Another movie on the monumental civil rights movement

Rating: 7/10 (16 January 2015)

1965. After the end of segregation Dr. Martin Luther King receives Nobel Prize amidst the still heated south of the USA, with the then recent church bombing that claimed five little girls' lives. D. king meets with President Lyndon Johnson, demanding him to act on black people's right to vote. When Johnson evades, Dr. King goes to Selma Alabama where blacks are of more than fifty percent of population but are still restricted from voting. The white supremacists are embodied in the Sheriff Jim Clark. Dr. King says the movement needs drama to attract Johnson's attention. First they stand in front of the county registration, which ends in arrests. While Dr. King is in prison, his wife meets with Malcolm X, the leader of the other polar of the black movement. X tells her that he's views of Dr. King has changed and he's willing to help, although in a harsh way.
When Dr. King gets out of jail and is out Selma, an unofficial gathering happens at night that ends in violence as troopers disperse the crowds. A boy Jimmy Lee Jackson is killed in that incident. Soon the group decides to have a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The march ends in total violence where the participants are bludgeoned and beaten and all the imagery are captured on TV and news papers. Dr. King didn't walk with them as it's expected to end in violence as Johnson's aide told them. He calls out to all kinds of people to join the next march. Many people come to join, even whites, most of them clergy. But when the march actually goes, despite Johnson's attempt to make a deal with Dr. King, The troopers withdraw from their guard. But Dr. King backs down from his march. But that night a clergy member who participated on the march gets beaten and killed. And the court grants the legality for the march. At last President Johnson sends the Congress a bill to end the voting restrictions.
The story nicely depicts one of the milestones that Dr. Martin Luther King accomplished in his years of the civil rights movement. It encompasses enough proportions of the other sides of Dr. King's life, especially the family and politics side. There is fair depiction of Dr. King's character and life to view him as a human being rather than just a movie character.
We can see his devotion to the cause. We can see his patience to others' reactions. But we also get to see the human side of him, while at the same time he sees his moves as a strategist who dissects all the important details in order to come up with a strong plan. I personally think that Dr. King was kind of inspired by what Gandhi did with his march to the sea. And both of them proves that non violence is the way to do a resistance.
The technical aspects also help the movie to view quite beautifully. The constant sepia like color tone helps in adding the sense of authenticity to the movie. All those clever lighting play also looks nice. The occasional angle play, particularly at the speeches and sermons, also adds very nicely on how the set influences the scenes.
The acting is decently nice in overall. David Oyelowo has gone a long way since his days as supporting roles and now proves himself that he can handle the main focus character. Carmen Ejogo acted just a standard work in providing the completing angle of the family. Tom Wilkinson did his usual character as someone in power. Tim Roth did quite well in giving the expressions needed as Governor Wallace, although I think his accent needs to be sharpened a little bit. Giovanni Ribisi adds a nice color to the whole movie.
My view for Selma (2014) is that it deserves a 7 out of 10 score. A recommendation to go and see in the movies is quite a yes for me. It's an entertainment that can also inspires while at the same time reminds about the struggle that had to be done to achieve what we have now.