The film opens up with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
And the rest of the film revolves around the march for equal voting rights for African-Americans, from the small town of Selma, Alabama to the state’s capital in Montgomery.
This was an extremely toxic time in our nation’s history. Black men and women were being murdered in the South just for the color of their skin and no one was being held accountable for any of these atrocities.
White men of power (specifically police and sheriffs) were covering up for the brutal beatings of our fellow human beings. Black people were being massacred in the streets (sometimes by the authorities) and no one was even being arrested, let alone being tried for their crimes.
It was an ugly time for America.
In one of the most powerful scenes in the film, four young black girls are walking down a set of stairs in their church. They were being little girls, no different from your sisters or daughters. They were talking about their dresses and their hair and anything little 10 year old girls like to talk about.
Fifteen seconds later you see one of the most disturbing scenes that I’ve ever seen in any film. A bomb explodes, blowing the girls through walls, railings and concrete. After the slow-motion footage of this explosion shows the little girls flying through the air like ragdolls, you see and overview of the carnage. All you see is rubble. All you see is devastation… And then all you see is four little girls buried in the debris. It was one haunting scene that stayed with me throughout the entire film.
This is what was going on in the 60’s to black people.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist for the rights of the African-American race. Dr. King went down to Selma to push for the rights for blacks to vote. To vote without fear of being attacked. To vote without having to have a white person vouch for them. (Yes, in order for black people to vote they needed a white person to validate them.)
This truly was a disgusting time in America.
There was also corruption in all corners of politics. For the most part, congress was all white. Local legislature was all white. Every high ranking official was white. How could the black race move forward?
Dr. King did so much. He would often talk to President Lyndon B. Johnson, never getting anywhere with him. LBJ wanted to fight the poverty issue over this voting issue.
Dr. King knew that this issue had to be dealt with, and dealt with right away.
Dr. King had a plan. His plan was to negotiate, demonstrate, and resist. Dr. King did not want violence to be part of his plan. He knew that violence would only hinder his work.
Dr. King planned a march from Selma, across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and onward to Montgomery. There were thousands of African-Americans involved in this march. As soon as they got over the bridge they were beaten by the local authorities. Beaten to a pulp. It was sickening to watch.
This was seen by millions who watched it live on television.
Dr. King and his men would again march over that bridge, this time with tens of thousands of people (maybe more, I’m not sure.). And this time there were white people and all other ethnicities marching with them. These people saw the senseless acts of terrorism being beaten into these innocent human beings and couldn’t sit back and let it happen.
Again, they were met by the authorities. This time the police cleared the way to let them march through. King knelt on that bridge, prayed for a moment, thought for a moment, and then turned the march around and sent everyone home.
It was the most powerful thing Dr. King could have done. It took me a few minutes to figure out why he had done it, but in the end it was the right thing to do.
The march would later take place and it was incredible.
Just an incredibly powerful film.
Let’s talk about the acting in this film.
So many exceptional acting roles were portrayed in this film, but I’m going to stick to just a few.
Tom Wilkinson played Lyndon B. Johnson. Now this is something I didn’t know, but LBJ was a racist. (Or at least that’s how he was portrayed in this film.) Now, I’m not sure if he was or wasn’t in real life, but the way Mr. Wilkinson played him was outstanding. He was rough, gruff, mean, and determined. The character of LBJ was bad, but the acting was stupendous.
Tim Roth played Alabama Governor, George Wallace. Now this guy was a racist. I’m not even sure these people even knew they were being racist. Either way, Tim Roth delivered. They needed a bad, evil man, and surely, Roth gave it to them.
David Oyelowo played Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Trust me on this, no-one, not even the best casting agent in Hollywood could’ve gotten a better actor for this role. Mr. Oyelowo looked the part and played the part to perfection. His mannerisms were spot on. His hand gestures carried as well as his voice did. And his speeches? Well, they sent shivers up my spine. He had a number of long, forceful speeches during the film and each one grabbed a hold of me and wouldn’t let go.
I’m not speaking from naivety when it comes to Dr. King. He is a hero of mine. But my love for Dr. King came before I really even knew much about him. I learned of Dr. King because, in the eight grade I entered a public speaking contest at my school. I picked Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. I would sit up at night with my mother, learning that speech, word for word. I loved that time I spent with my mother. She was the one who told me what he was all about. I loved that my mother loved Dr. King and in turn that made me fall in love with Dr. King myself.
He is one of the strongest men I have ever learned about in my life. A man with that determination, that perseverance, and that dedication and commitment can never be held down.
And for this, he is truly one of my greatest heroes.
Unfortunately, I only took second place in my public speaking contest… But still to this day I quote paragraphs from that famous speech.
So there you have it, another one of the great films of 2014.
It’s a movie that needs to be seen.
Matthew W. Kelley, reporting.
mattywkelley.com
Fact: “Selma” is the first ever theatrically released biopic of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Matty Fact: I’d like to think (and I hope) that I would’ve had the courage to stand up and march alongside Dr. King and his crusade for equality. But I also truly believe that it was an extremely difficult decision for so many people to stand up for the equal rights of ALL human beings at that time. It was a scary time. I admire the courage that so many men and women put forth to achieve this goal. (and still strive for today.)