Le chemin de la liberté

THE ROSA PARKS STORY, in my opinion, is an outstanding biopic about one of the greatest civil rights leaders of all time. The performances were smashing, the soundtrack was great, and the casting was just right. Anyway, if you ask me, it was cruel that Rosa (Angela Bassett) had to give up her bus seat after a long day at work. I would probably take a stand myself if I were in her shoes. However, she managed to make something out of it. If you want to know what that something is, you'll have to see the movie. In conclusion, if you are a die-hard fan of Angela Bassett, I heartily recommend this outstanding biopic about one of the greatest civil rights leaders of all time. You're in for a real treat and a good time, so don't miss this one.

I just got through watching this movie, and I must say that I was quite surprised. Angela Bassett was wonderful as MRS Parks, and so was Cicely Tyson, who played her mother. If you don't do anything else for Black History Month, please watch this movie, it's well worth it!

Angela Bassett really does an excellent job of portraying this strong yet gentle woman who stood up for what was right. She was not the first to refuse t give up her bus seat but hers was the one that got things to change. America should be rightly ashamed of their history and how they treated black people in the not so distant past ( those vile attitudes still exist in the minds of many, especially in the southern states )

Just what goes through a mans mind to expect a woman of any colour to give him her seat is beyond my thinking ( fortunately ) And the way she was treated when trying to get to vote is shameful ( some would say that still happens today, look at the illegality of what happened in Florida when Bush Jr stole the Presidency )

Americans you should hang your heads in shame. Watch this film and learn from it.

The performance of Angela Bassett and the other actors in the movie was great. They portrayed the parts of the story that most people do not know. It brought out so many emotions, I could hardly control them. Like Rosa, I'd refuse to leave my seat, [or rather my sofa], as well.

In continuing to review in chronological order the achievements of African-Americans in film and television for Black History Month, we're now at 2002 with The Rosa Parks Story, written by Paris Qualles, directed by Julie Dash, and starring Angela Bassett who also serves as an executive producer. We follow the woman born Rosa McCauley's life story from when she was a child (as played by Charde Manzy) attending an all-colored-(as they were described as then)girls Catholic school with a Caucasian female teacher to her marriage to Raymond Parks (Peter Francis James) to her first confrontation with the mean white bus driver (Sonny Shroyer in a role very much different from deputy 'Dipstick' Enos on "The Dukes of Hazzard") to her arrest from that same driver with police backup. That first scene with Shroyer was really frightening with the way he treats her when she refuses to go to the back entrance to get back on because of the hard rain outside. Another intense scene is one that takes place after the famous incident when Rosa answers the phone that rings for a long time and looks shocked after she puts the receiver to her ear. Everything about Ms. Parks as performed by Bassett rings true here. Also fine is Mr. James as husband Raymond who's charming when he first courts Rosa even when she constantly refuses to see him and then is initially hesitant when he realizes the consequences of his wife's actions. And then there's the great Cicely Tyson, Miss Jane Pittman herself, who delivers perhaps the most inspirational speech as Leona McCauley to her daughter near the end of the movie. That and Dexter Scott King portraying his father Dr. Martin Luther make The Rosa Parks Story a very compelling movie biography. As an added treat, we see President Bill Clinton, in his second-to-last State of the Union address, acknowledging Ms. Parks in the audience and saying she can sit anywhere she wants! With all that said, I highly recommend The Rosa Parks Story to anyone with an interest in American history's darkest days and the good that resulted when someone did something to help put an end to it. And of course to any fan of Ms. Bassett. P.S. Peter Francis James is, like me, a Chicago native.