Movie Analysis Essay on Selma

Introduction

Selma is a movie that features Martin Luther King Junior of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), who wins a Nobel Peace Prize. Annie Lee Cooper, an African-American civil rights activist, attempts to register as a voter in Selma, but the white registrar refuses to let her. King later meets with the 36th president of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, to ask the federal government to allow for black people to register as voters (Knapp 91). The rest of the movie entails how African-American activists led people in fighting for their rights to be allowed to vote as normal citizens.

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Selma is historically correct but not accurate. First, the history of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s is known. On March 7th, 1965, peaceful marchers were beaten and assaulted on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama, and the incident was aired on local news (Califano 31). The peaceful demonstrators were beaten with clubs, and the directives were from local and state legislators. Selma tells the story of the events that occurred before, during, and after that day, which later led to the granting of voting rights to African-Americans (Knapp 91).

Selma depicts Dr. King's flaws, heroism, and achievement, thus demythologizing him and his character. King is depicted as having authoritarian behaviors occasionally, and his infidelity behaviors are highlighted too. The movie's director also captures all his heroic moments as he led the movement into receiving their rights. One of the most accurate instances in the movie in relation to history is the tension between King, the Johnson administration, the SCLC, and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (Knapp 95). The film almost conveys the terrorism that African Americans experienced during that period when fighting for their rights.

Some instances in the movie are exaggerated to depict dramatic effects. However, the film is historically correct in that it describes most truth regarding the events that occurred during the civil rights movement period, activists like King and Cooper, the United States local and federal government, private white citizens, and the relationship between them and African-Americans.

One of the ways in which the movie is historically correct is how Selma city in Alabama is presented, and the role it played for the civil rights movement. The Voting Rights Act was passed in Selma city, and it paved the way for other African-American to gain their rights. Before the movement, only about 5% of black people were registered as voters (Knapp 98). Today, there is a significant number of African-American voters, and they have played a critical role in the last two general elections in the United States. Secondly, Selma is depicted as the last city where King conducted his campaign as a civil rights activist. Thirdly the SNCC used Selma to prepare their entrance into Lowndes county to form all-black political parties.

One of the instances where Selma is historically inaccurate is that it fails to appreciate the roles played by other key people in the film like women whose contribution was significant in the struggle for African-American rights. Although the movie tries to incorporate the leadership roles and works of the other cast members, the primary focus is on King. The movie struggles to incorporate the roles of other people featured in the film and their contribution, thus minimizing the role of back women in the struggle to gain voting rights (Knapp 94). Some of the women depicted in the movie are Annie Lee Cooper, Coretta Scott King, Amelia Boynton Robinson, and Diane Nash.

Another instance of inaccuracy is how the movie depicts President Lyndon being in bad terms with Martin Luther King. According to the film, the president used the FBI to discredit King as he advocated for the Voting Rights of 1965 (Knapp 101). Historically, Selma was Lyndon's idea, and he considered King as a crucial partner. In fact, the voting Rights Act is considered to be the Lyndon's most significant achievement in his presidency, and he did not use the FBI to discredit his partner, King (Califano 35). King and Lyndon communicated through telephone on January 15th, 1965, where the president informed him of his intention to send a voting rights act to Congress.

The critique might be useful in the classroom for students to gain insight regarding the events that occurred in the 1950s and 60s when African-Americans were fighting for their voting rights (Califano 37). The movie provides a picture of the occurrence that happened in Selma City and which marked the beginning of the right of African-Americans to vote. Students could also learn about the various activists who played a significant role in fighting for the rights of black people in the United States. The movie critique is essential since it helps to compare the events depicted in it to the information written in history books.

One of the questions that I have on the topic is why the producers of the Selma movie failed to use the materials with facts regarding president Lyndon and King despite information regarding their relationship being public. The second question is whether the innocent black people who were killed during the peaceful protests got justice.

Works Cited

Califano, Joseph A. "The movie Selma has a glaring flaw." The Washington Post 26 (2014).

Knapp, Jeffrey. "Selma and the Place of Fiction in Historical Films." Representations 142.1 (2018): 91-123.