I’ve been going to the movies for almost fifty years. Though I’m no film critic, I believe that Selma should be on the short list of movies all Americans need to see. I was moved to tears by the courage of King and so many other African Americans (and yes, some whites) who fought for their right to vote. It’s powerful. It’s painful. It’s overwhelming. (I actually had to leave the theater when they walked across the bridge.) And, it’s important for us to acknowledge this grievous chapter in our country’s history and consider how that chapter continues to impact us today.
Below are links to several articles that have helpfully forwarded the conversation on this film.
A snippet from The New York Times’ Film Critic David Carr: “This year is the 50th anniversary of both the Selma marches and the Voting Rights Act. And after months full of tragic news from Ferguson, Mo., Staten Island and all over America, race remains a persistent and complex issue that still has the capacity to divide. A movie creates common ground in the theater, a shared experience that reminds us all of the sacrifice it took to get here.”
Russell Moore’s interviews actor David Oyelowo who played Martin Luther King at ERLC: “And that is why I think it doesn’t feel like a sermon on film because you are seeing yourself in Dr. King. We wanted to make sure, even though he is an icon, even though he is a celebrated historical figure, he didn’t walk this earth thinking of himself as an icon. He was a fallible man. He had weaknesses. He had strengths. And we want to exhibit all of those so that we see ourselves onscreen. I truly believe that’s why we go to the movies. We go to see ourselves onscreen as opposed to just sit back and watch super humans interacting with each other. And that is what we did.” Watch the interview here.
Natasha Sistrunk Robinson on the movie’s importance here.
Mychal Denzel Smith’s interview with director Ava DuVernay on Undiluted Storytelling in the Nation. Click here. (This is one of the best interviews I’ve read with DuVernay.)
Brenda Salter McNeil shares her thoughts.
Jim Wallis from Sojourners on David Oyelowo’s faith.
Christena Cleveland shares her favorite MLK quotes.
Here’s Selma’s official trailer.
Consider going to see this movie today, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King. Because of the violence, I would not suggest this for children under the age of 13-14.
To read more of the articles in this month-long series An Invitation to Listen, click here.