Describing the 1955/56 Montgomery bus boycott by African Americans. It was the first civil rights movement led by the 26-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr.
After some impressionistic opening scenes, the film begins with Rosa Parks (Iris Little Thomas) deliberately refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. Jo Ann Robinson (CCH Pounder) is an English professor at the historically Black Alabama State College and generates thousands of flyers encouraging a one-day boycott of Montgomery's buses. Meanwhile, E. D. Nixon (Reg E. Cathey), head of the local NAACP chapter, organizes a meeting at a local church with a new pastor. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Jeffrey Wright) and his friend Ralph Abernathy (Terrence Howard) attend, and the "new guy" with no history with local white leaders is elected the head of the new Montgomery Improvement Association. We also meet King's wife, Coretta (Carmen Ejogo), daughter, and father (Mike Hodge).
The film then follows the evolution of the boycott as it stretches into months despite aggressive attempts by local politicians to break the boycott by a variety of means. After King's home is firebombed, he struggles with his mission and vision. But Bayard Rustin (Erik Dellums), who has experience with non-violent resistance tactics, provides helpful influence. Ultimately, a federal court ruling in 1956 resolved the legal issues.
"Boycott" provides valuable insight into the development of Martin Luther King's philosophy of non-violence. For a time, he had armed guards at his home; this changed after his encounter with Rustin. And his message became purer. Jeffrey Wright and Terrence Howard are excellent in their roles. However, some of the secondary players are harder to keep track of. Interestingly, Carmen Ejogo also played Coretta Scott King in "Selma."
The filming technique was also creative. At points, there are black & white sequences that appear like news footage from the time. This lends an inevitable reality to the movie.
This is the 13th in my list of movies about pacifists.
After some impressionistic opening scenes, the film begins with Rosa Parks (Iris Little Thomas) deliberately refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. Jo Ann Robinson (CCH Pounder) is an English professor at the historically Black Alabama State College and generates thousands of flyers encouraging a one-day boycott of Montgomery's buses. Meanwhile, E. D. Nixon (Reg E. Cathey), head of the local NAACP chapter, organizes a meeting at a local church with a new pastor. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Jeffrey Wright) and his friend Ralph Abernathy (Terrence Howard) attend, and the "new guy" with no history with local white leaders is elected the head of the new Montgomery Improvement Association. We also meet King's wife, Coretta (Carmen Ejogo), daughter, and father (Mike Hodge).
The film then follows the evolution of the boycott as it stretches into months despite aggressive attempts by local politicians to break the boycott by a variety of means. After King's home is firebombed, he struggles with his mission and vision. But Bayard Rustin (Erik Dellums), who has experience with non-violent resistance tactics, provides helpful influence. Ultimately, a federal court ruling in 1956 resolved the legal issues.
"Boycott" provides valuable insight into the development of Martin Luther King's philosophy of non-violence. For a time, he had armed guards at his home; this changed after his encounter with Rustin. And his message became purer. Jeffrey Wright and Terrence Howard are excellent in their roles. However, some of the secondary players are harder to keep track of. Interestingly, Carmen Ejogo also played Coretta Scott King in "Selma."
The filming technique was also creative. At points, there are black & white sequences that appear like news footage from the time. This lends an inevitable reality to the movie.
This is the 13th in my list of movies about pacifists.