Civil Rights Film Festival 2014

                      

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, our class explored the history of this era through speeches, art, music, theater, film, historiography and guest speakers. 

Period 2 watched the 1988 thriller, Mississippi Burning which is loosely based on the FBI investigation into the real-life murders of three civil rights workers in the state of Mississippi in 1964. Period 3 watched the classic 1967 crime drama, In the Heat of the Night starring the Sidney Poitier as a detective from Philadelphia who is assigned to a murder case in a racist Southern town. Period 6 watched Spike Lee’s 1992 Biographical Drama Malcolm X.    

*After reading the articles and considering the questions attached to each film, post a comment reviewing the film. 

Malcolm X - Period 6

1) Although Malcolm X has a blockbuster film and is very popular figure, some historians would argue that Thurgood Marshall or SNCC leader, Bob Moses was actually more important to the advancement of  civil rights. Evaluate this statement. In other words, what was Malcolm X’s legacy?  

2)Norman Jewison, the director of In the Heat of the Night (1967) was originally asked to direct a biopic on Malcolm X. Spike Lee argued that only an African-American could make this important film. In the end,Warner Brothers went with Lee, what do you think of Lee’s argument? 

3)What were the most powerful scenes in the film? Was there any memorable dialogue? 

4)During the film Denzel plays Malcolm Little, Detroit Red, Malcolm X, and el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz. Discuss his evolution and the key moments in each phase.  

5)After reading the two reviews below of Columbia University historian Manning Marable’s new biography, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, contrast Marable’s depiction of Malcolm X with Lee’s portrayal of him. Also, look at NYT review  by Toure’. 
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2011/04/25/110425crbo_books_remnick?currentPage=all

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/books/review/book-review-malcolm-x-by-manning-marable.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0


5) What do you think of the way Spike Lee started the film with video footage of the 1992 beating of Rodney King, while Denzel Washington, as Malcolm X, spoke in the background condemning white racism?

6) What do you think of the way Lee ended the film making a comparison between Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela? Is that a valid comparison?     

In the Heat of the Night - Period 3

             

1)This film won five Academy Awards, including the 1967 award for Best Picture. Do you think it was a great film? If so, why?

2)The evolving relationship between Chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger)and Detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) is one of the most compelling aspects of the film. Discuss their relationship.

3) The quote "They call me Mister Tibbs!" was listed as number 16 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes, a list of top film quotes. Why do you think it is so famous? 

4)Why do you think the scene where detective Tibbs slaps Eric Endicott caused so much controversy? Read the article below to find out the true story behind “one of the most revolutionary acts committed to film.”

b) Also, read about why Poitier was reluctant to shoot the film in the South and discuss your             reaction to his experience as a black actor in the Sixties. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/story-of-the-scene-in-the-heat-of-the-night-1967-1676905.html

5)How is Sidney Poitier’s character a radical departure from traditional depictions of African-American in film? Reference films we watched earlier such as D.W. Griffith The Birth of Nation and Gone With the Wind.

6)Many of you have recently watched Lee Daniel’s The Butler. Which film is more effective as a teaching tool in terms of understanding the civil rights era?

7) In the Heat of the Night came out the same year as Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner, which dealt with the controversial topic of interracial marriage. Interracial marriage was illegal in 17 states until June of 1967, six months before the film was released, when anti-miscegenation laws were invalidated by the Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia. We watched a powerful scene in which Dr. John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) has a huge fight with his father over his love for the Joanna Drayton. Are there any movies today that deal with contemporary racial tensions? Are there any African-American actors that have the stature, charisma and cultural influence that Poitier had in the Sixties?  

Mississippi Burning - Period 2

1) Was this film helpful in understanding the obstacles the civil rights activists faced in the South?

2) Many critics have criticized the film’s portrayal of the two fictional white FBI agents. They argue that the film’s depiction of passionate and heroic FBI agents in the film is in direct contrast to the FBI’s actual behavior during the time. Assess the validity of this statement. You may need to research J. Edgar Hoover’s relationship with the Civil Rights Movement to answer this question. For those of you went on the class trip to see the Broadway play All the Way  you could refer to the depiction of Hoover in contrast with Agent Ward.

3) Another criticism of the film was the portrayal of African-Americans in the film as passive victims. Is this a fair critique? Would a film have been popular at the box office if it focused instead on SNCC organizers like Bob Moses or Ivanhoe Donaldson?

4) What were the most powerful scenes from the film? Was there any memorable dialogue? What did you think of the director’s use of music?

Here is the NYT film review.

http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DE2DA1F30F937A35751C1A96E948260

Here is one by Roger Ebert.

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mississippi-burning-1988

Here is a great website that examines the trials of the murder suspects involved in the killing of Chaney, Schwerner and Goodman. Make sure to look at the recent updates.

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/price&bowers/Account.html