Wiki for Dr. McClurkens Courses

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You should do a total of 2-3 comments/questions/observations this week.  You do not need to post to all areas. -- Dr. McClurken

====== I.	How does this movie work as a secondary source? What does the movie get right about history?  ======

I think //A Long Walk Home// works well as a secondary source. It needs to be judged differently from most of the other films that we have watched this semester. Rather than focusing on specific characters of a story, highlighting historical figures while throwing in fictional ones, what this movie does is use fictional characters to portray a much larger story, that of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The film does a great job in displaying the story. The fact that I was really uncomfortable watching the movie means it portrayed the story well, not sugarcoating that part of American history. To me, it actually succeeds where other films we have watched failed, in that it demonstrates that a historical account can be shown well without the need of focusing on the figures involved in the account. In other words, the use of fictional individuals does not take anything away from the story being told. In doing so, it helps the viewer better understand what life was like for African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement and it makes it more personal for the viewer. -- Jordan Petty

The film seems to focus more on its fictional characters in a historically realistic setting, however it certainly does capture the time period and events well enough to be considered a somewhat accurate secondary source. The film gets the dates right and how it affected the community on a much more personal scale, and rather than focusing on the politics or grand scheme of things, it does a good job telling a story about how this historical event affected individual people on a personal level. The film does get very realistic and uncomfortable at times, and is hard to watch for squeamish people, which is admirable as it does not censor or sugar-coat realistic historical problems. These includes depictions of racism and racial violence, even showing racist violence against a child in one scene. Overall I think this film serves as a good introduction to the historical topic, and is a well told historical fiction. --AJ DeGeorge
 
Although A Long Walk Home follows fictional characters, it seems to accurately portray the time period and events in which it is set in. This film provides an immersive experience in life in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1950s and brings a deeply impactful portrayal of the Montgomery bus boycott that helps viewers to better understand the individual experience in that tenuous period. This film portrays many of the racist views and stereotypes perpetuated at the time, and racism on all scales from Miriam's apologist mindset of "its how we were raised" and Tucker - her brother-in-law with his open violence against Black Americans. I think this is a difficult film to watch, but it provides a compelling depiction of the period and a better understanding of the conditions Black Americans experienced in the South in general and particularly during the boycotts, including children like Odessa's daughter Selma.   - Ashley Dimino

//Long Walk Home// works very well as a secondary source. This movie accurately portrays the time period and the events that the story is based on. Although the majority of the characters in the movie are fictional, the use of combining these fictional characters along with real historical figures allow for the creation of a much larger story that contributes to the events of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The film portrays a storyline that helps viewers understand what an individual's experiences were and the hardships that some went through during the boycott in Montgomery in the 1950s. Throughout the film, the use of racial stereotypes and instances of racism is very apparent as it was during the time in which these events took place. The film also does a great job of portraying the rare occurrences of people that would risk their lives and societal image to help the women who worked for them and others in the African American community. Through Miriam's selfless act of carpooling these individuals due to boycotting the bus, it contributed to a much larger cause that would eventually lead to something much greater. -Lauren Simpson

//The Long Walk Home// is a great film to reference for context of the civil rights movement. The film depicts fictional characters around a fictional story, but the background of the film is very accurate. This is a great depiction of the experiences during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. I really liked getting to know all of the characters as if they would have existed in real life. Miriam's attitude towards segregation shifts throughout the film, which is a great idea that was an issue during the mid 1900s. Overall, for someone with no background on this time period, the film depicts a great amount of context. --Tara Scroggins

I think //The Long Walk Home// works pretty well as a secondary source for the Montgomery Bus Boycott as a whole. This film's approach to telling this story means that we can't really use the film as a secondary source about the people involved in the bus boycott, but more about the general history of it. I think the film does a really great job of portraying many of the emotions people felt during this time, the various perspectives, and it told a great history of the boycott through fictional characters. Based on the historical sources we read, I think filmmakers did a great job with the research behind this film and tried to accurately depict the events of the boycott despite the use of fictional characters. -Wilson LeCount

