a> Parks tried to include as many black technicians as possible on the film.<a href="#cite_note-mitchellinterview-2">[2]</a>

Parks personally chose Kyle Johnson to play the character of Newt after a brief meeting with him in a Beverly Hills hotel. However, during the meeting, he gave no indication that he wanted to cast Johnson. Johnson kept getting called for screen tests, and after the fourth test, he learned that he had been hired and that the tests were meant to gauge the abilities of the other actors, not him. Johnson characterized the audition process as "not normal".<a href="#cite_note-mitchellinterview-2">[2]</a>

According to <a href="Turner_Classic_Movies" title="Turner Classic Movies">Turner Classic Movies</a>, the original name of the film was Learn, Baby, Learn, then it was changed to its current name.<a href="#cite_note-tcm-4">[4]</a> The current title appears to be taken from a line in the film, one that Sarah Winger tells her son Newt: "Let Cherokee Flats be your learning tree."

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Film_production">Film production</h2></div>

The Learning Tree was bought by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in 1969 and became the first film directed by a black person for a <a href="Major_film_studio" class="mw-redirect" title="Major film studio">major American film studio</a>.<a href="#cite_note-mitchellinterview-2">[2]</a> Parks later said:<a href="#cite_note-5">[5]</a><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1244412712">

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</style><blockquote class="templatequote">Until a few years ago blacks didn't even dream about getting into movies, except as actors. It was a closed world, sealed off by discrimination. Ken Hyman, the president of Seven Arts, liked my book and knew my photography. We had a meeting that lasted 15 minutes and he gave me the job of directing The Learning Tree. All of those years of prejudice and bigotry were broken down in 15 minutes.</blockquote>

The Learning Tree was shot on location in <a href="Fort_Scott%2C_Kansas" title="Fort Scott, Kansas">Fort Scott, Kansas</a>, in the fall of 1968, and the production process was scheduled to take three months.<a href="#cite_note-mitchellinterview-2">[2]</a> Fort Scott had been where Parks grew up, and it was also the basis for the fictional town of Cherokee Flats.<a href="#cite_note-6">[6]</a>

Kyle Johnson remembers that when production began there was a circus in town. As a result, the circus scene in the film features an actual circus rather than a staged one. Moreover, the circus scene included citizens of Fort Scott, who were there for the circus in town anyway.<a href="#cite_note-mitchellinterview-2">[2]</a>

Additionally, Johnson recalls that his “most enjoyable work as an actor” was done under Gordon Parks. Specifically, Johnson says “I really enjoyed The Learning Tree; for me it was like being part of a tight-run ship, a well-oiled machine. You do your part, and you recognize its importance and relationship to all the other parts, cast, crew, director and so forth.”<a href="#cite_note-mitchellinterview-2">[2]</a>

Parks is said to have followed his instincts while filming and encouraged the actors to follow their own instincts while acting. This ease while filming arguably contributed to the fact that scenes were shot in very few takes.<a href="#cite_note-mitchellinterview-2">[2]</a>

During the film production, executives from Warner Bros. often visited the set. Warner sent representatives over to check on Parks and make sure that production was running smoothly, allegedly because Parks was an African-American director.<a href="#cite_note-mitchellinterview-2">[2]</a>

The <a href="United_States_Information_Agency" title="United States Information Agency">US Information Agency</a> produced a film called My Father: Gordon Parks (1969) that film presents a behind-the-scenes look at the production of a feature film based on "The Learning Tree," produced by Allegro Films and directed by Meyer Odze.<a href="#cite_note-7">[7]</a>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Exodusters">Exodusters</h2></div>

In 1879, many African Americans migrated to Kansas, and they became known as the "<a href="Exodusters" title="Exodusters">Exodusters</a>". Among those who traveled were the ancestors of Gordon Parks. His father, Andrew Jackson Parks, was a tenant farmer in Kansas. Given that Gordon Parks was born in Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1912, he was the "issue of the second generation of exodusters".<a href="#cite_note-8">[8]</a> His ancestral background played a role in choosing Fort Scott as the filming location for The Learning Tree.

The Exodusters earned their name after nearly 6,000 black Americans migrated to Kansas after the Emancipation. Their exodus was prompted by the 1879 Windom Resolution that encouraged African Americans to leave the southern states where they were still met with much hatred, even though the <a href="American_Civil_War" title="American Civil War">American Civil War</a> had ended a little more than a decade earlier.<a href="#cite_note-9">[9]</a> Kansas promised a fresh start for the Exodusters, who wanted to begin a new life, in a new land, away from the southerners who had once enslaved them.

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Depictions_of_black_manhood">Depictions of black manhood</h2></div>

The Learning Tree juxtaposes the lives of Newt Winger and Marcus Savage, two former friends that are trying to find themselves in a white-dominated Midwestern society. Although these two young men have different personalities and different goals in life, both characters represent two examples of black manhood.

