"Ghosts of Mississippi" from 1996 is based on the true story of the third attempt to put Byron De La Beckwith in prison for the murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963. It stars James Woods, Alec Baldwin, Whoopie Goldberg, Craig T. Nelson, William P. Macy, Susanna Thompson,and Virginia Madsen.
Medgar Evers was killed outside his home in Mississippi, shot in the back, in June of 1963. A member of the Klan and a known racist, Byron De La Beckwith was arrested. The jury at his trial consisted of twelve white men, and while Evers' wife was on the stand, some bigwig walked over to De La Beckwith and shook hands with him. A police officer gave the defendant an alibi. Twice, the trials ended in a hung jury. Thirty years later, the district attorney reopened the case, and the assistant DA, De Laughter, made a commitment to it. Many witnesses were dead, there was no court transcript, and what evidence there was had disappeared. De Laughter's wife left him and he was harassed throughout the investigation and trial.
De Laughter, with new witnesses, new evidence, and new jurors won the case. De La Beckwith, then around 70 years old, went to prison and died there in 2001.
The movie was filmed in Jackson, Mississippi, where Evers was killed, and members of the Evers family and Martin Luther King's daughter Yolanda were all in the movie, and Mrs. Evers was a consultant.
So that's the background. Now for the film. Aside from being based on a true story, and the excellent performance by James Woods as the young and then elderly De La Beckwith, there is nothing to separate this from other courtroom dramas like "A Time to Kill" and countless others.
The story is very compelling and emotional, as it's painful to remember what the south was like for blacks in the '60s, and thinking about this man getting away with murder is infuriating.
The problem lay in the focus of the script, which is on De Laughter (Baldwin). It would have been more interesting and helpful to viewers -- now seeing this on DVD nearly 20 years after the movie was made, and 50 years after the incident -- to have learned more about Evers, and to see more of how it really was in the south for blacks, not just some footage at the beginning.
Yes, Alec Baldwin was once adorable, as he is here. He's extremely likable and gives a straightforward, honest performance as a hard-working man, a loving father, and a determined attorney who wants to see this case through to the end. Whoopi Goldberg is an odd choice for Mrs. Evers, but an inspired one. She brings quiet dignity to the role that Myrlie Evers undoubtedly has in real life. The supporting cast is good.
If this film were made today, the focus would be more on the Evers family. Times have changed. Like the ghost that De Laughter's daughter kept seeing in her room, ghosts who were victims of prejudice and hatred are still around, wanting their story to be told.
Medgar Evers was killed outside his home in Mississippi, shot in the back, in June of 1963. A member of the Klan and a known racist, Byron De La Beckwith was arrested. The jury at his trial consisted of twelve white men, and while Evers' wife was on the stand, some bigwig walked over to De La Beckwith and shook hands with him. A police officer gave the defendant an alibi. Twice, the trials ended in a hung jury. Thirty years later, the district attorney reopened the case, and the assistant DA, De Laughter, made a commitment to it. Many witnesses were dead, there was no court transcript, and what evidence there was had disappeared. De Laughter's wife left him and he was harassed throughout the investigation and trial.
De Laughter, with new witnesses, new evidence, and new jurors won the case. De La Beckwith, then around 70 years old, went to prison and died there in 2001.
The movie was filmed in Jackson, Mississippi, where Evers was killed, and members of the Evers family and Martin Luther King's daughter Yolanda were all in the movie, and Mrs. Evers was a consultant.
So that's the background. Now for the film. Aside from being based on a true story, and the excellent performance by James Woods as the young and then elderly De La Beckwith, there is nothing to separate this from other courtroom dramas like "A Time to Kill" and countless others.
The story is very compelling and emotional, as it's painful to remember what the south was like for blacks in the '60s, and thinking about this man getting away with murder is infuriating.
The problem lay in the focus of the script, which is on De Laughter (Baldwin). It would have been more interesting and helpful to viewers -- now seeing this on DVD nearly 20 years after the movie was made, and 50 years after the incident -- to have learned more about Evers, and to see more of how it really was in the south for blacks, not just some footage at the beginning.
Yes, Alec Baldwin was once adorable, as he is here. He's extremely likable and gives a straightforward, honest performance as a hard-working man, a loving father, and a determined attorney who wants to see this case through to the end. Whoopi Goldberg is an odd choice for Mrs. Evers, but an inspired one. She brings quiet dignity to the role that Myrlie Evers undoubtedly has in real life. The supporting cast is good.
If this film were made today, the focus would be more on the Evers family. Times have changed. Like the ghost that De Laughter's daughter kept seeing in her room, ghosts who were victims of prejudice and hatred are still around, wanting their story to be told.