Selma (2014)

From blackwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Selma was released on January 9, 2014, in the USA. The American biography film was produced by Pathé and released by Paramount Pictures. The movie storyline is written by Paul Webb, and directed by Ava DuVernay. "Selma" the rare studio movie directed by an African American woman, went on to win an Oscar for best original song ("Glory" by Common and John Legend). The main character is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was portrayed by David Oyelowo. The movie depicts a history of the initiative of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to obtain equal voting rights through an epic march in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

Plot

SelmaMarch.jpg

When the South was officially segregated by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, racism was still common in some areas, making it very difficult for blacks to register to vote. In 1965, the fight for equal rights had created the city of Alabama into the battleground. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his supporters, facing violent resistance, pushed ahead on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts resulted in the signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act by President Lyndon Johnson.

Controversy

The scenes in a resistance drama by Ava DuVernay are played in a stately, yet interpersonal style. Of the thousands of demonstrators marching peacefully through the segregated streets of Alabama, the most important pictures are. "Ava's film reminds people that no change has ever happened in America without a movement, and struggle and that it is never easy,"[1] said writer-activist Kevin Powell, whose latest essay book, "When We Free The World," had been published in 2014. Together with would-be supporters and future Congressman John Lewis, you will imagine what it would have been like being on the front lines, trying to stand up to a crowd of state police carrying firearms, electric cattle prods, and sticks.

References