The just released Selma is a movie that I definitely plan to see! It is about a very important chapter in American history and from most accounts a well made and thought provoking film. In addition to the story of the civil rights struggle, the making of the movie is producing some interesting stories and controversies.
The first story is about the director and co-writer of the film Ava DuVernay. She is taking her place along side other black women such as Oprah Winfrey and Shondra Rhimes who have established themselves as significant presences in the entertainment industry as producers and directors and not just on screen personalities. Before coming to the Selma project she had already established a position as an award winning director.
The second story is the controversy and debate that is taking place over the approach which DuVernay has taken to portraying the roles and relationship between LBJ and MLK, two imposing figures in the pages of history.
Depiction of Lyndon B. Johnson in ‘Selma’ Raises Hackles
Was Lyndon B. Johnson a civil rights mastermind, or a reluctant follower pulled along by activists led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?
The question has long been a matter of contention, even flaring up in the 2008 presidential primary battle between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
The new film “Selma,” directed by Ava DuVernay, has won rave reviews and awards buzz for its depiction of the tense maneuvering surrounding the protests in that small town in March 1965, as Dr. King (played by David Oyelowo) contended with racist authorities in Alabama as well as factions inside the civil rights movement.
But it has also drawn some sharp criticism for its depiction of Johnson as a laggard on black voting rights who opposed the marches and even unleashed the Federal Bureau of Investigation in an effort to stop Dr. King’s campaign.
The critique is being led by Mark K. Updegrove, director of the LBJ library and Joseph Califano, and LBJ aid. They take the position that Johnson was the real hero of the civil rights movement and should have been portrayed as such. This same question became an issue in the 2008 primary campaign between Clinton and Obama with Clinton taking taking the position that King's dream only began to be realized when Johnson passed the civil rights act.
In watching some interviews with DuVerney she makes it clear that she doesn't consider either Johnson or King the sole hero of the story of the civil rights movement or Selma. The heroes of the story are the black Americans who found the courage and empowerment to seek justice. It is their story that she has attempted to tell.
History is always a kaleidoscope of multiple moving parts. Any attempt to analyse and tell it can only sample the available material and present one particular interpretation of it. As someone who was in college and graduate school during these events, I still have strong memories of them. My views of LBJ were mostly shaped by his dogmatic approach to Vietnam. He left office under a cloud from that undertaking. There has been a more recent effort to rehabilitate his image as a part of Democratic political history. The center piece of that effort has been to give him major credit for the accomplishments of the civil rights movement. Down playing his involvement with Vietnam fits conveniently with the effort to sweep that entire chapter of American history under the rug. Any effort to develop a three dimensional portrayal of Johnson's presidency must deal with a complex man with more than a few rough edges.
I plan to watch the film with a critical eye and form my own opinion of it. Whatever that turns out to be, I think it will be an interesting experience.