Last Looks
Selma is a film about Martin Luther King's revolutionary march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to help secure african american voting rights. With everything going on in the nation regarding protesting I would feel remissed if I did not say. Black lives don't matter. I cant help but feel that way. Looting is not a way to protest as more of it is a way to steal new televisions. I don't think electronics could ease the pain of our fallen brothers I don't think you made a statement with your new flatscreen. As much as I would love for peaceful protests sitting around in a circle holding hands and singing koombaya but I don't feel it is going to accomplish anything. We have to stand together and claim that if you claim another black life this is not going to just go away and get swept under the rug. It's not ok and there will be steep consequences. Theres always a crooked cop trying to get a quota It's a complete injustice if you want to get away with murder in this country become a cop put on a badge and kill an african american. I don't feel safe who is protecting us from them if there job is to protect and serve? If i'm driving and i get randomly pulled over I'm not stopping because I'm resisting arrest it's because I'm literally in fear of my life. You're white I'm black your armed I'm not. To say that this is not race related is naive. Officers get trigger happy when they see young black males. Thats how it always has been. I love the way the nation has banded together in times like this but for how long? There's always a sporting event or celebrity scandel that detracts our attention. I love what the NBA has done wearing the Eric Garner I Can't Breath shirts. But we have to keep this a relative topic until one of these pigs are actually held accountable. This is a murder and in any murder there must at least be a trial. Way back during the Rodney King beating the video footage was old but there was still evidence in the Eric Garner death there was full hd evidence and still no trial. Like what is really going on? Is there a major conspiracy theory going on here? It seems as though black people only stick together in times of crisis. I don't feel comfortable calling the police because I feel they are not going to take my phone call seriously. Police come off as bullies who wouldn't try half of their deeds if they did not have a gun. Another disturbing aspect as of late is that all of the victims have been unarmed while police are not just armed with guns but other weapons such as pepper spray, batons, police training and back up. Will this ever end? Woooo ok there is my rant now lets see how this film made out.
The Breakdown
The film opens with MLK (David Oyelowo) practicing a speech in the mirror when his wife Coretta Scott King(Carmen Ejogo) comes in. Mlk feels uncomfortable dressing up and wearing an ascot and wonders what his boys at home will think of him. He tells Coretta about all of his future plans and ambitions. Mlk is then offered the Nobel Peace Prize. Next four young girls were bombed in a church in Atlanta. Annie Mae Cooper (Oprah Winfrey) is filling out an application so she can register to vote. She is asked numerous questions by the admissions officer. She gets a question wrong and is denied her access to vote. Mlk meets with president Lyndon B. Johnson(Tom Wilkinson). The president expresses his like for Mlk's movement and wants to help. Mlk explains to him that in the south blacks are not allowed to vote. The president explains that segregation is not over in the south so we have to fix that before they can even begin to work on african americans rights to vote. Mlk explains that african americans cant serve on a jury unless they are registered to vote. MLK also wants justice for the death of those four young girls.
Mlk then travels to Selma. Mlk walks into a building and is immediately struck int the face. King returns home to Atlanta. Coretta answers the phone where she has an anonymous death threat. Mlk tells Coretta that Selma would be the perfect place for his speech. Mlk gives a speech in front of a Selma audience. Over 50 percent of Selma is black but less than 2 percent are eligible to vote so therefore blacks remain voiceless. African Americans begin to rally in protest in Selma. They begin to focus all of their efforts on one building the Selma courthouse. Blacks sit down with their hands behind their backs. When an elderly protester cant sit and is considered unruly, a corrupt cop begins to assault his family when Ms. Cooper punches him in the face. She is finally detained and Mlk is arrested. While in jail Mlk begins to question his self for the first time. It is there he is reminded that the ultimate goal is equality. Coretta meets in Selma with negro militant Malcom X. Malcom X assures her that even though he and Mlk do not agree with their ways of achieving equality that America will be so shocked by his way of getting goals accomplished they will in turn favor Mlk's way. Coretta visits Mlk in prison where she tells him that she met with Malcom X and that he has changed and now wants to help. The governor of Selma decides it would be a good idea to send blacks a message by brutality attacking peaceful protesters while Mlk is away because there will be less media to cover it. A black family trying to escape police brutalist runs into a diner and pretends they were there the whole time but the police find them and fatally shoots a man named Jimmy Lee Jackson. Mlk visits Jimmy Lee Jackson's father. Mlk states in his next speech that even though that Jimmy Lee Jackson killers are anonymous he proclaims everybody is responsible and vows that his death will not be in vain and that he is going back to Washington to protest the murder.
