| Selma | |
|---|---|
 US theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ava DuVernay |
| Written by | |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Bradford Young |
| Edited by | Spencer Averick |
| Music by | Jason Moran |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by |
|
Release dates |
|
Running time | 128 minutes[2] |
| Countries | |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million[4] |
| Box office | $67.8 million[4] |
Selma is a 2014historical drama film directed byAva DuVernay and written byPaul Webb. It is based on the1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches which were initiated and directed byJames Bevel[5][6] and led byMartin Luther King Jr.,Hosea Williams, andJohn Lewis. The film stars actorsDavid Oyelowo as King,Tom Wilkinson as PresidentLyndon B. Johnson,Tim Roth asGeorge Wallace,Carmen Ejogo asCoretta Scott King, andCommon asJames Bevel.
Selma premiered at theAmerican Film Institute Festival on November 11, 2014, began a limited US release on December 25, 2014, and expanded into wide theatrical release on January 9, 2015, two months before the 50th anniversary of the march. The film was re-released on March 20, 2015, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the historical march.
The film was nominated forBest Picture and wonBest Original Song at the87th Academy Awards. It also received fourGolden Globe Award nominations, includingBest Motion Picture – Drama,Best Director andBest Actor, and won forBest Original Song.[7]
In 1964, Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. of theSouthern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) accepts hisNobel Peace Prize. Four black girls walking down stairs in theBirmingham, Alabama16th Street Baptist Church are killed by abomb set by theKu Klux Klan.Annie Lee Cooper attempts to register to vote inSelma, Alabama, but is prevented by the white registrar. King meets withU.S. PresidentLyndon B. Johnson and asks for federal legislation to allow black citizens to register to vote unencumbered, but the president responds that, although he understands Dr. King's concerns, he wants to focus on his next project, thewar on poverty. King travels to Selma withRalph Abernathy,Andrew Young,James Orange, andDiane Nash.James Bevel greets them, and other SCLC activists appear.FBI directorJ. Edgar Hoover tells Johnson that King is a problem, and suggests they disrupt his marriage.Coretta Scott King has concerns about her husband's upcoming work in Selma. King calls singerMahalia Jackson to inspire him with a song.
King, other SCLC leaders, and black Selma residents march to the registration office to register. After a confrontation in front of the courthouse, a shoving match occurs as the police go into the crowd. Cooper fights back, knocking SheriffJim Clark to the ground, leading to the arrest of Cooper, King, and others.
Alabama GovernorGeorge Wallace speaks out against the movement. Coretta meets withMalcolm X, who says he will drive whites to ally with King by advocating a more extreme position. Wallace andAl Lingo decide to use force at an upcoming night march inMarion, Alabama, usingstate troopers to assault the marchers. A group of protesters runs into a restaurant to hide, but troopers rush in and beat and shootJimmie Lee Jackson. King and Bevel meet with Cager Lee, Jackson's grandfather, at the morgue. King speaks to ask people to continue to fight for their rights. Harassing phone calls with a recording ofsexual activity implied to be King and another woman lead to an argument with Coretta; she knows it is a fabrication, but the strain of constant death threats has taken its toll on her. King is criticized by members of theStudent Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
As theSelma-to-Montgomery march is about to begin, King talks to Young about delaying it for a day so he can spend some time with his family, but Young convinces King to let the march begin as scheduled without him, saying he can join later. The marchers, includingJohn Lewis of SNCC,Hosea Williams of SCLC, and Selma activistAmelia Boynton, cross theEdmund Pettus Bridge and approach a line of state troopers who put on gas masks. The troopers order the marchers to turn back and, when the marchers hold their ground, the troopers attack with clubs, horses,tear gas, and other weapons. Lewis and Boynton are among those badly injured. The attack is shown on national television and the wounded are treated atBrown Chapel, the movement's headquarter church.
Movement attorneyFred Gray asks federal JudgeFrank Minis Johnson to let another attempt at the march go forward. President Johnson demands that King and Wallace cease their activities and sends Assistant Attorney GeneralJohn Doar to convince King to postpone the next march. Numerous white Americans, includingViola Liuzzo,Archbishop Iakovos, andJames Reeb, arrive to join the second march. Marchers cross the bridge again and see the state troopers lined up, but the troopers turn aside to let them pass. King, after praying, turns around and leads the group away, which again draws sharp criticism from SNCC activists. That evening, Reeb is beaten to death by an angry white mob on a street in Selma.
