Sender: Mark Lytle <lytle@bard.edu>
Subject: Re: Civil Rights Films?
Within the last few years, the 1964 film "Nothing But A Man" was released in
video. It is not explicitly a civil rights film, but raises powerful
issues in a way guaranteed to stir discussion. Some Vietnam War films
like Platoon also raise some civil rights issues, but as a secondary
agenda.
Mark Lytle
Bard College
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[2]
Sender: rchristo@toto.csustan.edu (Renny Christopher)
Subject: Re: Civil Rights Films?
If you mean feature films, unfortunately, no, I can't. There aren't any.
"Panther," is interesting, and there was a good discussion of it on this
list when it was released, but it's a desert out there. And don't anybody
even say "Mississippi Burning," which makes the FBI the hero of the Civil
Rights movement. "Thunderheart," about the incident at Pine Ridge, is good,
although it's not about AIM per se.
There are many good documentaries, "Eyes on the Prize" being the most
widely distributed.
Renny Christopher
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[3]
Sender: Nina Daneshvar <nadanesh@ea.oac.uci.edu>
Subject: Re: Civil Rights Films?
>
> Not sure if you mean movies FROM the civil rights era, or movies about the
> civil rights era, but if the latter, I think the Eyes on the Prize series (all
> 14 1-hour videos) is unsurpassedly excellent. And I think you may be able to
> get them from Blockbuster or another big commercial video place (even in
> Orange County!...?)
>
> Ted Morgan
>
Ted,
Either from or about the civil rights era. I'm not too particular, as
long as they are quality videos and don't communicate the rubbish so
often found in videos around Orange County. Typically, the videos around
here seem to paint a picture of "evil" protestors making outlandish
claims about injustice and portray members of the "establishment" (for
lack of a better word) as egalitarian, justice-seeking saints who are
(woe is me!) forced to tolerate the demands of the satanic liberals.
I saw the Eyes on the Prize series and I didn't find it controversial.
Am I missing something?
Nina
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[4]
Sender: pdn@cunyvms1.gc.cuny.edu
Subject: RE: Civil Rights Films?
Here are a few significant civil rights films made during the civil
rights era:
Pinky (ca. 1949)
Gentlemen's Agreement (ca. 1949)
Blackboard Jungle (ca. 1955)
A Raisin in the Sun (ca. 1963)
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (ca. 1965)
There was also a film version (done about 1964 or 1965) of
Ossie Davis' play _Purlie Victorious_. The title has slipped
my mind, but you can probably find it in any good video guide,
indexed under Ossie Davis.
Few truly controversial films about civil rights were made during
the civil rights era. The theatre, however, produced civil rights
shows by the dozen, and many of these are in print: try, for example,
James Baldwin's _Blues for Mister Charlie_.
Paul Nadler, Ph.D.
pdn@cunyvms1.gc.cuny.edu
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[5]
Sender: "Sharon Johnson (NDS)" <sjohnso1@soleil.acomp.usf.edu>
Subject: Re: Civil Rights Films?
Nina,
The Long Walk Home with Whoopi Goldberg and Sissy Spacek is an
excellent film that focuses on the bus boycott and the dynamics
of interpersonal relations between Black and Whites during the 60's.
Sharon