Mlk meets with the president again and the president tells Mlk that he set up the murder in Selma in order to go national and have an excuse to march on the state capitol. The president's people tell Mlk's people about Mlk's death threats and advise him to keep a low profile. Someone sends Coretta a voicemail of Mlk having sex with another woman. Coretta knows that it was not him because she knows his voice. Coretta explains to Mlk everything she has been through and it is difficult for her being his wife and has to deal with strangers threatening the lives of her kids. She asks Mlk if he loves her because she is not a fool and he replies yes she asks him if he loves the others and he replies no. Mlk delays the march while his house remains bugged. All sides get ready for this protest at Selma. The blacks begin a peaceful protest while police officers viciously attacked them while the broadcast went live across the nation on CBS. Mlk rallies his injured troops and encourages them that they have to go back to Selma because this is the only way to fight the injustice and invites everyone who believes in equality black or white to attend. The president is irate and sends the word that Mlk is not to march in Selma again. Mlk proclaims that the choice was always the president's as all he needs to do is to give african americans the right to vote. Mlk leads a rally anyways but this time one third of the protesters are actually white. When the protesters walk the bridge this time the police officer stand down and allow the protest to continue. Everyone gets on their knees however Mlk turns around and calls off the protest as he believes that it is a setup. Mlk explains that he would rather have people hate him then be dead as they were upset that they did not capitalize off of this opportunity to really march and make a difference. In Selma white activist who support Mlk are now being assaulted by other white people and are being killed for supporting Mlk's movement. The president calls Mlk and is furious that he has not stopped protesting.
Mlk says he wont stop until the president takes action. Mlk explains that people will only remember President Johnson as someone who did nothing to act in Selma not the fact that he won the presidency by the biggest landslide in history. Mlk knows that marching is not enough and knows that there has to be some real moves to be made. He is reminded that they have come to far to turn back now. In Selma the trial starts of the innocent protesters who were murdered for no reason. The prosecutor blamed Mlk for refusing to back down and continuing the march after being told not too. The judge approves a 5 day peaceful march from Selma to Montgomery upon testimonials from other civil rights activists. The governor speaks with the president about not letting this march happen. The president informs the governor that it's his responsibility because he has refused the act of equal rights in his state. The president finally realized that this was an American problem not just a negro problem. And sent to congress an act to eliminate voting bias everywhere. Mlk is asked one more time not to march because he finally got what he wanted. But he says that it is still worth it. The march in Selma takes place blacks and whites protesting peacefully. flashbacks of original marching footage. The march gets to Montgomery where Mlk delivers his speech. 5 months later the voting rights act of 1965 was passed and Mlk continued to be an activist in the civil rights movement and lead peaceful protests until he was murdered.
Nose Candy
MLK-
"Fear not we have come to far to turn back now."
"I dont have control over my own life by those who will rather see me suffer then succeed."
"They are in our bloodstream pumping our hearts"
"Our lives are not fully lived if we are not prepared to die for who we love and what we believe."
The Verdict
The public outcry for Selma not receiving an academy award nomination for best picture is well deserved. I don't know what is more surprising the fact that Selma did not receive the nomination or that Spike Lee actually supports and likes a movie that he did not create. It's sad to say but not much has changed since 1964. One of the only rights that african americans actually have is the right to vote. Yet we would rathe stand in line for the upteenth pair of Jordans as opposed to deciding new leadership. So many complain about the problem but do nothing for the solution. I encourage people to see Selma for educational purposes as I think the film did a great job of showing everything that african americans had to go through in order to obtain equal rights.There were some really graphic scenes with the police brutality but it was necessary to showcase the harsh realities of that time period. Also there were some stand out performances not only by David Oyelowo as MLK but but I feel Carmen Ejogo stole the show with her performance as Coretta Scot King. She is a beautiful woman and played her part to perfection. There were times that I couldn't even look away from the screen the imagery was that good. Not just an afro centric film Selma is a detailed story that depicts africans american struggle to gain equality and is worth checking out for moviegoers of all ages and races.
