The Truth, Marching On

"How long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne?" Somebody’s asking, "When will wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Selma and Birmingham and communities all over the South, be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men?"

(Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Address at the conclusion of the March from Selma).

Even if this past year hadn't been the year in which we were witness to the acquittal of police officers that killed unarmed black men and boys, Selma would still be a forceful call for a nation to re-examine itself on the ignominy that is racism. But it was that year, so this movie is tenfold an invocation to remember the struggle for justice and equality and to act against it, in the vein of the non-violent movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Oprah Winfrey as Annie Lee Cooper in Selma

Director Ava DuVernay’s film could not have come at a more important juncture in the history of this country, when fifty years after the march in Selma, Alabama for the right to vote, which is shown in the movie, this right continues to be threatened for people of color, to the point that the President of the United States’ Justice Department has filed suit against Texas and North Carolina to block voter laws that so discriminate. It comes at a moment when black boys and men continue to be profiled and justice continues to be “wounded”. There are still too many people in this nation whose right to decide over their lives and destiny is still at peril because of the color of their skin, and too many others that continue to live the lie that is white supremacy and the shame that is racism.

I confess that mine is not an impartial view of the subject matter dealt with in this movie. What’s more, I am quite a strong admirer of Dr. King. I have visited his birth place and where he now rests; I have visited the spot where he was shot, seen the rifle that killed him in body; visited the long awaited monument to this leader in Washington. I was, therefore, excited and at the same time apprehensive about one of the first major movies made about Dr. King and such an important moment in the struggle for equality. Would it do him and the movement he led justice?

I was, of course, very pleased to hear that the director behind this challenging task was Ava DuVernay, an African American woman director who had already won Sundance praise for her previous film Middle of Nowhere. I was curious to see why she chose British actor David Oyelowo to play Dr. King. True that they had worked together in her previous film and she was well aware of his talent.

Well, I can say, with much emotion that Ms. DuVernay’ film surpassed my expectations. This is a tremendous and transcendent movie that not only captures the complexity of what transpired around the march in Selma, but brings it to our days. There is no way to watch this movie without drawing the necessary parallels to what occurs today.

David Oyelowo emobies Dr. King to the point you feel you are in the presence of this great leader and not the actor who portrays him. We have seen enough videos of Dr. King to know who astonishingly well this actor has been able to bring him to life in this film.

It is maybe still an expression of hegemony that is present in the press that a “controversy” has arisen over how Ms. DuVernay portrayed President Johnson. With respect to this character, I would maybe concede that another actor, one with the thick, Texan accent that LBJ had, should have played Johnson instead of British Tom Wilkinson, but this is the only change I think could have been made. I think historians forget the legacy of this conservative democrat, too close to J. Edgar Hoover and too involved in sending troops to Vietnam for anyone’s liking, when they protest the film.  If anything, he is shown quite in the hero’s light when, standing before the American flag, gives his speech to Congress ending in with the protest song “we shall overcome”.

Tom Wilkinson and David Oyelowo

It is a moving film, as it should be. But it is more than just the subject matter that is dealt with. Everything in the film works well: the acting, the screenplay, the cinematography, and the score. It is a beautiful tribute to those that died for this struggle for equality, beginning with Dr. King; a remarkable portrayal of Dr. King in all his humanness; and a forceful reminder that this history is too recent to think that this struggle is over. 

Dr. King and Mrs. Coretta Scott King - Selma