King: de Montgomery à Memphis

More than half a century after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered, I finally looked at this movie. It is a collection of Dr. King's appearances and the events around him, interspersed with celebrities of the day speaking in admiration, edited by two of the leading film makers of the day with the assistance of two editors, attempting to make coherent sense of what, half a century later, is a senseless and evil situation and the effort to remedy it.

It's a huge effort, and brilliantly produced. "How Did We Get Here?" is a question that needs to be examined, if only for its cautionary value.

I looked at this off a TV presentation, skipping the commercial interruptions. I did notice the note "Viewer Discretion Warranted." I suppose people think truth is something people need to be discreet about. Recent events indicate that people have let the lessons I learned as a child drop out out their thoughts, and thereby permitted these hateful actions return. Yes, discretion is required. Otherwise people might remember, and remain silent about them.

It's a documentary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life from 1955 to his death in 1968. Except for his first speech at the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, it is primarily news footage and coverage of his best-known activities during those years and the local circumstances that brought about those activities. The Montgomery speech is audio only. That is both its strength and limitation.

This film is one of the few places you can still see and hear the entirety of King's "I Have a Dream" speech of 1963. There are numerous other memorable speeches; seeing him deliver them visually dramatically increases the impact. It is so focused on King, however, that you don't get an overview of the Civil Rights movement, especially those parts in which he had a limited profile, such as the Freedom Rides in 1961.

There is nothing about King's personal life or the work of his associates. To get better context, you need the background of a good biography like Jonathan Eig's "King: a Life." But to be bathed in M. L. King's oratory, this three-hour film is the place to go.

Some celebrities narrate brief segments intermittently. They are a distraction and add nothing.

I'm not sure this is an actual documentary. It has no editorial or narrative structure per se, what it presents us with is as comprehensive a chronology of Dr. Martin Luther King as it is possible to get. From his humble beginnings in an Alabama ridden with bigotry and strife, through to his assassination in 1968, this uses a phenomenal amount of archive research to illustrate the power of his oratory. His speeches are powerful and emotional, but they never come across as angry or provocative of violence. His strength of character and purpose in the face of a long-established racial belligerence is really quite well captured as the film includes the large scale "I Have a Dream" set-pieces to far more intimate and poignant comments to smaller groups, churches or even just to his aides and friends as he travels the length and breadth of the country extolling the virtues of freedom for all. That all isn't just for folks of colour, but those being persecuted for their religious beliefs too, or being disadvantaged because of their sex or social status. It's hard to imagine who might actually watch all of this now, it is a long haul, but it goes quite some way to testifying just how effective oratory can be when delivered confidently and proudly to an audience eager to engage. There is enough annotation to help advise on the locations and timelines, and there are a few - slightly unnecessary, I felt - staged readings from the likes of Charlton Heston and James Earl Jones to help, as does the latter archive footage, demonstrate that his optimism wasn't just inspiring those African Americans, but plenty from the descendants of it's European immigrant population too. It doesn't attempt to analyse the man, his motives or his personal life but I don't think that was anyone's plan. It's a vehicle for his passion, and it works powerfully.

After watching 103 minute edited version (the only celeb commentary by Harry Belefonte), one has to wonder why this film isn't more available to the general public. It is by far, one of the best documentary efforts to chronicle Martin Luther King Jr. as he helped push the civil rights movement forward into the public consciousness.

What makes this film special (in its condensed version) is the plainly laid out - but thoughtfully edited - chronology of Dr. King's various actions, speeches - and the public response. Other than Belafonte's opening statement, the film has no narration - which gives it an urgency. This is punctuated by King's powerful oratory (including the entire I Have A Dream speech...and segments of many others), along with footage of demonstrations, marches and material that is often hard to watch due to the racially charged violence.

Still, it is a potent reminder of our history - and should be seen by all.

Compiled from newsreel footage and interspersed with celebrity commentary, this film has a heavy impact, showing Rev. King, not as a saint, but as a compassionate man of God with great goals for all people. The film quality is rather rough at times, and the racial slurs shouted are harsh, but the film is powerful. Recommended for those who seek an insight to the man behind the dream.