Summary
In a narrative steeped in the intricate ironies of identity and social stratification, Mark Twain's 'Pudd'nhead Wilson' unfurls a meticulously crafted tragedy of swapped destinies. The film plunges into the antebellum South, a society rigidly segmented by race and class, where Roxana, a light-skinned slave, makes a desperate, fateful decision. To save her infant son, Valet de Chambre, from the brutal uncertainties of slavery, she clandestinely exchanges him with Thomas à Becket Driscoll, the master's child, who is born almost simultaneously. This audacious act sets in motion a profound exploration of nature versus nurture, as 'Tom,' the biologically enslaved child, grows up privileged and dissolute, while 'Chambers,' the true heir, endures the arduous life of servitude, albeit within the confines of his own ancestral home. The provincial town of Dawson's Landing, ostensibly tranquil, becomes a crucible for moral and legal complexities, ultimately hinging on the eccentric, yet sagacious, lawyer David Wilson—dubbed 'Pudd'nhead' for his seemingly absurd pronouncements—whose peculiar hobby of collecting fingerprints holds the key to unraveling the entangled lives and exposing the devastating truth behind the masquerade. The story culminates in a dramatic courtroom revelation, forcing a confrontation with the ingrained prejudices and the arbitrary nature of inherited status, leaving an indelible mark on all involved.
A slave switches her light-skinned baby with her master's baby. The child grows up raised by whites.
