Eyes on the Prize

In a world where black children search for pride on street corners, and find their idols in drugged out athletes, absent fathers, idiots and zombies, in these television hours lie little glimpses of hope, shining examples of the people who fought and died for love of the future. I make it a point to watch this program at least once a year and show it to anyone who seems to have even a passing interest in tomorrow. Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Fannie Lou Hamer, The black Panther Party, busing in Boston, political mobilization in Chicago, the fight for freedom has never been given such a detailed depiction. This film is an encyclopedia of black pride and should not only be seen, but should be seen as often as is necessary to restore freedom and democracy to this country.

The late Henry Hampton, director of "Eyes on the Prize," was one of the finest human beings I've ever known. It's bittersweet to read of the licensing challenges faced by Henry's Boston company, Blackside, Inc. That might prove, however, that one cannot "keep a good man and his film down." Eighteen years ago Henry had me doing paperwork for him including transcribing the equivalent of dailies. "All Hours Typing," my Cambridge company, had other employees; but for Henry, I usurped the privilege to type, eyes on monitor, earphones on, at points where spirituals swelled up, spirits soared on screen--breath taking and moving then and now. Then to find later that Henry was one of those "still waters that ran deep"-- having been the key public information player for the broad minded Unitarian Universalist church. This documentary is not only great film making but a tribute to his memory and the Blackside team listed on IMDb plus Judy Richardson, Frank Galvin, and Josh Gordon.

In 1987 I saw the Eyes on the Prize series in it's ENTIRETY.

Those too young to remember or those not. Yet born don't know that the history from this documentary is Missing the years following 1965. Why?

The public libraries have removed those years after 1965 from the shelves. Why? I decided to give Part One 10 stars because it is deserving.

Where's Part 2? And Why is it kept from this generation? Tell them. I know exactly Why.. In the series following 1965 there's a shift and split between the King Nonviolent ideologies and SNCC. Stokely Carmichael challenges King

The Watts riots takes place. Nonviolent strategies are questioned by a younger generation. The war in Vietnam is called into question by Dr. King. In 1966 or 7 he visits Cicero in Chicago where he's met with people who are more violent than in the South..

The Black Panther Party arrives in the seen after jung is assassinated. My children...Thank God had the chance to know and learn about the missing documentary. It's unfortunate this generation won't.

I have seen parts of the series in no fewer than 3 academic classes of varrying topics during my time at Pepperdine University. This outstanding series is professional to the core, attracting the biggest names of the day to give interviews (from both Civil Rights fighters to pro-segregationists) and give an honest look at the moment in the 1950's and 1960's. Powerfully moving, it brings me to tears each time I watch certain scenes. As comprehensive as any documentary I've seen, Eyes on the Prize gives the low down on the movement, its highs and lows, and provides a very real perspective on why the events played out as they did. A winner in every sense, I give the PBS produced Eyes on the Prize a 10/10 without a second thought.

Kudos for the series.

"Eyes on the Prize" is an amazingly good and very thorough series about the civil rights movement in America from 1954-1965. While lots of shows have been made about this over the years, this one is the one to watch because of its length and breadth. Now I am not saying it's perfect--it could use an updating and doesn't really talk about the treatment of Black Americans before the mid-1950s and probably would have been better had it covered the late 60s...but it's still terrific. The shows are filled with lots of archival footage, interviews and nice narration. The shows are also very compelling--and well worth your time--and very educational. Great for kids and those not old enough to remember this turbulent time--a time we should all try to remember. See this one.