====== II.	Problems with historical accuracy? Errors in fact? ======

The film is ultimately about fictional people, so the first problem with historical accuracy lies in the fact that the characters are made up. However the events in the story are dated correctly, their depictions are also very well done. This film is probably one of the more accurate ones we have seen as it correctly shows black employment, the bus boycott and its effects. The film seems to be focused more around the fictional story than the history around it, however this does not necessarily hurt the film. The film does not seem to have any massive errors that contradict with primary sources, as the largest historical error is simply the characters, who definitely represent what real people could gave existed at the time, but these particular individuals did not. -- AJ DeGeorge

====== III.	How does the film’s overall interpretation(s) deviate from scholarly historical sources? ======
This is not so much a deviation, more like an observation. Two of our primary sources talk about how African Americans in the service where accosted for refusing to give up their seats. Thomas Williams was part of the Air Force while Sarah Keys was a member of the Women's Army Corps. Both were wearing their respective uniforms while arrested, something which should have at least given them some semblance of respect among their peers. However, this was not so. I think the story in //The Long Walk Home// would have been more compelling had it hinted at the particular struggle faced by African Americans in the service. I don't think I've ever heard of this particular issue before reading about it, and definitely haven't seen it onscreen. I can only recall the military being mentioned once in the film, and it's by Miriam who is recalling her husband's time at war and how he may not have truly seen as much as he claimed. While the story in //The Long Walk Home// is compelling in its own right, I think this would have been a much more interesting spin on the usual stories told about the Civil Rights Movement. -- Lyndsey Clark

====== IV.	How does this movie work as a primary source about the time period in which it was made or the filmmakers? ======

I think the film works well primarily in terms of its casting. The leads are portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg (//The Color Purple// (1985),//Ghost// (1990)), who is arguably one of the most famous African American actresses at the time, and Sissy Spacek, who is more well-known for her roles in the 1970s like //Carrie// (1976), still had a prominent career as actress in films like //JFK// (1991) and //The Grass Harp// (1995). I think this film serves to highlight their careers as actresses. Ving Rhames, who is best known for his roles in //Pulp Fiction// (1994) and the //Mission Impossible// series does an exceptional job as Odessa's husband, despite his limited screen time. -- Jordan Petty

I think that //The Long Walk Home// would be a great primary source about the 90s and filmmakers. If we compare this to other historical films during the 90s, we see the accuracy of depicting the times in which African Americans struggled most. Also, the actresses in this film are great at portraying the characters' mental confusion and distress. Showing the civil rights movement and legislation before the 2000s was not common in film without it being very poorly represented. --Tara Scroggins

I think this film is relevant in the 90s as a primary source. There were still civil rights legislations being passed in the 90s when this movie was released, making this movie about an uncomfortable topic even more significant and uncomfortable. The casting choices were also important, using Whoopi Godlberg and Sissy Spacek, two very big names in the time, in the main roles of a pseudo independent film was a big deal and brought a lot of attention, once again to a topic and a story not generally willingly talked about.-- Kimberly Sak

//Long Walk Home// can be relevant as a primary source for the 1990s. Throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, there were still Civil Rights legislation being passed such as non-discrimination laws for educational institutions and strengthening existing civil rights laws that were previously in place. These pieces of legislation were passed after the movie was made. The hardships that African Americans faced at the start of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s were still being faced and dealt with going into the 1990s. They were dealing with achieving non-discrimination rights for over 40 years. The casting choices that were made for Whoopi Goldberg as Odessa Carter and Sissy Spacek as Miriam Thompson were also very important for the movie's success. Whoopi Goldberg was one of the most famous African American actresses during this time. Sissy Spacek was also known for her major roles throughout the 1970s and into the 1990s. They both helped contribute with bringing a lot of attention for the film about a topic that was very important for the Civil Rights Movement but also a story that was not generally mentioned. -Lauren Simpson     
====== V. The "So, what?" question	======

This movie is important because it does an exceptional job in showing the struggles during the Civil Rights movement, specifically during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It's unique usage of fictional individuals helps to make the story more intimate and personal without having the need to focus on the actual figures of the story. I think this is what makes the movie stand out. Other movies we have watched this semester, like //Amistad//, //Glory//, and even //The Patriot//, utilize fictional individuals in telling the story, but does so in a way that takes something away from the viewer. //A Long Walk Home// does the opposite however, using fictional individuals in a way that helps its portrayal of the story. I like the fact that actual individuals were not the focus of the story, with people like Rosa Parks only being mentioned a small handful of times. I think having someone like Parks as a character in the film would have been another way to criticize the film negatively, had they not portrayed her well.