Newt is a young man who tries to adhere to morals, but he is upset by the racial injustice of the day. When adversity occurs, he tries to act with dignity: when he and his friends steal from Jake Kiner, he attempts to make amends by working for him pro bono; when Chauncey Cavanaugh takes a liking to Newt's girlfriend Arcella, he does his best to protect her and ultimately he comes to term with his loss without showing aggression; he tells the truth in the Kiner murder trial despite that it exposes Booker Savage as the killer and shows some African Americans in an unfavorable light. Newt's determination to act ethically is a reflection of his moral character.

In contrast, Marcus is a young man who also is upset by the racial injustice of the day, but retaliates with violence. His rocky relationship with his father does not help his psyche and predisposes him to violence. In the case of Marcus, he begins to embody violence, specifically when he beats Kiner and attempts to murder Newt for sending both him and his father to jail.

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Soundtrack">Soundtrack</h2></div>

Gordon Parks composed and wrote the following score for The Learning Tree:<a href="#cite_note-10">[10]</a>

<ol><li>The Learning Tree – Main Title, sung by <a href="O.C._Smith" class="mw-redirect" title="O.C. Smith">O.C. Smith</a></li>

<li>The Storm To Calm</li>

<li>Bluebird</li>

<li>The Swimming Hole</li>

<li>Concerto (Arcella's Theme)</li>

<li>Birthday Present</li>

<li>Chorale (The Learning Tree)</li>

<li>Questions & Answers</li>

<li>My Baby's Gone (feat. <a href="Jimmy_Rushing" title="Jimmy Rushing">Jimmy Rushing</a>)</li>

<li>The Fight</li>

<li>Confrontation (feat. Kyle Johnson & Joel Fluellen)</li>

<li>Hymn – End Title</li></ol>

New York Times reviewer Roger Greenspun praised the film's score in his review, saying that the music "telegraphs and then drains each crisis".<a href="#cite_note-nytimes-11">[11]</a>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Reception">Reception</h2></div>

When The Learning Tree premiered at the Trans-Lux East and West in New York City on August 6, 1969, it was well received by critics.<a href="#cite_note-12">[12]</a> <a href="Roger_Greenspun" title="Roger Greenspun">Roger Greenspun</a> wrote in his review that the scenes in the film took on a "kind of ceremonial vitality and lifelikeness".<a href="#cite_note-nytimes-11">[11]</a> Parks' and Guffey's strong attention to detail helped to make this film beloved and well-remembered to the American public.

It grossed $33,000 in its opening week and reached number one at the <a href="List_of_1969_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States" title="List of 1969 box office number-one films in the United States">US box office</a> in its seventh week of release.<a href="#cite_note-13">[13]</a><a href="#cite_note-14">[14]</a>

The Learning Tree was among the first group of 25 films to be listed on National Film Registry when the registry was created in 1989.<a href="#cite_note-15">[15]</a><a href="#cite_note-16">[16]</a>

<ul><li><a href="List_of_American_films_of_1969" title="List of American films of 1969">List of American films of 1969</a></li>

<li><a href="Nadir_of_American_race_relations" class="mw-redirect" title="Nadir of American race relations">Nadir of American race relations</a></li></ul>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>

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<li id="cite_note-1"><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a> "Big Rental Films of 1969", <a href="Variety_(magazine)" title="Variety (magazine)">Variety</a>, 7 January 1970, pg 15.

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</style><cite id="CITEREFMitchell2011" class="citation web cs1">Mitchell, Robert A. (2011-03-11). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://soldierofcinema.blogspot.com/2011/03/reflections-on-gordon-parks-and.html">"Soldier of Cinema: Reflections on Gordon Parks and The Learning Tree. My Interview with Kyle Johnson"</a>. Soldier of Cinema. Retrieved 2018-09-12.</cite>

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<li id="cite_note-3"><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a> <cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-19-mn-347-story.html">"ENTERTAINMENT: Film Registry Picks First 25 Movies"</a>. <a href="Los_Angeles_Times" title="Los Angeles Times">Los Angeles Times</a>. Washington, D.C. September 19, 1989. Retrieved April 22, 2020.</cite>

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<li id="cite_note-tcm-4">^ <a href="#cite_ref-tcm_4-0">a</a> <a href="#cite_ref-tcm_4-1">b</a> <cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81119/the-learning-tree#credits">"The Learning Tree (1969) - Full Credits - TCM.com"</a>. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2017-12-08.</cite>

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<li id="cite_note-5"><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a> <cite id="CITEREFEbert2012" class="citation web cs1">Ebert, Roger (14 December 2012). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/gordon-parks-big-score">"Gordon Parks' big score"</a>. rogerebert.com. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 24 February 2022.</cite>

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<li id="cite_note-6"><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a> <cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.washburn.edu/reference/cks/mapping/fictional/index.html#cherokeeflats">"Kansas Fictional Towns, Map of Kansas Literature"</a>. www.washburn.edu. Retrieved 2017-12-08.</cite>

