El largo camino a casa

I saw this film by chance, was flipping through the movie channels one day and the description of it appealed to me. Goldberg is absolutely superb in this powerful film showing what it was like for black people at that time in Montgomery, Alabama. A good lesson to young people, or any person that does not fully know what black people had to put up with.

I forget when I saw the film or where, but it stayed with me. I really feel the film never got its appropriate praise or fan fair, but maybe some films are meant to be discovered by people as hidden gems and aren't meant to be touted as classics. Though I feel this one is.

I felt that Whoopi Goldberg and Sissy Spacek were the cornerstones of the film and deepened the work by providing three dimensional characters that had more to do than just worry about a cause. They had lives to lead and families to raise and the film focuses on their daily living and how they lived it with this larger situation going on around them.

This choice of direction brings us into the story much quicker because it focuses on the people and the impact the situation has on them.

What stays with me is the subtlety and how small gestures can have a great impact.

My favorite movies are about people. Real people interest me more than perfect people. This movie kept me interested.

I bought this film on clearance and when I saw the $7.99 price tag I thought to myself - 'This is worth so much more' And it is!

This movie should be shown to every White person over the age of 16! The reason I say that is because it tells the cold, hard truth of what Blacks had to go through back in the 60's and it's not sugarcoated at all. It's not being said to make people feel guilty over something that they probably never took part in, but to educate people in what most public school systems DON'T teach about. As someone of primarily Native American descent who considers themselves pretty educated about Black history, I myself was very shocked and saddened at the brutality that Black Americans had to face (and still do at times). A picture (or movie) is worth a thousand words. This movie would be educational to everyone who views it. I would definitely recommend this movie to others.

The real life, 1955, bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama provides the backdrop for this fictional story about an upper middle class white homemaker named Miriam Thompson (Sissy Spacek) who gradually becomes disenchanted with racial segregation. Her changed attitude comes about as a direct result of her Black maid, a woman of deep moral principles named Odessa Cotter (Whoopi Goldberg).

Odessa normally would take the bus to work. But she supports the boycott, and therefore chooses to walk the long distance from her shabby house to the manicured, suburban Thompson home. Yet, despite several incidences wherein Southern whites display their hatred of the boycott and of Blacks in general, Odessa, with the support of her own family and her religious faith, maintains a respectful and thoughtful attitude toward Miriam and the Thompson family. The story is told in retrospect, from the viewpoint of Miriam's daughter, Mary Catherine (Lexi Randall), who was seven years old at the time.

There is nothing subtle about this slow paced story. It is forceful and frank. The overt hatred by Southern whites toward Blacks is palpable. In no character is this odious racial superiority more evident than in Miriam's cigar chomping brother-in-law, Tunker (well played by Dylan Baker).

But Miriam and Odessa relate to each other as individuals, not as members of some group. Perceptive and sensitive, Miriam comes to understand that Southern racist attitudes, those feelings and emotions she grew up with, are passed down through generations. "You just don't question it", she tells Odessa, apologetically.

Both Miriam and Odessa are multi-dimensional and sufficiently unique to give the story depth of characterization. The acting is fine. Whoopi Goldberg in particular gives a great performance, along with the always reliable Sissy Spacek. The film's production design and period costumes are credible. Lighting is subdued. I liked the background gospel music, but I could have wished for even more. "We're Marching To Zion" not only is a great gospel hymn; it's also the film's theme.

Technically well made, "The Long Walk Home" has value mostly as historical perspective on an important contemporary social issue. As such, the film's message is just as relevant now as it was fifty years ago.

I'm a freshman in high school, and at the moment, we're studying the chronicles of civil rights in my history class. My teacher showed this film to us, and it excited me at first, 'cause I've always thought Whoopi Goldberg was awesome and I've always enjoyed her films. This was no exception. Movies shown in school tend to be boring, bland and uninteresting. So most of the time, when movies are shown, we take it as an opportunity to catch up on sleep. This movie however, kept our heads up the entire time. We were interested, intrigued, and dying to know what would happen next. It was both thought provoking, entertaining, awe inspiring, and it's even to safe to say, highly addictive. My teacher showed the film in 40 minutes intervals, as this how long each class period is and we were always stuck in our seats after the bell rang, wanting to watch more. It made us look forward to coming to class. It's an excellent, excellent movie, that I enjoyed and learned a lot from.

* * * *