MLK/FBI

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." MLK

It's shocking to hear in the eye-opening documentary MLK/FBI William Sullivan, the FBI's director of domestic intelligence, encourage Martin Luther King, Jr. to commit suicide. The theme of the doc is that the agency, under J Edgar Hoover's direction, from 1955.was dedicated to bringing down King and the Civil Rights Movement.

Although the animosity was known even in the 60's, the doc does a credible job showing this aggressiveness was a part of the mid-century paranoia dominated by the fear of communism and perhaps mirrored it. In this case, the agency, like Joe McCarthy, had little evidence of the subjects' undemocratic tactics but probably was motivated more by the fear of losing influence to liberal protestors or lonely anarchists.

Mixing archival footage of King parading and snippets from his famous speeches, director Sam Pollard gives a fluid narrative to otherwise discursive material. To his credit, talking heads are at a minimum as he emphasizes the growing concern that King was being targeted to go down.

That plot was notoriously supported by ample evidence of King's philandering, mainly in hours of tapes with his women, not his wife, from wiretapping to photos. The actual auditory evidence will be released in 2027, and the ballyhoo will probably be disappointing because he did his good while he was doing his bad, and the good he did for civil rights and Black people far outweighs infidelities to his estimable wife and puritanical white folk.

MLK/FBI could have profited from discussion of his influence and flaws and how the latter might have been better served by expert analysis about their importance. That he was an appetitive man, at least in regards to women, was known before this documentary; that he was a powerful player in the freedom of his own people and other repressed minorities, will redound through history.

MLK/FBI will remind you in important evidence that like JFK, MLK was destined to change a nation and lose a young life in return. I never tire of remembering true heroes.

Very good documentary that goes depth inside USA undemocratic and racist state, far away from widespread shallow speech and self-image of a country of freedom and democracy. As usual in dictatorahips, FBI not only inbestigated but also harassed Martin Luther King in order to dampen anti-racist struggle in the country. Lots of good information, footage and interviews are found in this important documentary on the Black question and on the serious discussion of what democracy is.

The FBI begins spying on MLK on suspicion of communist activities and ends up spying on his sex life. It is the disease of the moral watchers. The documentary accurately narrates these espionage activities that move against the defense of human rights. Through well selected archival material, it is a necessary film to show the moral baseness of those who considered themselves protectors of moral integrity. It is the danger of a policy based on constant suspicion.

The film is tightly structured and narrated over archive footage of king, with some other contemporary footage mixed in. In terms of visual material, the film does not bring any new unforseen archive films to the table and a lot of the images used in the film are used several times. With the original sound bites however, the film does a great job in opening the context to the audiences. What the film lacks in new visual material, it gains in its content as it is based on new research of the FBI archives. Great learning material for history or social studies classes.

This is a must see documentary which chronicles a vital period in American history. Don't miss it!