American Experience - The Murder of Emmett Till
by Stanley Nelson
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Actor: Andre Braugher, Harry Caise, Magnolia Cooksey-Mathious, Oudie Brown, Pat AnticiDirector: Stanley Nelson
Cinematographer: Robert Shepard
Producer: Stanley Nelson
Editor: Lewis Erskine
Producer: Amilca Palmer
Producer: Laurens Grant
Writer: Marcia Smith
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 53 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-02-03
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS (Direct)
DVD Reviews of American Experience - The Murder of Emmett Till
DVD Review: Once Again, Mississippi Goddam
Summary: 5 Stars
This PBS production is a long overdue appreciation of the life the martyred civil rights figure, fourteen year old Chicago resident Emmett Till, down in deeply segregated Mississippi in 1955 at the hands of at least two white men while visiting relatives. Emmett's crime- eyeballing or whistling or some such at a white woman while black. Sounds familiar from other later contexts, right (like today blacks being stopped in white neighborhoods, on the roads by white police, etc.)? For that childish indiscretion, however, Emmett paid with his young life. That these men, his later self-proclaimed killers were "white trash", and considered as such by `gentile' Southern society nevertheless insured that they would not suffer for their crimes. At least not under the Mississippi-style `justice' of the times. They were white. And white was right. Case closed.
This documentary is also is a tribute, a much warranted tribute, to Emmett's mother, the now deceased Mame Till, whose interview clips go a long way to understanding the nature of the case and her lifelong search for justice for her son- somewhere. As pointed out near the end of the film that never really occurred in her lifetime or the lifetimes of Emmett's killers. Along the way the film details the why of that statement; the murder is graphically laid out, the `justice' system in Mississippi is laid bare. The reaction of blacks in Chicago at Emmett's funeral and later at the verdict, as well as those in the South who were just starting to organize for their rights, had a galvanizing issue. As one of the journalist interviewees noted, Emmett's case highlighted that blacks were under attack, knew they were in a life and death struggle and had better start doing something about it. Moreover, this case provided the first solid evidence to the North, blacks and whites alike, that something was desperately wrong with the justice system in the Jim Crow South.
The beginnings of my personal awareness of the central role of the black liberation struggle in any fight for fundamental change in America did not stem from the Till tragedy but rather a little latter from the attempts to integrate the schools of Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957. This film and many of the interviewees (journalists, an ex-Governor of Mississippi, field hands who witnessed various aspects of Till's abduction and/or the cover up of the murder, Southern white liberals, etc.) point to the Till case as the tip of the iceberg that exploded soon after in the famous Rosa Parks bus incident in Montgomery, Alabama. No matter where you trace the beginnings of the modern civil right movement from, though, in Emmett Till's case there is only conclusion- Nina Simone said it best in her song- "Mississippi Goddam".
DVD Review: Excellent and moving documentary
Summary: 5 Stars
This a fantastic documentary! It is well researched and very engaging. Having shown lots of different videos in class over the years this one always gets an overwhelmingly positive response.DVD Review: America's redemption
Summary: 5 Stars
A very moving documentary, that made me angry about the abhorrent racism in southern states. This absorbing documentary learnt me, a European, also a lot about how America deals with the dark pages in its history. This is democracy at its best.DVD Review: The Murder of Emmett Till: An Education Worth Viewing
Summary: 5 Stars
The Murder... provides a thoughtful and soul stirring view of how racial hate destroys individuals and social institutions. At the same time, it is a reminder of the historical nightmares pregnant in America as a result of segregation. Indeed, this film renewed my commitment to be an individual who teaches students about the way African Americans have thrived in the midst of living within and in the blues existence known as racial hate. This is a movie all people need to experience. DVD Review: Great history lesson
Summary: 5 Stars
I thought this DVD was great. I really enjoyed all the old footage.This is a good DVD to have if you like history .
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