The Great Debaters

If one is looking for a feel-good movie that will inspire change in the crustiest of people, The Great Debaters should be on your short list.  This movie instills a sense of pride in the people involved in the civil right movements and makes one shamed to look at America's past. After viewing this film, one will better understand the hardships African-Americans have faced less than 50 years ago. Do I recommend this movie? Ya Sure You Betcha!

This movie was filmed in 2007 and set in 1935. It was directed by the great Denzel Washington who also stared as the intelligent and witty Professor Tolson. Professor Tolson is a teacher at the all black Wiley College in Marshall, Texas and coach for the debate team. His team consists of 4 members: Henry Lowe played by Nate Parker, Samantha Booke played by Jurnee Smollett, James Farmer Jr played by Denzel Whitaker, and Hamilton Burgess played by Jermaine Williams.


The debate team is renowned in Texas and went undefeated for quite a while. However, with the praise for the debate team rising, hatred for Professor Tolson was mounting. Tolson wanted to form a farmer's union for sharecroppers, white and black, in the south. Word around town was Tolson was a communist and the only thing worse than being black, was being a communist; he was both. Mr. Burgess ends up leaving the team because of Tolson's political beliefs, which he adamantly keeps to himself.


The team is shrunk to Booke (with and "E"), Mr. Farmer, and Mr. Lowe (also with an "E"). The two players are connected with their last name and that will foreshadow future events. The trio keeps winning until Lowe makes some mistakes and the fourteen-year-old Farmer has to debate. The team witnesses common occurrences for the Jim Crow south which only makes them stronger.

The team left to right:
Burgess, Farmer, Booke, Lowe

Mr. Tolson is sending word of his debate team to many colleges around the country, all white and all black. Eventually, one of the most prestigious universities, Harvard, invites Wiley College to debate. However, with this momentous occasion, heartache is felt by the difficulties the team faces.

The Great Debaters is a must see film, appropriate for most of the family. This film will open history books in ways people have never opened them. When watching, hearts will be touched and former opinions changed. After viewing, I realized the hardship African-Americans faced once relieved of their owners. This movie presents a message relevant in today's society, and will be relevant until all unjust laws are changed.

Special Thanks:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Debaters
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