King in the Wilderness

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.

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.

"King In the Wilderness" (2018 release; 112 min.) is a documentary about Martin Luther King's roughly last two years. As the movie opens, we are reminded that MLK was murdered on "April 4, 1968" and that "50 years later, friends recall his last years". We then go to "Atlanta, Georgia", where we hear about his kids begging King to not go to Memphis on that fateful day. It's not long before we then go back in time to "Ebenezer Baptist Church, May 8, 1967", where King is interviewed about his involvement in the civil rights movement and the peace movement (the interview takes place a month after King's groundbreaking anti-Vietnam speech in New York). At this point we are 10 min. into the documentary, but to tell you more of the 'plot' would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest TV documentary from veteran filmmaker Peter Junhardt ("Becoming Warren Buffett", "Nixon by Nixon: In His Own Words"). Here Junhardt revisits Martin Luther King's last 18-24 months, and the results of this "refresh" are quite remarkable. Yes, we get a good sense of the fabled public speaker that he was, and yes, we also get s good sense how hard he was on himself, "he worried about dying before he had accomplished enough", comments one of the talking heads. But what sets this documentary apart is that is showcases like never before the incredible anguish King experienced in that time frame, resulting from his long silence on Vietnam so as not to offend President Johnson (who had done much to support the civil rights movement). Even more palpable is the tremendous pressure on King from many different sides to support yet more causes (the "poor people's campaign", the extension of his Southern Christian Leadership Conference into the north (Chicago, specifically), etc., etc. King is overextended, exhausted, and frustrated, all while he continues his work relentlessly." The documentary features rare footage that I had never seen before. Check out the surprise party the CSLC staff throws on King's birthday on January 15, 1967, where the camera catches King in a broad smile (a rare thing in his last year). And of course the documentary is peppered with memorable quotes from King, such as "It's not how long you live, it's how well you live", and later on "To be free, one must overcome the love of wealth and the fear of death", wow, just wow. Andrew Young, Jesse Jackson, and many other prominent figures who worked closely with MLK address the camera (and us) extensively throughout the documentary.

HBO commissioned this documentary for the 50th anniversary of King's assassination. Somehow I missed this when it premiered last April, but recently I stumbled on this while looking for something good on HBO On Demand. So glad I finally caught this. If you have an interest in American history and politics, I strongly encourage you to check this out, be it on VOD or on DVD, and draw your own conclusion. In my book, "King In the Wilderness" is a WINNER.

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