The film is important in telling a story about the Civil Rights movement in a way that helps the viewer understand the story better. It serves to complement what other sources say about the subject, how other sources tell the story. -- Jordan Petty

While this film is set in the 1950s, it would be foolish to say that this kind of racism is not still seen in the United States to this day, as if especially in the last few years, we haven't seen these white supremacist mobs in places like Charlottesville and Trump rallies, etc. It is important that the film ends on conflict, ends with the violence unresolved because the simple fact of the matter is that it is. The words at the end of the film, declaring this as an inciting point of the Civil Rights movement are not incorrect, but often films leave it at that, attempt to tie things into a nice little bow. I liked that this film was clear to establish that the violence against the Civil Rights Movement even after the decision was made banning segregation on buses did not end. Watching this film is an important reminder that this is something our grandparents were alive during, this is something that happened within a few generations of us and the fight for equality is not over. This film serves as a reminder of the terrible racism of our past in the United States, and a reminder that this type of racism still persists in America whether through institutional racism of the policing system or zoning laws seen in this film, or just through blatant ignorance and stereotyping of Black Americans and other minority groups in the United States. It provides a very personal look at the period that immerses the reader and creates empathy for the struggles experienced by the women in the film in a way that can help viewers to understand the impact of this racism in the United States on people. - Ashley Dimino

I think this movie is extremely significant to watch in context of civil rights discussion. Not only does the film have big names in it, especially for the time it was made, but it also claims historical accuracy without trying to conform to a specific story. It is a fictional story, set in a real time period with real events happening around it to provide the context needed to make the story what it is. I think that the film does a good job of showing the violence and hatred that some felt while acknowledging that some felt differently and had doubts about the way things were but were often afraid or unable to speak up, a narrative not often taught because of the stereotypical Black versus White debate in most civil rights era stories. The film does a good job of showing the Bus Boycott from a more outside perspective than those that were right on the front lines, and shows the inner conflict that many had to go through when trying to keep their jobs and participate in the boycott, as well as the inner conflict of the white families of keeping their employees despite their displeasure about the boycott and the effect it had on their jobs. -- Kimberly Sak

I believe //The Long Walk Home// could be used as an excellent example of the portrayal of poverty, racism, segregation, and violence during the Civil Rights Movement. The main characters are fictional, but are living out their own independent lives in the world without directly coming into contact with any major historical figures. We've seen from other films that the inclusion of fictional characters among historical figures has obstructed the story, perhaps with the exception of Matewan. However this film is entirely fictional, yet exists within a crucial historical time period. I think what makes this film so intriguing is that is not about anyone important. Whoopi Goldberg and Sissy Spacek's characters are two average women from different ends of a spectrum. They're not important, yet this film has them in leading roles. //The Long Walk Home// is pretty much an inside look at the struggles average people such as Odessa and Miriam faced. While they are fictional, Odessa and Miriam appear to be loosely based off Mary and Virginia Foster Durr. Going off of this, I believe having the main characters be fictional gave the film more flexibility than had they been actual historical figures. You can easily build onto an idea and let it take shape to tell a story. This movie does that while staying true to its core theme of telling the stories of ordinary people's lives during the Montgomery Bus Boycott and how it affected them. -- Lyndsey Clark

Both this movie and The Best Years of Our Lives are unique in that they show just normal people in these situations. Instead of being disappointed in how horrible film makers have butchered a historical figure, we get to see how every day people handled being put in these positions. It helps the audience realize that it wasn't just famous Americans who were heroic, but regular Americans were heroic within their own lives. —Madison Roberts

I think //The Long Walk Home// is a great example of a movie that accurately portrays the Civil Rights movement, racism, sexism, and class division from the stand point of average people. I had never heard of this movie before watching it, which is a shame because I think this film should be talked about more due to how important the story is. The Montgomery Bus Boycott is such an important movement that really helps lay the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement in the 60's. This story is so important to our national narrative yet so many people don't know much about it other than the name Rosa Parks. This is a fantastic film for people who don't know anything about this movement. -Wilson LeCount

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