King in the Wilderness

After seeing this flawless documentary, I could only wish that every American would see it too. That is unlikely, given our general disinterest in history. I thought I knew a thing or two about the Civil Rights Movement, but this focus on the last two years of Martin Luther King's life was a revelation, told in his own words and those of people who stood with him--Harry Belafonte, Andrew Young, Jesse Jackson, Joan Baez, and many many others.

I went into this thinking its like making a new documentary about World War 2, what hasn't already been said. But as a history buff that has seen untold amounts of documentaries, I found this to be a detailed telling of lesser known MLK works. Also as a history buff I expected to see the same old footage, same old speeches, and the same old messages. But what I found was a a fascinating story of final years of MLK's, with amazing footage I have never seen, phone calls never before been heard, photos and stories of lesser reported works by MLK. The film deals with many seriously tough times, how MLK lived like the poor he worked for, his message that many whites wanted civil rights for African Americans as well, and the complicated relationship between the rise of Black Power and MLK's belief of non-violence. Many serious questions and situations dealt with, should one be violent in their oppression? How does violence affect their movement? The complicated dynamics with the Vietnam War, MLK's relationship with LBJ, many things are tackled.

Above all I found the documentary to be profoundly fair, showing situations from all sides, hearing everyone's perspective in these times. The film confronts the appalling living conditions of many peoples, the racial hatred of the times, as well as the feelings of the many communities discussed. Many times in racial documentaries, whether about whites or blacks, things are often once sided, and thankfully this is not here. The film shows the daunting racism faced by African Americans, as well as the legitimate fears of communities and law enforcement during times of riots and distrust. It was a tough time for both sides, some more than others, but all deserve to be heard. The film seamlessly tells these stories withe stunning footage, interviews, and much more, it tells the immense tense feeling for everyone in those times. The film delves deep into MLK's character and his reaction to these many events at the end of his life, many of the things he truly wished for and felt about s=certain things.

As an avid documentary watcher and as a republican voter, I highly recommend this film.

Moving. Intelligent, sensitive man who knew the path to inclusion is through non violent, peaceful, collaborative means. The same is true today.

This is essentially a talking heads documentary about the final years of MLK, yet it's quite compelling. To a great part this is simply because the people speaking of him speak with such a depth of passion, and because everything you learn shows what a truly remarkable individual he was. Which makes the ending so hard.

Well worth watching.

What a wonderful idea to get together the people who were close to MLK and, 50 years later, talk to them about the man and especially the last 2 years of his life. I found it educational. I gave it a 9 instead of 10 because it is very much "talking heads" and I wish some more engaging techniques could have been used. Well worth watching.