Selma Movie Analysis
The Marches in Selma
Elisabetta Giraudi
Dr. Marisha Caswell
HIST 2907
March 19th 2015
The Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1968, was a time of change in the United States of America. It marked the beginning of a long battle against systematic oppression against black Americans — a battle that to this day is still raging in America as seen in the recent events of Ferguson, Missouri. The Civil Rights Movement encompassed many demonstrations and nonviolent protests whose goals were to end segregation, discrimination and to ultimately gain equal rights. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Daisy Bates, just to name a few, became famous human rights activist during this time, leading some of the movements most memorable and effective …show more content…
Although it added some drama between King and his wife, and some other Hollywood scenes, the movie never strayed far from the accounted history. The movie gave the viewers a sense of closeness to the characters, by using special focus on them throughout the film, for example Jimmie Lee Jackson’s grandfather. It also made historical figures like Martin Luther King, Jr. seem more like a human rather than just a historical figure. Selma highlighted the mindless violence used against black Americans, and made connections to current events happening in America now with police brutality and racial profiling. Finally the film broke the camera lens of the viewers by using real footage from the last march to Montgomery. The three marches from Selma to Montgomery Alabama were a vital fight in the Civil Rights Movement. As a result of these marches, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed banning any type of regulation to hinder Americans from registering to vote. Selma overall is an effective film because it stays true to the history, builds connections to the viewer and lastly because it makes the viewers think about what happened in the past relative to what is happening in the
Elisabetta Giraudi
Dr. Marisha Caswell
HIST 2907
March 19th 2015
The Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1968, was a time of change in the United States of America. It marked the beginning of a long battle against systematic oppression against black Americans — a battle that to this day is still raging in America as seen in the recent events of Ferguson, Missouri. The Civil Rights Movement encompassed many demonstrations and nonviolent protests whose goals were to end segregation, discrimination and to ultimately gain equal rights. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Daisy Bates, just to name a few, became famous human rights activist during this time, leading some of the movements most memorable and effective …show more content…
Although it added some drama between King and his wife, and some other Hollywood scenes, the movie never strayed far from the accounted history. The movie gave the viewers a sense of closeness to the characters, by using special focus on them throughout the film, for example Jimmie Lee Jackson’s grandfather. It also made historical figures like Martin Luther King, Jr. seem more like a human rather than just a historical figure. Selma highlighted the mindless violence used against black Americans, and made connections to current events happening in America now with police brutality and racial profiling. Finally the film broke the camera lens of the viewers by using real footage from the last march to Montgomery. The three marches from Selma to Montgomery Alabama were a vital fight in the Civil Rights Movement. As a result of these marches, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed banning any type of regulation to hinder Americans from registering to vote. Selma overall is an effective film because it stays true to the history, builds connections to the viewer and lastly because it makes the viewers think about what happened in the past relative to what is happening in the