The Great Debaters Film Analysis

Film Critic Hossein Aghababa stated in moviequotesandmore that “The movie (the great debaters) is explicit enough on the issue of racial discrimination.” Throughout The Great Debaters (2007), Denzel Washington illustrates racial discrimination as the main theme. The setting of the movie, the nature of the characters, and the high stance of education are some of the primary examples that represent the main theme.
The film is set around a predominantly black college named Wiley College in Texas 1935. During this time period was when racism was still very much alive and well and the Jim Crow laws were still in action. Throughout the movie The Great Debater (2007), we are shown props and settings in each scene that portray the theme racial discrimination. In the first scene, Samantha Booke was standing at the bus station next to a bench, she was forbidden to sit down because the bench was labelled whites
Most of the white characters we saw in the film felt that black people were less intelligent than they were and that black people were not in the same “league” as white people. Take for example he scene were the Dr. James Farmer and his family are driving down the road and Dr. Farmer accidently hits and kills a hog. The owner of the hog is a white unintelligent farmer. Dr. Farmer knows that he was in the wrong and apologizes and offers to pay for the hog. As Dr. Farmer hands over the check to the farmer, the farmer drops the check on purpose and makes DR. Farmer pick the check up on purpose in front of his children and wife and said: “Well, pick it up!”( The Great Debaters) , even though Dr. Farmer is obviously more educated that this farmer, the white farmer felt the need to be rude and treat Dr. Farmer as if he was less of a human that he was. This incident of racial discrimination affected how Jr. James Farmer looked at his