Capturing a Moment in History
“Selma” is an account of the three-month period in the mid-1960s during which Martin Luther King, Jr. (David Oyelowo) spearheaded a campaign to secure equal voting rights for black people in Alabama against often violent opposition.<br /><br />Though, technically, every American was entitled to vote, Southern officials regularly made it extremely difficult for blacks to register. In “literacy tests” they were often asked complicated or obscure questions that were nearly impossible to answer. Sometimes a poll tax was charged that poorer folks could not afford. In addition, those who attempted to sign up had their names and addresses published in the newspaper, making retribution easy.<br /><br />King met with President Lyndon Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) to press for laws to eliminate such abuses. As depicted in the film, Johnson puts off King’s requests, citing bigger priorities, particularly the war on poverty, and urging a more relaxed road to a voting rights bill.<br /><br />King is shown as a strategist who understands the power of television to shock the nation with the violence inflicted on innocent folks standing up for their rights. He knows these TV images and press coverage of white officials intimidating, beating, and brutalizing black people who want only to exercise their Constitutional right to vote will shame the country and the President to act sooner rather than later.<br /><br />Other issues touched on include the FBI’s wiretapping and checking into King’s background in an attempt to dig up some dirt against him. We also hear Johnson say he would prefer to deal with King rather than more radical black activists such as Malcolm X. Politics plays a major role as the struggle climaxes in 1965 with a planned march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.<br /><br />For a movie that deals with such fiery issues, “Selma” is a curiously cold movie. Director Ava DuVernay establishes the period well and covers differing points of view, but never succeeds in transforming the Martin Luther King, Jr., of the textbooks into a human being. We see him nobly, wisely professing what he hopes to achieve, calming impatient, angry followers, and foreseeing what paths his actions lead to. But only once do we glimpse the private man, when he has to answer accusations of womanizing to wife, Coretta (Carmen Ejogo).<br /><br />Mr. Oyelowo is fine in the scenes of King working with his team, speaking with the President, and planning strategies. But in the rare intimate moments, he never conveys the sense that King is baring his soul. This makes for a pretty stodgy, if historically interesting, movie.<br /><br />A highlight of the film is the March 1965 face-off — on a bridge leading from Selma — between the peaceful demonstrators and heavily armed local police and state troopers. As the confrontation eventually erupts into violence, news cameras capture the chaos. Nightly news broadcasts show viewers here in America and abroad what the peaceful demonstrators are facing. It rallies the country, attracting supporters, both white and black, from around the nation.<br /><br />As an adjunct to lessons in school about the civil rights struggle, “Selma” is a vivid portrayal of the courage of ordinary people to stand together peacefully and demand what the law guarantees, when actual danger to life and limb was a day-to-day reality. Rated PG-13, the movie is effective in showing how King’s goal was reached, but less successful in providing an in-depth look at a complex individual.<br /><br />Bonus extras on the Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack include deleted and extended scenes, “Glory” music video, commentary by director Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo, and two making-of, behind-the-scenes featurettes.
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 {"Format": "Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, Blu-ray", "Contributor": "Jim France, David Oyelowo, Ava DuVernay", "Language": "English", "Runtime": "2 hours and 8 minutes", "Is Discontinued By Manufacturer": "No", "MPAA rating": "PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)", "Product Dimensions": "0.6 x 5.4 x 6.7 inches; 3.2 Ounces", "Item model number": "59167204000", "Director": "Ava DuVernay", "Media Format": "Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, Blu-ray", "Run time": "2 hours and 8 minutes", "Release date": "May 5, 2015", "Actors": "David Oyelowo, Jim France", "Dubbed": "French", "Subtitles": "French, Spanish, English", "Studio": "Paramount", "Number of discs": "2"}

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