La grande esperienza

Despite the rating, this is a must see film. There is nothing quite like it. It was the film version of a touring show presented by the group Moral Rearmament. To give you an idea of their agenda, UP WITH PEOPLE was an off-shoot. Their basic premise is that we do not need to rearm people with guns, but with a new moral outlook. Although originally a Christian-based group, it is quite interfaith in its outlook.

Here is the problem with the film. It would have been charming if it was about the life of Bethune who built a college for children of African-American descent, with nothing. Instead it waivers off into fiction when Bethune sees the light of her ways when she discovers Moral-Rearmament. There is also a lot of communist bashing, and some extremely horrendous acting by the woman who plays her daughter. The end of the film is a shambles, looking as if the director had run out of money.

But, in spite of this, the music is strangely moving..the lead Muriel Smith is amazing. She is the uncredited voice for Bali Hai in the movie, SOUTH PACIFIC. For this alone, watch, and don't laugh too smuggly at the simple but powerful message of the movie.

Mary McLeod Bethune was a remarkable woman. She not only founded the school now known as Bethune-Cookman University, she was a civil rights leader, advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt and one of the founders of the United Nations. What made her even more amazing is that she was black...during a time period when black Americans had very little power or respect. Her life would have made for a wonderful bio-pic, but in the case of "The Crowning Experience", it says it was INSPIRED by her life...meaning they took a lot of liberties and changed the character's name. Sad...when just telling her life story would have been really interesting.

The film was funded by an odd quasi-religious organization, 'Moral Rearmament", a group dedicated to a moral awakening in America and a group that was staunchly anti-communist.

The film is well meaning but very dated despite it being in full color. It has a somewhat paternalistic slant towards the education of black children by Emma Tremaine. Her work is funded by enlightened rich white folks and it shows the progress of her school as an outdoor school with no money for supplies to a well respected school of secondary education.

The problem I saw with this movie (apart from it not exactly being a story about Bethune) is the music. Folks awkwardly break into song...none of which are particularly singable and are almost operatic in style. It's very dated and I have a hard time believing many people today would enjoy the movie...though its notions of black pride, education and empowerment are inspiring. Well meaning but at times hard to watch because it's so dated.

I wanted to respond to the comments on this movie. I was eight years old when I was selected to be in the cast of this movie. The directors came to Northern California - Berkeley to select children to play the school kids in this movie. It was filmed in "Russell City" now known as Redwood City, California. It was definitely a "crowning experience for me. I had the opportunity to work with Ann Buckles, Murial Smith, Louis Byles, George McCurdy, William Pawley, Jr. I would like to know how to obtain a copy of the movie. The storyline was about Mary Bethune McCloud and how she started a school. This is a "must see movie" very appropriate for 2008 considering we have a Black candidate running for President of the US.