Selma
Go! A big film about an even bigger subject.
Stirring civil rights drama
To say that Martin Luther King was an influential person is quite an understatement. In modern history, there are few people who have had such a lasting and profound impact on our world, so it is perhaps surprising how few films have been made about him. While many have covered the civil rights movement of the 1960s (The Help, The Butler, Malcolm X), there is yet to be a definitive mainstream biopic that focusses on its most prominent leader. Selma might just be it.
It is set in 1965, when the civil rights movement had already been successful in winning more rights for black Americans via the Civil Rights Act, a year earlier. Nonetheless, black people were still prevented from exercising many of those rights, particularly in the southern States. This took MLK to protest in the town of Selma, Alabama; where black people had the right to vote, but were prevented from registering to do so by nefarious, racist local law enforcement and civil servants. The battle lines were set and the fight played out on televisions across the USA, climaxing with the notorious "Bloody Sunday" attack on Emmund Pettus Bridge, where peaceful protesters were brutally attacked by police with whips, batons and tear gas. Selma concentrates on the protests, but also attempts to look behind them and into the lives of MLK and the people that orchestrated the marches.
It is set in 1965, when the civil rights movement had already been successful in winning more rights for black Americans via the Civil Rights Act, a year earlier. Nonetheless, black people were still prevented from exercising many of those rights, particularly in the southern States. This took MLK to protest in the town of Selma, Alabama; where black people had the right to vote, but were prevented from registering to do so by nefarious, racist local law enforcement and civil servants. The battle lines were set and the fight played out on televisions across the USA, climaxing with the notorious "Bloody Sunday" attack on Emmund Pettus Bridge, where peaceful protesters were brutally attacked by police with whips, batons and tear gas. Selma concentrates on the protests, but also attempts to look behind them and into the lives of MLK and the people that orchestrated the marches.
However, like The Help (a truly disappointing film), and to a lesser extent, The Butler, at times there is a type of romanticism of events that detracts from the painful reality. For this, the performance of David Oyelowo as MLK is as much a problem as it the solution. Much has been made of the Academy's decision not to #nom him for Best Actor, but in many ways it is possible to see why they didn't. Although Oyelowo delivers some truly exhilarating pieces of acting, MLK's character is shown to be rather one-dimensional; as a consistently magnanimous preacher. While this works wonderfully during MLK's rousing speeches or when facing an attack from lawmakers, in the quieter moments, the film becomes very rhetorical, with wordy, over thought-out dialogue. While MLK may indeed have always spoken like he "had a dream", even when chatting to his friends; on screen it causes the story to drag heavily at times and lack the different shades and dynamics that help to keep a character interesting. Selma dances around the idea that MLK was simply an ordinary man behind all of his heroism, but sadly, never really gets there.
That said, while the "behind the scenes" parts of MLK's "real" life and character feel a bit purposeless, the film is still extremely powerful overall. Its true value comes when it sticks to well-recorded events, and recreates the fierce campaign to gain rights for voters with the stoic MLK leading the charge. In general, too little is made of the civil rights movement and how horrific yet majestic it was. This gives films such as this a social importance beyond mere entertainment, and in this respect, Selma does itself justice.
So go. Be entertained, be educated, be inspired.
So go. Be entertained, be educated, be inspired.
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