A Wonderful Movie in Review

Selma is a brilliantly understated account of events in 1965, centered on the protest march in Selma, Alabama brutally assaulted by Gov. George Wallace’s thuggish state police troopers, that became a catalyst to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, at that time the single most important Federal legislation for Black America since the Emancipation Proclamation. The movie is not a Martin Luther King “biopic.” The slam–dunk, Oscar–worthy performance of David Oyelowo as Dr. King makes certain that the straight–forward narrative never slips into hero worship or historical hagiography. Oscar–worthy director Ava DuVernay manages to produce a perfectly seamless piece of storytelling with her players despite what could have easily been the distractive star presences of Oprah Winfrey, Common, Cuba Gooding Jr, Tim Roth and Martin Sheen.

The star of this movie is the drama of the times itself. The question was whether civil rights leaders like Dr. King and the massive movement they were leading could pressure President Johnson into pushing for passage of the Voting Rights Act. President Johnson had already leveraged the nation’s shock over a church bombing in Birmington, Alabama that killed four little Black girls (terrifyingly depicted in the film) into passage of The Civil Rights Act of 1964. Important as it was, the new law officially “desegregating” America was essentially toothless without African Americans being able to vote. Only the Voting Rights Act had the real potential to break the back of entrenched systemic racist separation with its inherent inequalities in the South.

The response of King and other movement leaders was the attempt to march in Alabama from Selma to Montgomery to present their grievances to Gov. Wallace. Arch-racist Wallace’s violent response was seen as one of the first live news broadcasts suddenly interrupting afternoon television across America. Many Americans saw for the first time that day on live TV the truth of what reality was like for Southern African Americans, as the police troopers beat peaceful protestors bloodily down to the ground. King and the brave protestors had put their lives on the line to show Americans the truth. And Americans did finally see and respond, demanding action. The Voting Rights Act was passed. It was LBJ’s “Great Society” that would have to wait.

An Important Movie in Context

Movies are now the world’s history books. The stories they tell are powerfully visually imprinted in our minds, regardless of factual inaccuracies or political prejudices of the producers, etc. and as movies they move quickly into world culture more efficiently and rapidly than books. Well balanced movies like “Selma” should be presented in elementary schools to be viewed by students who no longer pay attention to textbooks. If the school system doesn’t provide this service, hopefully parents will rent the movie and watch it with their kids.

This year’s Oscar film awards have nominated “Selma,” for the best picture category with seven other films. But none of the actors or filmmakers, including the Director, of this magnificent gem of a film production were nominated in their categories. Released on the 50th Anniversary of the Selma marches and the Voting Rights Act, the people who vote for the Oscars have turned their backs. It is very rare for a film to be nominated with none of its actors or crew.

Are the Academy Awards racist? No, no more than America in general. But there is continuing criticism that the Oscar voters (the invitation-only members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) are largely white and largely old and disproportionately male even if the Academy’s President is none of these. The civic irresponsibility of the “Academy Awards” is that the Oscars is hyped to the public as the final word in film excellence and which movies are this last year’s really important ones. For the people who made “Selma” to not be spotlighted in that select group is simply outrageous.

Accepting that Selma was nominated for Best Picture, it will now compete with ‘Birdman’ and ‘Boyhood’ and ‘The Theory Of Everything’ among others. This too fails to place appropriate importance on films that choose deeply socially relevant subjects rather than providing pure entertainment and diversion.

The Golden Globes bestows two grand film awards each year, splitting movies into dramas and musicals–or–comedies. I would propose that in the interests of better serving the needs of moviegoers, that the Oscars be split into two categories: “Arts” and “Entertainments.” This would properly service what has evolved over the last century in how we “use” movies. Mostly, we seek them out as escapes, diversions – “entertainments.” But we now increasingly depend on movies to school us, particularly in history and science. By bestowing two Oscars, the Academy’s mission to reflect the glitz and fantasy of Hollywood would be satisfied, but so too satisfied would be the duty impressed upon the Academy, perhaps unintentionally, of identifying which movies are important as historical records and educational tools.

This is already done in the Academy with Oscars for documentaries. But an “Arts” category would expand the scope of recognizing films with higher, social merit which are also grand productions reflecting the full scope of the cinematic experience which documentaries do not attempt.

This year we could have both “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Selma” as our superlative examples of filmmaking.