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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 117

The Quiet One

194865 minUnited States

Video edition: YouTube
Original language: English
This copy runs: 63:57
Subtitles: English

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Synopsis

A troubled Black boy struggles with isolation and an unhappy home life. The film follows an effort to help him form relationships and find emotional security, using documentary methods and staged passages to bring the child's experience into view.

Cast

Gary Merrill

Donald Thompson

Clarence Cooper

Sadie Stockton

DirectorsSidney Meyers

Behind the scenes

James Agee wrote the commentary, narrated by Gary Merrill, while photographer Helen Levitt contributed to both writing and cinematography. Their collaboration links documentary film to literary observation and street photography.

Sources and availability

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Wikipedia Internet Archive

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

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Availability checked on September 10, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

Gary Merrill — PBS · Public domain

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