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<li id="cite_note-7"><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a> <cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/54014">"National Archives NextGen Catalog"</a>. catalog.archives.gov. Records of the U.S. Information Agency. Retrieved 2024-04-23.</cite>

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<li id="cite_note-8"><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a> <cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.stlamerican.com/entertainment/living_it/gordon-parks-slow-blues/article_60d72baa-e9a0-570e-9c82-1f44846df9a5.html">"Gordon Parks' slow blues"</a>. St. Louis American. Retrieved 2017-12-08.</cite>

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<li id="cite_note-9"><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a> <cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nps.gov/home/learn/historyculture/exodusters.htm">"Exodusters - Homestead National Monument of America (U.S. National Park Service)"</a>. www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-08.</cite>

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<li id="cite_note-10"><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a> <cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.daarac.org/2009/09/gordon-parks-learning-tree-1970.html">"Gordon Parks - The Learning Tree (1970)"</a>. www.daarac.org. Retrieved 2017-12-08.</cite>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-nytimes-11">^ <a href="#cite_ref-nytimes_11-0">a</a> <a href="#cite_ref-nytimes_11-1">b</a> <cite id="CITEREFGreenspun1969" class="citation news cs1">Greenspun, Roger (7 August 1969). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1969/08/07/archives/the-learning-tree.html">"Movie Review - - The Learning Tree' - NYTimes.com"</a>. The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-12-08.</cite>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-12"><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a> <cite class="citation magazine cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1969-08-20_256_1/page/8/mode/2up">"Varied Fare and Youth Allure; Broadway Okay; 'Tree' Blossoms, 35G; Japanese 'Spoils' Very Good"</a>. <a href="Variety_(magazine)" title="Variety (magazine)">Variety</a>. August 20, 1969. p. 11.</cite>

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<li id="cite_note-13"><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a> <cite class="citation magazine cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1969-08-20_256_1/page/11">"50 Top-Grossing Films"</a>. <a href="Variety_(magazine)" title="Variety (magazine)">Variety</a>. August 20, 1969. p. 11.</cite>

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<li id="cite_note-14"><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a> <cite class="citation magazine cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1969-10-01_256_7/page/11/mode/2up">"50 Top-Grossing Films"</a>. <a href="Variety_(magazine)" title="Variety (magazine)">Variety</a>. October 1, 1969. p. 11.</cite>

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<li id="cite_note-15"><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a> <cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/">"Complete National Film Registry Listing"</a>. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2018-09-12.</cite>

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<li id="cite_note-16"><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a> <cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.loc.gov/programs/static/national-film-preservation-board/documents/learning_tree.pdf">"The Learning Tree (1969) - Essay on the National Film Registry Website"</a> (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved 2018-09-12.</cite>

</li>

</ol></div></div>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2></div>

<ul><li>The Learning Tree <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/learning_tree.pdf">[1]</a> essay by <a href="Maurice_Berger" title="Maurice Berger">Maurice Berger</a> on the <a href="National_Film_Registry" title="National Film Registry">National Film Registry</a> website</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064579/">The Learning Tree</a> at <a href="IMDb_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="IMDb (identifier)">IMDb</a></li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81119/enwp">The Learning Tree</a> at the <a href="Turner_Classic_Movies" title="Turner Classic Movies">TCM Movie Database</a></li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/23459">The Learning Tree</a> at the <a href="AFI_Catalog_of_Feature_Films" title="AFI Catalog of Feature Films">AFI Catalog of Feature Films</a></li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/webpages4/filmnotes/fns99n3.html">Film Notes from New York State Writer's Institute</a></li>

<li>The Learning Tree by essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 <a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <bdi>0826429777</bdi>, pages 651-652 <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=deq3xI8OmCkC&source=gbs_similarbooks">[2]</a></li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZOKiCdV1Mo">Entire film</a> on <a href="YouTube_video_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="YouTube video (identifier)">YouTube</a></li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/learning_tree">The Learning Tree</a> at <a href="Rotten_Tomatoes" title="Rotten Tomatoes">Rotten Tomatoes</a></li></ul>

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</style><div id="Films_directed_by_Gordon_Parks34" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em">Films directed by <a href="Gordon_Parks" title="Gordon Parks">Gordon Parks</a></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">

<li><a href="Shaft_(1971_film)" title="Shaft (1971 film)">Shaft</a> (1971)</li>

<li><a href="Shaft's_Big_Score!" title="Shaft's Big Score!">Shaft's Big Score!</a> (1972)</li>

<li><a href="The_Super_Cops" title="The Super Cops">The Super Cops</a> (1974)</li>

<li><a href="Leadbelly_(film)" title="Leadbelly (film)">Leadbelly</a> (1976)</li>

<li><a href="Solomon_Northup's_Odyssey" title="Solomon Northup's Odyssey">Solomon Northup's Odyssey</a> (1984)</li></ul>

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