After a hearing, Judge Johnson approves the march. President Johnson speaks before aJoint Session of Congress to ask for quick passage of abill to eliminate restrictions on voting, praising the courage of the activists. The march on the highway to Montgomery takes place, and, when the marchers reach Montgomery, Kingdelivers a speech on the steps of theState Capitol.
On June 18, 2008,Variety reported that screenwriter Paul Webb had written an original story about Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon B. Johnson forCelador'sChristian Colson, which would be co-produced withBrad Pitt'sPlan B Entertainment.[31] In 2009,Lee Daniels was reportedly in early talks to direct the film, with financing byPathé.Dede Gardner andJeremy Kleiner of Plan B joined as co-producers along with participation of Cloud Eight Films.[32] In 2010, reports indicated thatThe Weinstein Company would join Pathe and Plan B to finance the $22 million film,[33] but by the next month Daniels had signed on withSony to re-write and directThe Butler.[34] In an interview in August 2010, Daniels said that financing was there for theSelma project, but he had to choose betweenThe Butler andSelma, and choseThe Butler.[35]
In July 2013, it was said thatAva DuVernay had signed on to direct the film for Pathé UK and Plan B, and that she was revising the script with the original screenwriter, Paul Webb.[36][37] DuVernay estimated that she re-wrote 90 percent of Webb's original script.[38] Those revisions included rewriting King's speeches, because, in 2009, King's estate licensed them toDreamWorks andWarner Bros. for an untitled project to be produced bySteven Spielberg. Subsequent negotiations between those companies andSelma's producers did not lead to an agreement. DuVernay drafted alternative speeches that evoke the historic ones without violating the copyright. She recalled spending hours listening to King's words while hiking the canyons of Los Angeles. While she did not think she would "get anywhere close to just the beauty and that nuance of his speech patterns", she did identify some of King's basic structure, such as a tendency to speak in triplets (saying one thing in three different ways).[39][40] DuVernay did not receive a screenwriting credit on the finished film due to a stipulation within Webb's original contract that entitled him to the sole credit.[37]
In early 2014,Oprah Winfrey came on board as a producer along with Pitt,[41] and by February 25, 2014, whenParamount Pictures went to the final negotiations for the US and Canadian distribution rights.[42]
On April 4, 2014, it was announced thatBradford Young would be the director of photography of the film.[43]
In 2010, Daniels (who was the attached director at the time) confirmed that the lead role of King would be played by British actorDavid Oyelowo. King was one of four main roles played by British actors (the other roles being those of King's wife, President Johnson, and Alabama Governor Wallace).[38] Actors who had confirmed in 2010 but who did not appear in the 2014 production includeRobert De Niro,Hugh Jackman,Cedric the Entertainer,Lenny Kravitz, andLiam Neeson.[8][44][45][46][47]
On March 26, 2014, British actorTom Wilkinson was added to the cast to play US President Lyndon B. Johnson.[9] On April 7, it was announced that British actressCarmen Ejogo would play Dr. King's wife,Coretta Scott King.[10] On April 15, actor and rapperLakeith Stanfield had reportedly joined the cast to play civil rights protesterJimmie Lee Jackson, who was shot and killed on a nighttime march and whose death led James Bevel to initiate the Selma to Montgomery marches.[18][48] On April 22,Lorraine Toussaint joined the cast to portrayAmelia Boynton Robinson, who was very active in the Selma movement before SCLC arrived and was the first African-American woman in Alabama to run for Congress.[13] On April 25, it was announced thatR&B singerLedisi had been added to the cast to playMahalia Jackson, a singer and friend of King.[28] On May 7,Andre Holland joined the cast to play politician and civil rights activist Andrew Young.[11] On May 8,Tessa Thompson was cast to play the role ofDiane Nash, a civil rights activist and founding member of theStudent Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.[24] On May 9, Deadline confirmed that rapper and actorCommon had been cast in the role ofJames Bevel, the Director of Direct Action and Director of Nonviolent Education of theSouthern Christian Leadership Conference, who was married to Diane Nash during the events of the film.[16] On May 16,Trai Byers was added to the cast to playJames Forman, a civil rights leader active in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.[26] On June 20, Deadline reported thatColman Domingo had been cast to play SCLC activistRalph Abernathy.[23]
