Selma is the story of the Civil Rights movement and in particular, the events that led to the Voter Rights legislation that opened the doors for African Americans (and other minority groups) to vote in state and federal elections.
The movie takes place over an 8 month period, beginning with the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist church in Birmingham in September 1964 and culminates with the three marches over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma in March 1965. What I found fascinating about this movie was the strategy used by MLK to put political and media pressure on the President (LBJ) and Congress to pass the Voter Registration Act. Not content with LBJ's Civil Rights Act, the three marches over the bridge were designed to force the President's hand to go the next step and pass the Voter Registration Act.
Daniel Olewoyo (sp?) is very believable and fantastic as MLK. He is presented as very capable leader, activist, father and husband, but he's also given a human side as he struggles with the decisions he has to make as the leader of the Civil Rights movement. Many times he's asked to compromise or "hold off" on many of the items he wants the President to address, but he stays the course and sticks to his convictions to further the cause. Even with pressure from the Attorney General actual documents from the FBI, MLK and his staff are followed, spied on, bugged and even have their personal lives tampered with by the FBI in an effort to gather information, discredit and alter the course of the movement. The FBI also attempts to create division within the group and between MLK and his wife. What I also found interesting was how MLK was able to take the different factions within the Civil Rights movement (Malcolm X, student registration groups, freedom riders, etc.) and bring them together to create a stronger voice for change.
Character actor Tom Wilkinson (you've seen him in a million other movies) is simply brilliant as LBJ and I would love to see him in a spin off of this movie playing LBJ. He was simply brilliant and I found him the most compelling character whenever he was on screen. Tim Roth has a small role as Alabama Governor George Wallace and he too is very credible in his role. Oprah Winfrey has a modest role as a woman who tries to register to vote, but is turned away each time. Actor/Rapper Common has a small speaking role as a minister in Selma. Having lived in ATL for 20 years, I've hear the stories about the Civil Rights leaders, so it was interesting to see the characters who played Ralph David Abernathy, Andrew Young John Lewis and Hosea Williams.
The only exception I took was with the amount of media coverage during the first march on "Bloody Sunday." I may be wrong, but I don't recall the coverage as "in depth" and "breaking news" as was depicted in the movie. The media coverage served as a narrator into the events that happened on the bridge, but I thought it wasn't until the days following the incident that the media started covering the story.
I found the behind-the-scenes story of this movie very interesting, thought the characters were very believable and thought this movie deserved more awards recognition. Very good movie that I recommend highly. I give this one 8.5 out of 10 Sooner Schooners.
The movie takes place over an 8 month period, beginning with the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist church in Birmingham in September 1964 and culminates with the three marches over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma in March 1965. What I found fascinating about this movie was the strategy used by MLK to put political and media pressure on the President (LBJ) and Congress to pass the Voter Registration Act. Not content with LBJ's Civil Rights Act, the three marches over the bridge were designed to force the President's hand to go the next step and pass the Voter Registration Act.
Daniel Olewoyo (sp?) is very believable and fantastic as MLK. He is presented as very capable leader, activist, father and husband, but he's also given a human side as he struggles with the decisions he has to make as the leader of the Civil Rights movement. Many times he's asked to compromise or "hold off" on many of the items he wants the President to address, but he stays the course and sticks to his convictions to further the cause. Even with pressure from the Attorney General actual documents from the FBI, MLK and his staff are followed, spied on, bugged and even have their personal lives tampered with by the FBI in an effort to gather information, discredit and alter the course of the movement. The FBI also attempts to create division within the group and between MLK and his wife. What I also found interesting was how MLK was able to take the different factions within the Civil Rights movement (Malcolm X, student registration groups, freedom riders, etc.) and bring them together to create a stronger voice for change.
Character actor Tom Wilkinson (you've seen him in a million other movies) is simply brilliant as LBJ and I would love to see him in a spin off of this movie playing LBJ. He was simply brilliant and I found him the most compelling character whenever he was on screen. Tim Roth has a small role as Alabama Governor George Wallace and he too is very credible in his role. Oprah Winfrey has a modest role as a woman who tries to register to vote, but is turned away each time. Actor/Rapper Common has a small speaking role as a minister in Selma. Having lived in ATL for 20 years, I've hear the stories about the Civil Rights leaders, so it was interesting to see the characters who played Ralph David Abernathy, Andrew Young John Lewis and Hosea Williams.
The only exception I took was with the amount of media coverage during the first march on "Bloody Sunday." I may be wrong, but I don't recall the coverage as "in depth" and "breaking news" as was depicted in the movie. The media coverage served as a narrator into the events that happened on the bridge, but I thought it wasn't until the days following the incident that the media started covering the story.
I found the behind-the-scenes story of this movie very interesting, thought the characters were very believable and thought this movie deserved more awards recognition. Very good movie that I recommend highly. I give this one 8.5 out of 10 Sooner Schooners.
