Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
David Oyelowo | ... | Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. | |
Carmen Ejogo | ... | Coretta Scott King | |
Jim France | ... | Gunnar Jahn | |
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Trinity Simone | ... | Girl #1 |
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Mikeria Howard | ... | Girl #2 |
Jordan Rice | ... | Girl #3 | |
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Ebony Billups | ... | Girl #4 |
Nadej K. Bailey | ... | Girl #5 (as Nadej Bailey) | |
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Elijah Oliver | ... | Boy #1 |
Oprah Winfrey | ... | Annie Lee Cooper | |
Clay Chappell | ... | Registrar | |
Tom Wilkinson | ... | President Lyndon B. Johnson | |
Giovanni Ribisi | ... | Lee White | |
Haviland Stillwell | ... | President's Secretary | |
André Holland | ... | Andrew Young |
The unforgettable true story chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay's "Selma" tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. Written by Miss W J Mcdermott
Once one gets used to the fact that the film of the original events in Selma, Alabama, is more interesting than this fictionalized piece, it starts to become a disappointment. The young man who plays Martin Luther King, Jr., does a decent job, but there is something lacking. When we hear speeches by King, there is a power to his delivery. Something is missing here. While a British actor plays King and he does great with a southern American, his delivery lacks the punch. What makes the movie worthwhile is the portrayal of the marches, all three of them. The first is so graphic in its violence as those marshals block the area on the other side of the bridge. Also missing is lively dialogue among the leaders of the movement. They are so stiff where they should be fighting among each other, expressing their fears and bringing us into the process. Lyndon Johnson is seen as the bad guy (along with, of course, George Wallace), but his portrayal is stilted. Where is that Texas accent. He is so impressed in our minds. There should be more bluster and casual dominance in this figure. While this is a decent rendering of a major event in the development of man's quest for freedom, it falls a bit flat.