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 The Great Debaters DVD Feb 02, 2010
It was a great movie, one that depicts very well some of the hardships of early Black Americans and their struggle to gain civil rights. I thought is was done well.
Count 'Em -- Five Stars!!!!! Jan 16, 2010
Great movie!
The only thing I would do is to take out all the things Oprah Winfrey has to say in the DVD extras. What is ti with that gal? Ok, so you're a trillionaire, Oprah, no doubt as executive producer Denzel bamboozled a lot of dough out of you, BUT HAVEN'T WE HEARD ENOUGH ALREADY FROM YOU? Just keep giving away automobiles and shut up, k?
As for the movie, all the new young actors were superb. I hesitated watching this movie because I thought: how can anyone make a movie about *debating* interesting?
Finally, I realized -- hey, wait a second, Denzel, Denzel Washington. God! Everything he does is good and right, pure and omniscent.
Denzel Washington, upon whom the Celluloid World rises and sets. Denzel Washington, who can leap buildings in a single bound. (And I mean that. With an unbelievable amount of sincerity.)
And he didn't fail. As both actor and director, he did an excellent job. He's worth all the million of dollars he gets. More so than ... even me.
I can't say that his acting in this movie was as good as the movie overall, which was excellent, but I'm giving the movie five stars and if the estate of Carl Sagan doesn't like it they can kiss me in the Astor Bar.
One other thing that I found rather amusing. Towards the end of the movie the Wiley College students go to Boston to debate the Harvard team. There they are told that the topic for debate is "Resolved: Capitalism is Immoral." Then, at the last minute, they're told that due to a technicality (their teacher wasn't supposed to help them with their research) that the debate topic will be changed to "Resolved: Civil Disobedience Can Be a Moral Weapon in the Fight For Justice."
lol
In the words of that great American philosopher Dana "The Church Lady" Carvey: "How conveeeeeenient!" ... I mean, wouldn't you love to see a movie that Oprah Winfrey produced wherein there's a debate about the morality of capitalism. ... Oprah the Filthy Rich Billionaire.
And then of course guess what? Guess who takes the affirmative of the *new* debate topic, "Resolved: Civil Disobedience Can Be a Moral Weapon in the Fight For Justice."
I wonder why they even suggested debating the morality of capitalism. Perhaps Oprah decided to become a socialist, and Denzel talked her out of it at the last minute. To paraphrase Willie Loman's next door neightbor, Charlie: "Are you a socialist, Oprah; or still working?")
But why indicate that Wiley was originally going to debate the morality of capitalism? It seems to me that the filmmakers want it both ways. They realize that during the Depression there were indeed a great many people who considered capitalism to be not just immoral but brutal, destructive and anathema to the human condition. So they pay lipservice to that historical sentiment but, political cowards that they are, they quickly retreat to a premise -- civil disobedience in the face of unjust laws is permissible -- that's impossible to disagree with, let alone lose to in a debate.
In short, Oprah is going to KEEP THE BILLIONS!!!
She may wave to a socialist or two from her limousine. But don't count on it.
After all, truth, morality and justice may be sacred ... but profit is divine.
Right, Oprah?
Excellent movie Dec 23, 2009
This movie is an excellent depiction of some of the atrocities that occurred in the south during the last century. Denzel Washington, Forest Whittaker and a crew of young actors provide an engrossing perspective of the injustices that occurred in the "Old South" and how their courage and inspiration drawn from their purpose helped them overcome Jim Crow society.
The origins of the civil rights movement Nov 12, 2009
The Great Debaters is a wonderfully acted, well produced film about the first college debate between a black team, Wiley College, and a white team. (In the movie, the white team is Harvard, but in fact it was USC.) The plot of the movie revolves around the struggles of the debating team to achieve recognition during an era in which civil rights were a mere glimmer on their progenitors' eyes. (Not surprisingly, several of those progenitors were members of the debating team.) The outcome is predictable, so in that sense, this is a "feel-good" film. But the purpose of the film wasn't just to make us root for the underdog. The Great Debaters was clearly intended as a vehicle to portray the origins of the civil rights movement.
The movie makes some departures from historical events, but these were not of a nature to detract from the story. Where the final debate took place is not particularly important. What is important is that the film accurately depicted the hurdles faced by the black community in the 1930s. This was an era in which "justice" was often administered at the end of a rope, and in which being black was a crime in and of itself. The horrifying scene in which James Farmer, Jr. (who eventually became one of the "Big Four" of the civil rights movement), witnesses a lynching encapsulated the purpose of this film, which was to explain the need for civil rights. The debates, themselves, while probably departing significantly from the originals, served to present the arguments used by later civil rights advocates, notably Martin Luther King, Jr.
Unlike many films based on "true stories" the Great Debaters tackled the larger social issues of the times. Because these issues--the rights of minorities, the rule of law, constitutional authority--are still pertinent, still subject to heated discussion, and still worthy of our undivided attention, the great debate continues.
Great Movie Oct 03, 2009
Showed this to a high school debate class. It really got the kids fired up about the passion the characters had for the art of debating. Another great acting role for Denzil Washington. I give this movie 5 stars for great entertainment.
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