On May 28,Stephan James was confirmed to be portraying the role of SNCC activistJohn Lewis in the film.[14] On May 29,Wendell Pierce joined the film to play civil rights leaderHosea Williams.[15] On May 30,Cuba Gooding Jr. was set to play civil rights attorney and activistFred Gray.[19] On June 3, British actorTim Roth signed on to play Alabama governor George Wallace.[21] On June 4,Niecy Nash joined the cast to playRichie Jean Jackson, a childhood friend of Coretta Scott King and the wife of Dr. Sullivan Jackson (played byKent Faulcon), whileJohn Lavelle joined to playRoy Reed, a reporter covering the march forThe New York Times.[27][29] On June 10, it was announced that the film's producer,Oprah Winfrey, would portrayAnnie Lee Cooper, a 54-year-old woman who tried to register to vote and was denied by SheriffClark—whom she then punched in the jaw and knocked down.[22]Jeremy Strong joined the cast to playJames Reeb, a whiteUnitarian Universalist minister from Boston who was murdered in Selma after the second attempt at the march.[25] On June 12, it was reported thatGiovanni Ribisi joined the cast to playLee C. White, an adviser to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson on strategies regarding the Civil Rights Movement.[12]Alessandro Nivola also joined to playJohn Doar, a civil rights activist and attorney general for civil rights for the Department of Justice in the 1960s.[17]Dylan Baker was added to the cast on July 17 to play FBI DirectorJ. Edgar Hoover, who carried out extensive investigations of King and his associates.[20]
Principal photography began May 20, 2014, aroundAtlanta,Georgia.[49][50] Filming took place aroundMarietta Square[51] and Rockdale County Courthouse inConyers. The Conyers scene involved a portrayal of federal judgeFrank Minis Johnson, who ruled that the third and final march could go forward.[52] InNewton County, Georgia, filming took place at Flat Road, Airport Road, Gregory Road, Conyers, Brown, Ivy and Emory Streets, exteriors on Lee Street, outside shots of the old Newton County Courthouse, shots of the Covington Square, and an interior night shoot at the Townhouse Café on Washington St.[53] In Alabama, scenes were shot inSelma, centering on theBloody Sunday march to theEdmund Pettus Bridge, and inMontgomery, Alabama, where, in 1965, King led civil rights demonstrators down Dexter Avenue toward the Alabama State Capitol at the conclusion of the third march from Selma.[54]
Jason Moran composed the music for the film, marking his debut in the field.[55]Common (who playsJames Bevel) andJohn Legend released the accompanying track "Glory" in December 2014, ahead of the film's theatrical release. A protest anthem, "Glory" refers to the2014 Ferguson protests and earned both theGolden Globe Award for Best Original Song[56][57] and theAcademy Award for Best Original Song.[58] The soundtrack albumSelma: Music from the Motion Picture was released digitally on December 23, 2014, and physically on January 13, 2015.[59]
Among the other songs featured in the film was a 1970 cover of aMahalia Jackson song "Walk with Me Lord" cover byMartha Bass and the Harold Smith Majestics Choir.
Selmapremiered in Los Angeles atGrauman's Egyptian Theatre duringAFI Fest on November 11, 2014,[60] after which it received a standing ovation.[61] It opened inlimited release in the United States on December 25, 2014, including in Los Angeles, New York City, and Atlanta,[62] before its wide opening on January 9, 2015.[63]
The film was screened in the Berlinale Special Galas section of the65th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2015.[64] It was released byPathé and their distribution partner20th Century Fox on February 6, 2015, in the United Kingdom.Paramount Pictures gave the film a limited re-release in the US on March 20, 2015, to honor the historical march's 50th anniversary, and another re-release in January 2021 to celebrateBlack History Month.[65]Selma was released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 14, 2015.
