Unconquered

This is one movie that I would recommend for all audiences. Not only does it have great historical value but it shows the human spirit in the finest light and yet shows the ugliness of reality during the days of segregation.There are several intriguing story lines to follow. The award worthy performances of Peter Coyote and Dermot Mulroney have been overlooked by critics. I contacted PAX TV but have been unable to get any information on whether they plan on showing this movie again. Has anyone ever seen this movie besides me? I have seen thousands of movies over the years but this one is at the top of my list! I would love to own this movie but since it was on TV on the PAX channel I cannot find it anywhere! If anyone knows where I can obtain a copy of this movie, please let me know.

I saw this film only once, about 11 or 12 years ago (i was about 15 years old) and thought it was intelligent and very moving. Either it was my youthful naivety or it was a really great film, difficult to say, but for me to remember a TV movie 11 or 12 years on it must have been a bit special. As far as i'm aware it has never been shown in the UK since and as a TV movie isn't for sale so i may never get to see it again. I remember the three main characters and that it had a very moving ending which is still in the back of my mind today, if a little fuzzy after all these years! Perhaps if i saw it again it wouldn't seem as good as i remember it to be,but i thought it was brilliant back then.

Edit: well it's 2008 and i tracked down a VHS copy of this a year or two back and i have to say after watching it again that yes, as a 30-plus year old the movie doesn't look quite as impressive as it did back then but it's still a very good film, a great story, and the relationship between the three friends is still very moving. It's such a shame that this film isn't better known or easier to get a copy of, it seems a lot of people on here would like it.

Unconquered is based on the Richmond Flowers family.Flowers Sr(Coyote) is an unpopular Attorney General in Alabama,he's a white politician who supports integration and is friends with Martin Luther King. His son,played by Dermot Mulroney,is an aspiring football player,who isn't exactly the most popular kid in school on account of Dad's reputation and sometimes wishes his dad was like everyone else.He quickly befriends another nonconformist's son,the dorky yet endearing Arnie(Whaley) and the tough,outspoken Cindy(Jenny Robertson). Touching and important,the story depicts a part of history that makes us feel both ashamed and sad,yet it also depicts a part of history that gave birth to strong,good men and women who through their words and deeds changed the world.Though there was and perhaps always will be the stench of hate and prejudice the Richmonds,Arnies and Cindys of the world remained and will remain unconquered.

Yes this film packed a big emotional punch originally. Then unfortunately the original film as was shown on CBS has never been seen again. Subsequent airings were edited to fit into a 2 hour TV slot. So the Reader who said it wasn't as good as he'd remembered from his first viewing, was judging a different movie. The network gave this an extra 1/2 hour when it first aired to give it the time it needed to be awesome, but cut out 30 minutes of story for subsequent airings. I would love to get a hold of the original 2 and 1/2 hour version of this. There is a time captured in this movie that's not just of TV movie's golden days but a time of uplifting stories too big to be bullied by commercial breaks.

"Unconquered" is a significant video; I have used it as part of a thematic unit that I teach to freshmen in high school. It prompts a great deal of discussion about the civil rights movement and people's reaction to it. It allows me as an instructor to provide details about the church bombings, the killing of the priests, the murders of whites who assisted in the black cause, etc. So many of those situations can be viewed objectively when taught as part of history, but when they are taught in light of the Flowers' family story, it seems to get so much more response from students. My students are always very involved in the story. I just read that Richmond Flowers, Sr. passed away on August 9, 2007. My condolences to the family; ever since I saw "Unconquered," I have greatly admired his courage.

An afterthought: A number of years ago "Sports Illustrated" did a feature story on the Flowers family entitled "In the Name of the Father." My students read that too; It is well written and informative.