Hello Friends,
Let us continue to march forward through all eight Best Picture nominees for the 2015 Academy Awards- Selma is next on our list. (See what I did there? Because, I said we’re marching, and Selma is about…nevermind.)
Selma is a historical drama directed by Ava DuVernay, about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. It was nominated for four Golden Globes, and, to the outrage of many, just two Academy Awards – Best Picture and Best Original Song.
The story of Selma is simple, and straight forward. The film opens to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. accepting the Nobel Peace Prize award. We then see a church explode, with four young girls in it, then cut to an older woman, Annie Lee Cooper, being prevented from voting. It is clear that life in the south for African Americans isn’t quite as idyllic as it could be. There are plenty of concerns that plague southern blacks, but voting rights is the most important. Dr. King meets with President Lyndon Johnson about how important it is for the African American community to be able to register to vote, and although the Constitution reflects this, the reality is, many laws and tests are currently in place to prevent black voters from registering and exercising their new Constitutional rights. President Johnson does not agree that it’s time to tackle this issue with Congress, and presses Dr. King to wait. From here on out, the entire film is about Dr. King taking action alongside the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee of Selma, Alabama (SNCC) to get attention focused on the voter registration issue. Along the way, we see how difficult life is for Dr. King and his family, living at the center of a maelstrom of hate. I can’t quite spoil a historical event, so you should know that while there are blocks standing in Dr. King’s way, he does manage to march with thousands of others, and the three Selma marches eventually lead to the passing of the Voting Rights Act, a landmark federal achievement for the civil rights movement. My favorite part of the film is the very end, when the audience finds out facts about what happened to the various members of the march and movement after the movie is over. I was horrified to know that one woman died just five hours after the end of Dr. MLK’s speech, while driving some of the marchers back to wherever they came from. Because, hate.
Selma is a compelling, extremely well made film. I clearly have no shame, so obviously I bawled throughout most of the film. I probably couldn’t explain exactly WHY I was bawling, since much of the film isn’t particularly sad. It is moving, heartfelt, earnest, and a well told story (more on this later), but it’s not sad. The two acting performances to be discussed are, of course, David Oyelowo as Dr. King, and Tom Wilkinson, who played LBJ (and whom I remembered as the villain in Batman Begins). I’m not sure that I would have imagined Dr. King the way Oyelowo imagined him, but the performance was fairly strong. Oyelowo’s portrayal of Dr. King struck me as particularly solemn and serious. His relationship with his wife, Coretta Scott King (played by Carmen Ejogo) seemed to be incredibly strained, although this could be because this time in their lives the relationship was strained, or because the actors themselves didn’t have much chemistry. Either way, it worked in their favor. I felt perhaps during the speech-making parts, Oyelowo could have been a bit more connected- it seemed less impassioned than what I was expecting, considering the source material. Oyelowo spends the entire film looking and sounding tired. I mean, yes I bet Dr. King was pretty exhausted, but he probably had a few more facial expressions than the ones we got to see on Oyelowo’s face. The internet practically exploded when Oyelowo was snubbed for Best Actor, and really when the entire film was snubbed for every other important award aside from Best Picture, but having seen all of the Best Picture nominated films, I can say that there were other actors who gave stronger performances. I realize this is the thing no one is supposed to say, but I expected better. I mean, this is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most important men in American History.
I most loved Tom Wilkinson as LBJ. Critics of the film have complained that President Lyndon B. Johnson’s character was smeared during the film, as he is portrayed as quite against everything Dr. King is working towards in the film, to the point where one wonders how much of a Democrat he really is. I have a good many opinions about LBJ and the choices he made during his presidency, especially on the topic of the Vietnam War, but I liked getting to see him struggle with juggling the responsibilities he has to the entire country; trying to decide which issues should be set before Congress now, which should come later, and of course watching his tumultuous relationship with Dr. King was fascinating. I wasn’t aware they were so “close” (when I say that, I mean that they spoke so often, and with such familiarity to one another).
So if the acting performances aren’t the most stellar part of Selma, what is? As crazy as it seems, the actual historical events of the film carry the story along quite well. Of course, strong acting chops and a phenomenal production team are essential. This goes without saying. If the film weren’t well made, we wouldn’t be talking about it. But the thing I loved the most about Selma was Selma! I found myself transfixed on the events that transformed this town over such a short span of time. The characters themselves are dynamic- the students of SNCC (pronounced “snick”) frustrated with Dr. King and the SCLC showing up and “stealing their show”, J. Edgar Hoover insisting the FBI track Dr. King’s every move and bug all of their communication devices, the bravery of Annie Lee Cooper, or the horrifying death of Jimmie Lee Jackson (seriously, so upsetting). This moment in history is fraught with so much action, it requires so little to be thrilling, to be beautiful, to be emotional and rich. All of the material has been provided.
Selma is a great film. It’s well made. There are any number of beautifully shot sequences, with good writing, and strong performances from the actors, even if they’re not my favorites of the eight nominees. My question is, is Selma good enough as a film, standing on its own, to win Best Picture? I’m not sure it is- it leans quite heavily on the subject material, and on the fact that Americans have a hard time not nominating racially charged films for Best Picture. It tends to make people feel guilty. Go, and decide for yourself, and take your family. There are a number of hugely impactful conversations to be had around the events of Selma, Alabama in 1965. Teachers, show this film in your U.S. History class. The dramatization of the events surrounding Selma are enough to liven up your least interested students. And then, come back to read more from me as we make our way to the 87th annual Academy Awards.
Live, Love, Learn,
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