How do we remember our heroes? Who was Martin Luther King
Jr., really? What did he do? What was it all about?
Finally, there are now more Americans alive who were born
after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. than before, and the living
participants in and witnesses to the Civil Rights Era are fading away. His life
and those times now seem remote. In these times, it sometimes seems that no
progress has been made, that we are slipping back into violence, prejudice, and
disenfranchisement. The oncoming trainwreck of Donald Trump, a psycho notorious for his hate of black people, means that education, awareness, and action on the preservation of civil rights are more important than ever.
But -- 70 years ago, it was worse. America was a nightmare for
minorities. The Civil Rights movement was a stirring and rare example of
successful, positive social change – a peaceful revolution that worked,
democracy in action winning out over prejudice and hate.
At the head of it all was Dr. King, who even at that time
had the aura of a living saint about him. We regarded him as the ultimate hero,
the principled man of God whose eloquence and moral fortitude forced bad men to
back down, like some spiritual gunslinger armed with only soul power. He was no
certain, sanctimonious leader, but an ordinary and flawed man with
extraordinary courage, perhaps the greatest communicator in American history.
In a time that was simultaneously scared and terrifying, he was a modern Moses.
What Martin Luther King do we celebrate now? The films below
try their best to remind us who he really was, and what he and millions of
ordinary people accomplished.
The Documentaries
11. King: A Filmed
Record . . . Montgomery to Memphis (Sidney Lumet/Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1970)
The first film bio of King was made for a unique
one-night-only fundraising screening nationwide. The movie, built from newsreel
footage, fell out of circulation for years, even after being added to the
National Film Registry. It’s really a tribute film, studded with the highlights
from King’s life, ending with 20 mournful minutes of his funeral footage.
10. Eyes on the Prize
(Henry Hampton, producer; 1987/1990)
This 14-hour, meticulous epic is a definitive history of the
black struggle from 1954 through 1985. Its depth, detail, and extensive use of
primary sources make it an exemplary historical document.
9. Freedom on My Mind
(Connie Field/Marilyn Mulder, 1994)
The virtue of this Oscar-nominated documentary, which
focuses on the 1961 “Freedom Summer” voter registration project in Mississippi,
is its emphasis on the volunteer front-line organizers of both races that did
the grunt work during that dangerous time when activists Goodman, Chaney, and
Schwerner were murdered.
8. 4 Little Girls
(Spike Lee, 1997)
This heartbreaking Oscar-nominated documentary proved that
Spike Lee was just solid on non-fiction projects as he was with his narrative
features. The intimate scale of the piece, focusing on the murders of a quartet
of Sunday school students on September 15, 1963, puts the human cost of the
civil-rights struggle at the forefront.
7. Citizen King
(Orlando Bagwell/Noland Walker, 2004)
Part of the prestigious American
Experience series of historical portraits, an excellent one-hour summary of
King’s life – a good place to start.
6. King (PBS, 2008)
A two-hour look at King’s life, hosted by Tom Brokaw for the
History Channel. It includes rare conversations with King’s children, as well
as contemporary perspectives on King’s legacy.
5. Freedom Riders
(Stanley Nelson, 2010)
An excellent close-up examination of the fight to integrate
public transportation in the South. In the summer of 1961, volunteers trained
in non-violence ran the gauntlet of beatings, death threats, and arrests.
4. The March (John
Akofrah, 2013)
Another model examination of a specific event – in this
case, the March on Washington, which culminated with King’s “I Have a Dream”
speech.
The Features
3. King (Abby Mann,
1978)
The first dramatized version of King’s life, a TV
mini-series, features the great Paul Winfield a the civil rights leader,
supported by an all-star cast that includes Cicely Tyson, Ossie Davis, Al
Freeman Jr., and many more. Winfield is capable of showing a vulnerable and
human King, exploring the fear and worry that dogged his until his death.
2. Boycott (Clark
Johnson, 2001)
The story of the event that started it all – the Montgomery
bus boycott. Jeffrey Wright plays King here with perhaps too much impassity;
his King seems intimidated and terse when not on the pulpit (which could have
been the case – King was only 26 years old when his activism began). Where the
movie excels is how it shows how a social-action movement is put together, and
overcomes obstacles. Anyone planning a non-violent revolution will find the
blueprint here.
1. Selma (Ava DuVernay, 2014)
A stirring film about the famous march from Selma to
Montgomery in 1965 that’s at its best when showing us the inner and intimate
life of the protagonists, King (David Oyelowo) and his wife Coretta (Carmen
Ejogo), who find their marriage under attack as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover
attempts to drive them apart by sending them audio tapes of King’s spied-upon
infidelities. The movie falls down when the famous talking heads fill the
screen – LBJ was not as much of an opponent of King’s as he is portrayed here,
and George Wallace was cleverer than intolerant goober Tim Roth gives us.
Director Ava DuVernay gave a great response to those who
questioned Selma’s historical
accuracy, words that applicable to any attempt to remember the man and the
struggle. “Bottom line is, folks should interrogate history. Don’t take my word
for it . . . Let it come alive for yourself.”
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