557th Review: King's Indelible Legacy - Marching To Today

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2015)

Selma is a magnificent, inspiring, and massively watchable film that does not shy from the politics or from showing King as a man. Above all, though, this is the film that bothers to take its research very seriously. As many of us, I have studied in depth the Rights Movement. The attention to historic detail, without glorification or hagiography is commendable. The attempts to use actors that look like the person they portray, excellent, and the tone and mood of the film is a truly fitting depiction.
The Civil Rights movement took the impetus and teachings of Gandhi (King traveled to India and stayed in Ashrams in 1959 in order to understand NVDA) and coupled that with the true spirit of Southern Baptism - and found their leader in King.
There has been nothing like Attenborough's Gandhi for King. Partly because of internal rights (and it is too complicated to explain here, but worth research) and partly because other attempts have not captured the true spirit of both sides. Where Selma succeeds massively is that it captures deeply what both sides believed in - the incredible bigotry is shown as is - the film shows that morality, justice, and the dignity of men lies in justice and fairness and that such freedoms are worth all; then and now. This is a film that inspires young and old people and reminds us all that we can do and do better.
Selma is a clear and sincere historical account of the events of late summer 1965 that would lead to LBJ enacting the Vote Act - it is powerful tribute to one of the most important events of 20th Century American history.