It appears that there is a shortage of globally recognised figures that have come to be known for the Civil Rights Movement in the USA. There is Malcolm X, maybe, but only Martin Luther King Jr. is universally recognisable. We all know King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, and 1968 assassination, but most of us are lacking in any knowledge of the physical activity King and his brethren performed in order to secure change. 2015’s Selma takes this larger-than-life figure and strips him of his historical leader qualities, adding clout to what these people went through and making you feel their struggle as if you were living during the sixties.
Selma focuses on the factual 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting marches led by Martin Luther King Jr. and a host of his confidants. With white people illegally stopping black people from voting and senselessly acting violently towards them, some black people non-violently march together in order to combat the racial discrimination prevalent within Southern states.
The supporting performances are strong, from Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson and Carmen Ejogo as King's wife, Coretta King, whose performance is probably helped by the fact that she portrayed her before in the 2001 film Boycott, and received the blessing of Coretta King herself in the process.
David Oyelowo is great as King and Selma thrives off of its rousing moments, which mostly come in the form of King's speeches, in which Oyelowo really excels. The speeches are spine tingling for it feels like you are watching Martin Luther King in the flesh delivering crucial dialogues to crowds that shriek in accordance. Selma is a film rich with historical influence but one that seems to merely describe the events that took place. It is an excellent educational tool but as entertainment it is lacking; it is simply an important story to tell. When the film stops being stirring and must focus on the lesser, more intimate moments, Selma becomes a divided affair that can lose your fascination. There has been some criticisms of Selma resembling a documentary, but director Ava DuVernay has stated she is a storyteller and by the look of Selma containing inspiring, touching and damning moments, Selma is not a simple depiction of what happened in the 1965 march, but a retrospective insight into what it took for these people to stand up for their rights and want equal justice.
Selma has communicated its message with great impact through the song Glory by John Legend and Common. It is beautifully sung by Legend and Common’s rapping may be highly out-of-place, but it withholds a message that matters even today. Even though the Civil Rights Movement was fifty years ago, equality is still not completely attained, making the lyrics timeless for they not only encompass the struggles of those in 1965, but also the underlying disparity between races in today’s world. As the lyrics state, “Selma is now” and couldn’t be more relevant to the American society of 2015 as the Ferguson riots brought the USA back into the old ways of racial conflict.
Glory is a protest anthem that speaks to you through the weight of its lyrics; Selma is a piece of undying history that reminds us not to fall back to the ways of our ancestors.
Selma will be showing at Nottingham cinemas from 6 February 2015.
Selma Official Site
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