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.
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