GEORGE WALLACE

GEORGE WALLACE - 1997 (TV)

RATED - NR but probably PG-13/R for a scene of sexuality (passionate embracing on the bed clothed), violence in scenes of racial protest, various foul language of all sorts and cigar and cigarette smoking and drinking by almost all major characters. No nudity or sexual scenes except above. Mature teens and above.

RATINGS - 12 Amazon (4/5), 2,801 Netflix (3.5/5), 601 IMDB (7.5/10).

STARRING - Gary Sinise (Wallace), Mare Winningham (1st Mrs. Wallace), Angelina Jolie (2nd Mrs. Wallace), Clarence Williams III, directed by John Frankenheimer.

AWARDS - Three EMMY'S for OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR, OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR, OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS (Winningham). Jolie was nominated for an Emmy and won a Golden Globe for her supporting role and there were many other nominations and wins in various categories.

THEMES - Racial prejudice, hatred, reconciliation, forgiveness, justice.

STORY - The film begins with Wallace and second wife, Cornelia (Jolie), passionately embracing on the bed. It seems an odd beginning but as we learn later, this would be the last or one of the last times George Wallace experienced any physical pleasure. The movie then begins a series of flashbacks and flash forwards of the life of this man who become such a lightning rod for the civil rights movement in America. He came to represent what so many saw as what was wrong with the South and their policies of segregation. Wallace's campaign slogan became 'segregation now, segreation tomorrow, segregation forever'. Was he a true racist or a populist who played the cards he thought would get him elected. He ran for governor of Alabama four times and for president four times. Many thought he had a serious chance to be elected President before the assassination attempt. This would have been the reverse of what happened in 2008, only 36 years earlier. Is this a summary of how far our country has come in the last four decades or was Wallace simply a political aberration? This is an outstanding film, the acting (especially Sinise) is terrific and it gives a balanced picture of this unusual politician. George Wallace is a very real part of American history and anyone under 40, especially, should watch this to understand why the subject of racism, while different than the 60's, has not gone away. There are actual archival scenes of civil rights protest mixed in the film. It is a three hour mini-series, not the 370 minutes it says on Netflix. Well worth watching to get a fair picture of this man and the period of civil rights struggles in our country. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 07/12/2009.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB

PASSING GLORY

PASSING GLORY - 1999 (TV)

RATED - Not rated but probably PG for language and thematic elements.

RATINGS - 4 Amazon (5/5), 1,489 Netflix (3.4/5), 143 IMDB (6.6/10).

STARRING - Andre Braugher, Rip Torn, Ruby Dee, Sean Squire

AWARDS - Nominated for the HUMANITAS PRIZE in 1999.

THEMES - Relationships, justice, racial discrimination, reconciliation.

STORY - This made for TV movie is based on a true story. It's 1965 in New Orleans and St. Augustine's Catholic High School (boys) does an admirable job of educating young men from the black community and preparing them for life ..... in the black community. They know their place and their limitations. They were turned down by a vote of 185-11 to be a member of the Louisiana State High School Athletic Association so they must continue to compete against other black schools. They have never played a white school in their history. They can only wonder how their championship teams would compete against the white champions. This is all about to change when Father Verrett, a black priest from Baltimore is transferred to St. Augustine. He grew up in New Orleans but has tasted freedom in the North. He doesn't have the patience to be passive while the white community decides the fate of the black community. Father Verrett turns the school, students and parents into an activist community that is willing to take on the system, albeit pretty reluctantly, having already experienced the retaliation of some whites. The film builds to a climax of the first ever racially mixed high school basketball game in New Orleans. Another terrific film about the struggle of black Americans for the equal rights guaranteed to all citizens but at that time only available if you had the correct skin color. The acting is excellent and the screenplay was written by an actual member of the 1965 team, veteran actor Harold Sylvester. Magic Johnson was an executive producer. An overlooked TNT gem. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 03/22/2009.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB

THE LONG WAY HOME

THE LONG WALK HOME - 1990

RATED - PG for some language and some non-graphic violence toward African-Americans.

RATINGS - 41 Amazon (4.5/5), 870 IMDB (7.2/10), 82,715 Netflix (3.8/5), Roger Ebert (3.5/4).

STARRING - Whoopi Goldberg, Sissy Spacek.

THEMES - Racial discrimination, non-violent protest, loyalty, family, civil rights.

STORY - It's 1955 in Montgomery and the Rosa Parks incident has precipitated the bus strike by African-Americans against the City of Montgomery. The film BOYCOTT does an excellent job of telling the overall story of the strike and the people organizing it. THE LONG WALK HOME is the story of two people directly involved in the strike. No one thought it would go on for over a year. Most African-Americans relied on public transportation for getting to work and Odessa Cotter (Goldberg), who worked as a domestic in the home of Miriam Thompson (Spacek), paid her fare in the front of the bus and got off to enter and sit in the back of the bus to ride the 9 miles each way to the Thompson home. The Thompsons were upper middle class socialites whose lives centered around the Country Club, entertaining, and Norman Thompson's successful real estate development business. Miriam, without telling her very segregationist husband, initially picks up Dessa a couple times a week, more for her own benefit than Dessa's but as the strike wears on and it becomes more and more contentious, Miriam begins to understand the pain of the African-Americans and puts her marriage and physical safety on the line by getting involved in driving Dessa back and forth as well as driving for the car pool. Goldberg does a great job of restraining her usual overpowering personality in this film so that you really feel the pain of walking 9 miles each way only to come home and do all over what you've been doing at work all day. Even if you know the story of the boycott this is worth watching to better understand how it played out at the individual level for both whites and blacks. Another reminder of a very sad chapter in American history. Let us all pray that we never treat people as 'possessions' again and that we work to rid our world of racial discrimination wherever we find it. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 02/23/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, TRAILER, ROGER EBERT