Hi all:
I have been wondering about this for years, saw it on TV with my grandma either mid 80s or very early 90s. It was a drama that took place in the American South, revolving around a group of white women and involving a black man with long stringy hair that is called "The Conjure-man" or "The Old Conjure-Man" who is like a Hoodoo/Voodoo type character. The only scene I remember involves the women sitting in a room at night and one of the women who is matronly and very southern belle-ish telling the story of her "courting" with her husband. She speaks rather ominously. For some reason I remember her in a hat and a pearl necklace. Her story: We see a young man and a woman in flashback, a night shot in a gazebo, they're making out. She actually says at one point "we was (or were) courtin' and courtin' ". The flashback ends with her describing a fire which was caused because the couple were too distracted in their courting to notice. We see the man attempting to put out a raging fire with his coat or jacket.
The conjure-man appears at some point holding the breastbone and wing segment of a bird skeleton which he holds out and spreads apart. He does not speak. The women are frightened of the conjure-man. He has some association with one of the women who is young and pregnant. I cannot remember much else about this film but have thought about it for years. Help!