Selma Reaction:
By: Bridget Robinson
In the film, "Selma", the audience is shown events that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement that took place in the 1950's. This movie goes into detail to depict the struggles of the movements leader, Martin Luther King Jr., as well as showing his accomplishments. I was surprised to learn how gruesome and violent some of the events that occurred were. Beyond the major themes throughout this movie, it reminds the audience that our freedom comes at a cost and to not take our rights and safety for granted. This film also creates a tribute to those who have given their lives to get America to the equal social standard it is at today and not have these heroes be forgotten. This film is about reminding the audience that all are created equally and the kind of effort so many individuals gave to support this movement.
I do really like this film because of it's historical accuracy and how it tugs at the heart strings of the audience in an effort to prevent this kind of unfortunate event from happening again. Some parts of the movie seemed to drag on and there was more dialogue than I prefer at some parts but the scene at the Montgomery bridge was beautifully acted out and put together and having actual footage of the event also included recaptured my attention and made-up for the less exciting parts of the film. Another scene from the movie that really sparked my interest was in the very beginning when the children were bombed in the church. The was the first time the audience was shown a dramatic, horrific scene and gave them an idea of what this movie's theme would encompass. The threatening phone calls Mrs. King received gave a more realistic and personal appeal to the movie and added suspense to the overall feel of that moment.
Having grown up with my best friend being African American, this film really hit home for me. It made me ponder the thought of how my life might have turned out differently had I grown up during this time period and if I ever would have met my best friend. My prior knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement before this film was quite extensive, being that I took in-depth history courses in high school, so the accuracy of this film was very easy for me to tell and did help me to shape my evaluation of this film.
I would have to agree with most of your post. I feel the movie did a great job with making you feel the frustration of the main characters as well as the hate some people felt. I would definitely agree that having a stronger background with the Civil Rights movement made it easier to understand certain parts of the movie and I think that it went deep enough without the background as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the bridge was a very well-acted out scene; letting the audience understand what these people were facing was interesting. I think that this part of the movie was the big turning point because of the meaning held behind the scene. The government wasn’t giving African Americans the rights they wanted and now the whole world would finally be able to see it.
ReplyDeleteI also thought about how different people’s lives would be if this movement didn’t pass. Would we still be fighting the same battle of discrimination and racism? Would the United States be the same and as strong as it is today without African Americans being able to vote? African Americans being able to be part of the government and vote has had major impacts on the United States. I like how you related this movie back to your own life and your childhood. I think that it lets you understand a deeper meaning of the movie because of your personal experiences.