Selma received critical acclaim, with particular praise given to DuVernay's direction and Oyelowo's performance, though it was met with some criticism for its historical inaccuracies, which largely centered on the perceived vilification of Johnson and the omission of several prominent Jewish civil rights leaders.[66] OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 99% based on 314 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10; the site's critical consensus reads: "Fueled by a gripping performance from David Oyelowo,Selma draws inspiration and dramatic power from the life and death of Martin Luther King Jr. – but doesn't ignore how far we remain from the ideals his work embodied."[67] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 79 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[68] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film a rare grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.[69][70][71]
Richard Roeper ofThe Chicago Sun Times praised the film as "an important history lesson that never feels like a lecture. Once school is back in session, every junior high school class in America should take a field trip to see this movie."[72]Joe Morgenstern, writing forThe Wall Street Journal, wrote: "At its best, Ava DuVernay's biographical film honors Dr. King's legacy by dramatizing the racist brutality that spurred him and his colleagues to action."[73]A. O. Scott ofThe New York Times praised the acting, directing, writing, and cinematography, and wrote: "Even if you think you know what's coming,Selma hums with suspense and surprise. Packed with incident and overflowing with fascinating characters, it is a triumph of efficient, emphatic cinematic storytelling."[74]
Rene Rodriguez, writing in theMiami Herald, commented that:
Unlike most biopics about heroic men who shaped our history or helped bring about change (such as 2013'sMandela: Long Walk to Freedom orThe Butler),Selma doesn't feel like freeze-driedhagiography.[75]
Peter Travers ofRolling Stone wrote: "DuVernay's look at Martin Luther King's 1965 voting-rights march against racial injustice stings with relevance to the here and now. Oyelowo's stirring, soulful performance as King deserves superlatives."[76]David Denby, writing forThe New Yorker, wrote: "This is cinema, more rhetorical, spectacular, and stirring than cable-TV drama."[77] Ann Hornaday ofThe Washington Post gave the film four out of five stars, and wrote: "WithSelma, director Ava DuVernay has created a stirring, often thrilling, uncannily timely drama that works on several levels at once ... she presents [Martin Luther King Jr.] as a dynamic figure of human-scale contradictions, flaws and supremely shrewd political skills."[78]
Praise was not unanimous; writing about whySelma was not nominated for more Academy Awards,Adolph Reed Jr., political science professor at theUniversity of Pennsylvania, opined that "now it's the black (haute) bourgeoisie that suffers injustice on behalf of the black masses."[79]
The film won and was nominated for several awards in 2014–15.
The historical accuracy ofSelma's story has been the subject of controversy about the degree to whichartistic license should be used inhistorical fiction.[80][81] The film was criticized by some for its omission of various individuals and groups historically associated with the Selma marches, while others challenged how particular historical figures in the script were represented.
Most controversy in the media centered on the film's portrayal of President Johnson and his relationship with King. According to people such as LBJ Presidential Library directorMark Updegrove[82] andJoseph A. Califano Jr., Johnson was a champion of civil rights legislation and a proactive partner of King, and they accused the film of falsely depicting Johnson as a reluctant, obstructionist political actor who had the FBI monitor and harass King.[83][84] Having served as Johnson's top domestic policy assistant (including on issues of civil rights) and asU.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Califano questioned whether the writer and director felt "free to fill the screen with falsehoods, immune from any responsibility to the dead, just because they thought it made for a better story".[85] HistorianDavid E. Kaiser said that the film's depiction of Johnson as obstructing Dr. King's civil rights efforts—when, in fact, he helped get important legislation passed—advances a false narrative that American whites are "hopelessly infected by racism and that black people could and should depend only on themselves".[86]
Andrew Young—SCLC activist and official, and later U.S. congressman, ambassador to the United Nations, and mayor of Atlanta—toldThe Washington Post that the depiction of the relationship between Johnson and King "was the only thing I would question in the movie. Everything else, they got 100 percent right". According to Young, the two were always mutually respectful, and King respected Johnson's political problems.[87] On television, Young pointed out that it was US Attorney GeneralRobert F. Kennedy who had signed the order that allowed the FBI to monitor King and other SCLC members and that it happened before Johnson took office.[88]
Some Jews who marched with King at Selma wrote that the film omits any mention of the Jews who contributed significantly to the civil rights movement, effectively "airbrushing" Jews out of the film, particularly RabbiAbraham Joshua Heschel, who appeared in news photos at the front of the march with King.[89][90][91] However, several men withkippahs can be seen in the scenes of the second march, in the front row and in the second row, near to King. Additionally, in the same scene, an actor can be seen portraying Heschel himself, in the front row of the march, alongside King.
Director DuVernay and US RepresentativeJohn Lewis, who is portrayed in the film marching with King during the civil rights movement, responded separately that the filmSelma is a work of art about the people of Selma, not a documentary. DuVernay said in an interview that she did not see herself as "a custodian of anyone's legacy".[92] In response to criticisms that she rewrote history to portray her own agenda, DuVernay said that the movie is "not a documentary. I'm not a historian. I'm a storyteller."[93] Lewis wrote in an op-ed forThe Los Angeles Times: "We do not demand completeness of other historical dramas, so why is it required of this film?"[94]
In a scene-by-scene analysis, the visual blogInformation is Beautiful gaveSelma a score of 100%, noting: "This movie painstakingly recreates events as they happened".[95]
It earned an A-plus grade from audience polling firm CinemaScore and wide praise from critics.
Ava DuVernay's 'Selma' places No. 2 after expanding nationwide, earning a coveted A+ CinemaScore
| Media works |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | |||||
| Related | |||||
Related topics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
