La campagna di Martin Luther King Jr. per assicurarsi pari diritti di voto attraverso una marcia epica da Selma a Montgomery, Alabama, nel 1965.La campagna di Martin Luther King Jr. per assicurarsi pari diritti di voto attraverso una marcia epica da Selma a Montgomery, Alabama, nel 1965.La campagna di Martin Luther King Jr. per assicurarsi pari diritti di voto attraverso una marcia epica da Selma a Montgomery, Alabama, nel 1965.
- Regia
- Sceneggiatura
- Star
- Vincitore di 1 Oscar
- 58 vittorie e 91 candidature totali
- Girl #5
- (as Nadej Bailey)
- James Orange
- (as Omar Dorsey)
Trama
Lo sapevi?
- QuizThe explosion in the opening scene is the infamous 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, which occurred in Birmingham, Alabama on September 15, 1963. The 4 young girls killed in the bombing were Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley.
- BlooperWhen MLK meets with LBJ in the Oval Office, Johnson is seated at the Resolute Desk. When Lyndon B. Johnson took office in 1963, he found he was too large for the desk, and commissioned a plainer replacement which was built by the Senate cabinet shop.
- Citazioni
Martin Luther King Jr.: [somberly yet passionately speaking to church congregation at a funeral] Who murdered Jimmie Lee Jackson? Every white lawman who abuses the law to terrorize. Every white politician who feeds on prejudice and hatred. Every white preacher who preaches the Bible and stays silent before his white congregation. Who murdered Jimmie Lee Jackson? Every Negro man and woman who stands by without joining this fight as their brothers and sisters are brutalized, humiliated, and ripped from this Earth.
- Curiosità sui creditiMartin Sheen is not listed in the credits.
- Colonne sonoreOne Morning Soon
Written by Traditional
Performed by Joyce Collins & Johnita Collins
Courtesy of Tompkins Square, LLC
The year is 1964 and racial tension is rife in the Southern states, with attacks and murders of black citizens going unpunished by the combination of a white-majority policing and legal system. Enter Martin Luthor King (English actor David Oyelowo) at the point of receiving his Nobel Peace prize. King insists at a Presidential level (with Tom Wilkinson playing Lyndon Johnson) that black citizens be allowed unfettered rights to vote in elections, with the aim of securing a more just and balanced society. Looking for a suitable location to mount a media-led stand, in an age before social networking and 'Arab-Springs', King centres his attention on the Alabama town of Selma, mounting a series of non-violent (at least on their side) protests and marches. The local redneck police chief, Wilson Baker (David Dwyer), and the state governor, George Wallis (Tim Roth), are not going to stand for this and the tinder-box reaches ignition point during a march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery.
Nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture (but only that in the major awards, so winning chances are probably near-zero), Selma is primarily an excellent example of an ensemble cast that works particularly well together. There are a wealth of outstanding performances: Tom Wilkinson's Lyndon Johnson comes across as a surprisingly sympathetic character (jerking me out of my natural Vietnam-coloured perception of the politician); Oprah Winfrey (also a co-producer) provides a text-book example of acting without acting, her expressions doing all of the work; Dylan Baker (so fantastic in "The Good Wife") is chillingly sinister as J. Edgar Hoover; English-born Carmen Ejogo plays (extremely well) a similar role to Sienna Miller's in "American Sniper" as the wife alienated by her husband's calling; and Giovanni Ribisi ("Saving Private Ryan", "Friends"), Cuba Gooding Jnr and (a bizarrely uncredited) Martin Sheen turn up in great cameo performances.
But towering over all of this great acting is Oyelowo's performance which is simply outstanding: every death and injury is etched on his face. This is a Martin Luthor King that you can really believe in. I would have personally bounced Bradley Cooper in the nomination list for him, and it is astonishing (given his English background) that he was also overlooked at the BAFTAs. He must be feeling pretty aggrieved right now. Mr Oyelowo – if you are reading this – this critic thanks you for an outstanding performance.
As a relative newcomer to direction, at least for a movie of this scale, Ava Duvernay does a great job with some of the action scenes (with particularly the shocking opening to the film showing enormous style). Paul Webb (apparently with this as a screen writing debut – – how on earth did he get THIS job?) does a creditable job, with lots of memorable sound-bites that stick in the mind. Where the film ran into soft mud for me however was in the personal scenes between the married couple: they don't really provide enough insight into the stresses of King's serial adultery, and the plotting becomes slow and dull . I personally lost interest in most of these scenes and was desperate for the film to get back to the 'action' in Selma.
Also of note is the end title song – "Glory" by John Legend and Common (who also stars in the film) – which is also nominated for an Oscar and won the Golden Globe.
Both gay rights and racial equality undoubtedly still have much further to go, but this does make you proud that as US and UK societies we have come so far within my own lifetime. A recommended watch, particularly for those with an interest in sociology and/or American history.
(If you enjoyed this review, please see the multi-media version together with more reviews at bob-the-movie-man.com and enter your email address to subscribe. Thanks.)
- bob-the-movie-man
- 12 feb 2015
- Permalink
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Dettagli
- Data di uscita
- Paesi di origine
- Siti ufficiali
- Lingue
- Celebre anche come
- Selma: el poder de un sueño
- Luoghi delle riprese
- Selma, Alabama, Stati Uniti(foot of Edmund Pettus Bridge - scene of Bloody Sunday)
- Aziende produttrici
- Vedi altri crediti dell’azienda su IMDbPro
Botteghino
- Budget
- 20.000.000 USD (previsto)
- Lordo Stati Uniti e Canada
- 52.076.908 USD
- Fine settimana di apertura Stati Uniti e Canada
- 571.450 USD
- 28 dic 2014
- Lordo in tutto il mondo
- 67.782.762 USD
- Tempo di esecuzione2 ore 8 minuti
- Colore
- Mix di suoni
- Proporzioni
- 2.35 : 1